Afroz Shah is an Indian

environmental activist The environmental movement (sometimes referred to as the ecology movement), also including conservation and green politics, is a diverse philosophical, social, and political movement for addressing environmental issues. Environmentalists advoc ...

and lawyer from

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

. He is best known for organizing the world's largest beach clean-up project, which has grown into a movement that has inspired people around the world to clean up their surrounding environment. In 2016, Shah was named by the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

as a Champion of the Earth for leading the clean-up of Mumbai's Versova Beach. Shah partnered with the

Dawoodi Bohra The Dawoodi Bohras are a religious denomination within the Ismā'īlī branch of Shia Islam. Their largest numbers reside in India, Pakistan, Yemen, East Africa, and the Middle East, with a growing presence across Europe, North America, South ...

's Turning the Tide campaign to remove plastic from the

Mithi river The Mithi River (Pronunciation: iʈʰiː is a river on Salsette Island, the island of the city of Mumbai, India. It is a confluence of tail-water discharges of the Powai and Vihar lakes. The river is seasonal and rises during the monsoons. ...

and Dana Pani beach in Mumbai. Inspired by Afroz Shah's effort to clean beaches in Mumbai, the

United Nations Environment Program The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on th ...

launched the Clean Seas campaign globally. Afroz Shah has won the

CNN Heroes ''CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute'' is a television special created by CNN to honor individuals who make extraordinary contributions to humanitarian aid and make a difference in their communities. The program was started in 2007. Since 2016, the ...

of the Year Award−2019.

Awards and honors

* United Nations Champion of the Earth Award 2016 * CNN-News18 Indian of the Year 2017 * CNN named him amongst its list of Top 10 Heroes of Year 2019 * GQ awarded the trophy for Eco Warrior of the Year 2019 PM of India

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament from ...

praised Shah's work for transforming Versova beach from filth and garbage to clean and beautiful during the radio programme 'Mann ki baat' on 28 May 2017.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shah, Afroz Year of birth missing (living people) Living people People from Mumbai 21st-century Indian lawyers Indian environmentalists