Environmentalist Foundation of India
The idea behind the herbal gardens are to increase people's interest in green cover and live healthy with native Indian herbs.An ancient waterbody, located in front of the Sri Ramanujar Sannadhi at Sevilimedu in Kancheepuram taluk, was revived by the Environmentalist Foundation of India (E.F.I).Deepening of the water body, clearing invasive weeds, planting native saplings, establishing G-shaped nesting islands were all part of the restoration effort.An eco-park named Kanagam was established in Anna Nagar to ensure sustainability and move away from the idea of ecologically damaging construction in any way.The project is being executed in collaboration with the Government of Tamil Nadu and the Greater Chennai Corporation under the Namakku Naame scheme.Immediately post the monsoons, the organization started working on restoration of three ponds within the Perungalathur Town Panchayat.[34] One pond in Nagapattinam and one in Chellaperumal Nagar at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu were restored by E.F.I with support from the Better India group.The once garbage filled and weed infested water body was cleaned and restored through E.F.I's community based conservation efforts.Arresting the inflow of sewage, clearing the water bodies of non-degradable trash, construction debris and invasive weeds was part of the eco restoration efforts.The pond located within the burial ground was to be slowly converted into a dumping site, however is now revived and ecologically restored.[53] E.F.I in association with a local group called Arastha in Srinagar in Jammu & Kashmir is involved in a multi-phase community based conservation of the Dal Lake.The two year long effort is voluntary with involvement from local citizens, shikaras, houseboat owners and the students in Srinagar.The Chennai Metro water is the nodal agency and Environmentalist Foundation of India is the executing NGO partner.Lake Savaari is an ecological safari aimed at increasing public awareness on freshwater habitats in Chennai.The effort rolled out in Chennai, Bangalore, Coimbatore, Pondicherry and Hyderabad is a weekend activity where participants are taken on a guided ecological tour to series of lakes.Through the series several documentaries on rivers of Tamil Nadu and other inspiring water stories are documented and made available for the general public.The organisation's approach to recruit volunteers through school and college orientation programmes received support with many students joining them.Prime Minister Narendra Modi had acknowledged E.F.I's conservation efforts in restoring over 170 water bodies across the country.