City Pulse

With an aim to make Bengaluru cleaner and greener, Morgan Stanley employees joined hands with Team IChangeMyCity of Janaagraha and held a clean-up cum plantation drive at Devarabisanahalli Lake on June 30.

Team IChangeMyCity of Janaagraha, an NGO that encourages active citizenship for better democracy, connected with Morgan Stanley to make the event possible.

Devarabisanahalli Lake was selected as the venue for clean-up. Like most other water bodies of Bengaluru, the picturesque lake bears the brunt of unprecedented urbanization and concentrated developmental activities. Very little has been done to protect Bengaluru lakes and this was evident in Devarabisanahalli Lake.
 
On June 30, 2017 as many as 41 volunteers from Morgan Stanley and 10 from Janaagraha gathered at the Lake.

Layers of garbage was waiting for the volunteers. However, the enthusiastic crowd were determined to give the lake a new lease of life.

After a brief introduction session, the cleanliness warriors split themselves in 4 teams with intent to cover the maximum area of the lake spanning 13.4 acres. Each group further broke themselves into segments and took up specific tasks such as collecting garbage, segregating it, deweeding the pathway, planting trees etc.

In a matter of four hours, more than 50 kilos of waste was collected and segregated for disposal.

Team IChangeMyCity had coordinated with the BBMP, who had sent four Pourakarmikas to help with the drive as well as collect the garbage to be taken to the disposal site.

Fifteen saplings of Neem  and Indian Beech trees were planted along the lake-bed to restore the lost greenery.
 
Instilling active citizenship
Giving back is one of Morgan Stanley’s core value. The event turned out to be successful with the employees understanding the importance of active citizenship. During the feedback session held after the drive, the participants testified that they felt a sense of commitment to contribute to the city where they live and expressed their happiness in beautifying the lake.
 
The employees have also vowed to be active citizens and continue to make Bengaluru better by reporting civic issues around them on IChangeMyCity portal as well as the Swachhata app. By reporting a civic grievance on IChangeMyCity/Swacchata app one can bring about a positive change even if they are not present at the grievance site. Team IChangeMyCity forwards each complaint to the respective civic agency and with the coordination from the complainant the grievance is taken up and resolved.
 
Global Volunteering programme
Every June, Morgan Stanley employees from around the world make a difference in the communities through their Global Volunteering programme. The employees volunteer with Non-Profit organizations in the cities they are based. In Bengaluru, IChangeMyCity (Part of Janaagraha, an NGO that encourages active citizenship for better democracy) coordinated with Morgan Stanley to inspire positive change.