~ Union Minister for Agriculture and Consumers Affairs, Shri Sharad Pawar and Chief Minister of Delhi, Smt. Sheila Dikshit along with Mr. Muhtar Kent, President & COO, The Coca-Cola Company launch the film in Delhi ~

• “Our Environment-Let us protect it” – is an animation film aimed at generating awareness on environment and conservation of precious natural resources among students  
• The 60-minute film will be disseminated in more than 5,000 schools thereby reaching out to more than 1,00,000 students across the country
• Coca-Cola reaffirms its commitment to the community and environment – Launches the Coca-Cola India Foundation with a corpus of USD 10 million
  

New Delhi, December 3, 2007: Union Minister for Agriculture and Consumers Affairs, Shri Sharad Pawar, Chief Minister of Delhi, Smt. Sheila Dikshit along with Mr. Muhtar Kent, COO, The Coca-Cola Company today launched the film - “Our Environment- Let Us Protect It” - an animation film on environmental education. The film has been specially created for students to generate awareness on the environment and to urge the future leaders to preserve and protect the environment. The film has been developed by BAIF Development Research Foundation, an NGO committed to sustainable rural development, food security and clean environment, in partnership with Coca-Cola India, the country’s leading non alcoholic beverage Company.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Narayan G. Hegde, President, BAIF Development Research Foundation, said, “BAIF has been involved in initiatives on sustainable development including environment protection and natural resources management. We have now launched an initiative which is like insurance for years to come because it is the future leaders who need to be educated and aligned to preserve the environment. The environment film launched today is easy to understand with simple language and suitable animations and we are hopeful that the film will have the desired effect on students.”

The environment film carries important scientific facts on environment pollution and the methods of preventing them. The narration of the film is in an easy to understand language with appropriate illustrations and covers various aspects of environment that is taught in primary school. This 60-minute film will be available in three languages - English, Hindi and Marathi and has presently been launched in English. The film will be disseminated by Coca-Cola India in more than 5000 schools, thereby reaching out to more than 1,00,000 students in primary schools in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. The film has been divided into five sections - Environment, Conservation of Nature, Eco-System, Climate, and preventing Environmental Pollution and covers topics on conservation of natural resources such as land, livestock, water. This multi-media presentation aims at serving as an educational material through entertainment rather than a serious study.

Coca-Cola reaffirms its commitment to the community and environment- Launches the Coca-Cola India Foundation.

Announcing the setting up of Coca-Cola India Foundation, Mr. Muhtar Kent, President and COO, The Coca-Cola Company said, “The Coca-Cola system in India has been undertaking a series of activities for community development and inclusive growth. To further accelerate this process of making a ‘difference’ in the local communities where we operate, we are happy to set up the Coca-Cola India Foundation. This Foundation with an initial corpus of USD 10 million would focus on a range of activities including water, the environment, healthy living and social advancement.”

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Atul Singh, President  & CEO, Coca-Cola India, said, “The Company has always placed high value on good citizenship. At Coca-Cola we are committed to preserve, protect and enhance the environment and this simple belief guides us in everything that we do. The launch of this film and the setting up of Coca-Cola India Foundation is yet another step in that direction. I am sure that the Foundation will be making a significant positive impact on the local communities in days to come.”

The Coca-Cola India Foundation will undertake activities for sustainable development and inclusive growth by focusing on issues relating to water, environment, healthy living and social advancement. The advisory board members of the Foundation include Mr. Justice J. S. Verma, Former Chief Justice of India and Chairman National Human Rights Commission, Dr. Mithu Alur, Founder/Chairperson, Spastics’ Society of India and The National Resource Centre for Inclusion, Mr. Javed Akhtar, Poet, lyricist, script writer and social activist, Mr. Shashi Tharoor, Author and international civil servant, Mr. Bunker Roy of Barefoot College, Dr. Naresh Trehan, cardiologist and opinion leader, Mr. Roshan Seth, Actor, socialite and theater personality, Dr. (Mrs.) Shyama Chona, Principal, Delhi Public School. Mr. Yogesh Chandra is the CEO of the Foundation.

About BAIF

Mahatma Gandhi visited Urulikanchan, a backward village near Pune, in 1946 to establish a Nature Cure Centre. His trusted disciple Manibhai Desai who was assigned the responsibility of management worked closely with the villagers to tackle their problems. He established the Bharatiya Agro Industries Foundation (BAIF), a non-profit, Public Charitable Trust in 1967. Unemployment, underemployment and depletion of natural resources being the root causes of rural poverty, BAIF’s Mission is to create opportunities of gainful self-employment for rural families especially disadvantaged sections, ensuring sustainable livelihood, enriched environment, improved quality of life and good human values. BAIF is a non-political, secular and professionally managed organization BAIF has been promoting sustainable livelihood in rural India through conservation of natural resources, which is closely linked with biodiversity and clean environment. These programmes benefits over 2.5 million families spread over 45,000 villages. With this rich experience over the last four decades, BAIF has taken up environmental awareness for children as an important programme across the country.