India is the global host of 2018 World Environment Day, which falls tomorrow on June 5. The theme this year is 'Beat Plastic Pollution', urging governments, industry, communities, and individuals to come together and explore sustainable alternatives and urgently reduce the production and excessive use of single-use plastic.

While the goal seems lofty, and the theme sweeping and humongous, it is the words of Dr Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, that should resonate deeply. The minister had in an earlier address said that the Indian philosophy and lifestyle has long been rooted in the concept of co-existence with nature and that India is committed to making Planet Earth a cleaner and greener place.