KIND TO THE EARTH

Travel blogger and climate activist Aakash Ranison uses the power of social media to drive change every day. The 24-year-old travelpreneur shares with us his inspiration to go vegan, tips for responsible travel, and more.

You are an environmental activist and traveller. How did these two come together?

When I started travelling in 2014, I noticed how people were misusing natural resources and dumping plastic, paper, and cloth without blinking an eye. That’s when I started watching documentaries, reading articles, and educating myself on climate change.

Subsequently, I began my journey as a climate activist and responsible traveller. I prefer walking, trekking, kayaking, cycling, hitch-hiking, and I choose trains and buses over flights. I have adopted a vegan lifestyle. I also work with NGOs to offset my carbon footprint and only take up projects that combine all of my passions. In December 2019, I did a beach clean-up in Kozhikode, Kerala, and collected over 800 kilograms of solid waste, with which I created an installation called the World’s First Marine Cemetery. My next project is in Spiti Valley, where I am doing my bit to make the Himalayas plastic-free.

You have walked more than 8,000 kilometres, cycled over 20,000 kilometres, and hitch-hiked 50,000 kilometres so far. What keeps you going?

I travel, trek, kayak, ski, go on adventures, laugh, fail, and get back up without keeping a tab on the numbers. I am 24 now, and I have just begun. Swami Vivekananda is my driving force. He gives me strength and pushes me to keep moving ahead without fear.

How do you integrate veganism and minimalism in your lifestyle while travelling?

Choosing a vegan lifestyle meant following my passion to save nature and living in harmony with all the other creatures on Earth. My minimalist lifestyle is in sync with both my passions— travelling and climate activism.

Travelling light helps me travel far. It also helps me in keeping my carbon footprint small.

Which is your favourite ecotourism destination in India?

Spiti Valley. I love the place. Firstly, because it is so beautiful, and secondly, because not many tourists visit the area. There, I spend my time with the team of Spiti Ecosphere (spitiecosphere. com). The founder, Ishita Khanna, and I share the same passion and interest in climate change, and work tirelessly towards making travelling in the area sustainable.

How important is sustainable travel in a post-COVID world?

COVID-19 has made us evaluate why we travel. Rather than travelling for vanity to far corners of the world, we must discover and document beauty closer home. Sustainable travel can be done through cycling and walking to close destinations. This allows you to physically distance yourself while still enjoying the place.

It is high time we realise we are dependent on nature and not the other way around.

Ranison created an art installation titled World’s First Marine Cemetery using single-use plastic that he collected from Kozhikode Beach.