Floral Laurel, Courtesy Temples: Group That Transforms Pooja Flowers Into Incense Honoured By United Nations 

‘Help Us Green’, a group that gives marginalised women the chance to earn livelihoods through collecting temple ceremonial flowers tossed into the Ganges and turning them into sustainable incense, has received a UN Climate Action Award, IANS has reported.

The ‘Momentum for Change Award’, given by UN Climate Change, showcases some of the most practical, replicable and innovative examples that address climate change. According to the UNFCCC website, the group’s feat can be summarised with these statistics:

1. 11,060 metric tonnes of temple-waste has been ‘flowercycled’ to date.
2. 110 metric tonnes of chemical pesticides that enter the river through temple waste have been offset.
3. The income of 73 manual scavenger families has increased at least six-fold.
4. 365 families have been impacted by HelpUsGreen through increased living standards and stable incomes.
5. 1,260 women have been supported through HelpUsGreen to date.
6. 19 children whose mothers used to work as manual scavengers have started going to school.

Fifteen initiatives in 14 countries were honoured as winners of the award at a ceremony at the ongoing UN Climate Change Conference (COP 24) in Katowice.