In a city as restless, ambitious, and alive as Bengaluru, environmental sustainability cannot survive as an idea locked inside reports, slogans, or annual observances. It must live where the city lives—in classrooms, on streets, inside communities, and in everyday choices.
ALTERNATIVE, the flagship environmental initiative by Vimové Foundation, was created with a clear intention: to move beyond symbolic awareness and build a culture of sustained environmental responsibility. Not a campaign that peaks and fades, but a platform that returns every year, asking harder questions, inviting deeper participation, and demanding greater ownership.
Over time, ALTERNATIVE has become more than an event. It has become a rhythm—one that mirrors the city’s evolving relationship with its environment.
This is the story of that journey.
ALTERNATIVE 2017
Theme & Focus:
Awakening Environmental Consciousness
Tagline: Every Change Begins With a Conversation
Key Highlights
ALTERNATIVE began quietly, but with conviction. In 2017, the focus was simple yet foundational: start talking. At a time when environmental action often felt distant or institutional, ALTERNATIVE created a shared space for students, educators, and citizens to engage in honest conversations about responsibility, impact, and accountability.
There were no quick fixes promised—only the belief that awareness is the first act of care. This edition planted the seed that environmental change does not begin with policy or protest, but with people choosing to pay attention.
ALTERNATIVE 2021
Theme & Focus:
Youth Voices in a Digital World
Tagline: The Planet Needs Stories That Travel
Key Highlights
When the world paused, ALTERNATIVE refused to. The pandemic reshaped how people connected, and ALTERNATIVE 2021 responded by embracing the digital space—not as a limitation, but as an opportunity.
Young people led the way, using storytelling as a tool for resilience and reflection. Environmental
conversations moved online, crossing physical boundaries and reaching new audiences. What emerged
was a powerful insight: engagement does not depend on location. It depends on relevance, voice, and
intent.
This edition proved that even in isolation, collective consciousness can grow.
ALTERNATIVE 2022
Theme & Focus:
Only One Earth
Tagline: Global Challenges. Local Responsibility.
Key Highlights
By 2022, the urgency was impossible to ignore. Climate change, overconsumption, and ecological stress were no longer distant threats—they were lived realities. ALTERNATIVE aligned itself with the global “Only One Earth” narrative while grounding the conversation firmly in local action.
The focus shifted toward understanding limits—of resources, systems, and habits—and celebrating young individuals already stepping up as environmental champions. This edition reinforced a critical truth: global problems demand local courage, and real change begins where people choose to act.
ALTERNATIVE 2023
Theme & Focus:
Conscious Living and Sustainable Lifestyles
Tagline: Sustainability Is Not a Policy. It’s a Practice.
Key Highlights
ALTERNATIVE 2023 marked a turning point. Awareness was no longer enough. The conversation moved inward—toward behaviour, choices, and everyday life.
This edition explored sustainability as something lived, not declared. Through dialogue, art, and
reflection, participants questioned how they consume, commute, and coexist. Educational institutions
became spaces of experimentation, not just discussion. More than a hundred ideas emerged—each one
rooted in the belief that sustainability must be practiced daily, not postponed for the future.
For many, this was the year sustainability stopped feeling abstract and started feeling personal.
ALTERNATIVE 2024
Theme & Focus:
Youth for a Green and Vibrant Bengaluru
Tagline: The City’s Future Is Being Designed Today
Key Highlights
In 2024, ALTERNATIVE made a bold statement: youth are not the future of environmental action—they are the present.
College students across Bengaluru were invited to reimagine their city through solutions, not
slogans. From water conservation to waste management, mobility to green energy, ideas were grounded
in context and urgency. Creativity met practicality, and innovation met responsibility.
This edition shifted the power dynamic. Students were no longer participants responding to prompts. They became designers of the city they inhabit.
ALTERNATIVE 2025
Theme & Focus:
Sustainable Greater Bengaluru
Tagline: People. Policy. Planet.
Key Highlights
ALTERNATIVE 2025 represented its most evolved form yet. This was the year the initiative stepped fully into civic engagement.
Citizen voices were formally captured through the Greater Bengaluru Sustainability Survey, transforming lived experience into collective insight. Grassroots leaders—often invisible despite years of work—were recognised through the Namma Earth Awards for their commitment to lake restoration, zero-waste living, heritage conservation, and community action.
The 21-day Impactathon connected physical movement with environmental mindfulness, reinforcing a powerful message: sustainability is as much about personal discipline as it is about public systems.
With thousands engaged, hundreds volunteering, and thousands of service hours contributed, this edition proved that when people are trusted, recognised, and included, they show up.
What ALTERNATIVE Has Built Over Time
Across its journey, ALTERNATIVE has:
- Engaged thousands of citizens across age groups
- Built a strong youth-led environmental ecosystem
- Enabled collaboration between civil society, institutions, and governance
- Normalised environmental responsibility as a civic duty
More importantly, it has helped nurture a growing community that views sustainability not as an obligation imposed from above, but as a shared commitment.
The Vimové Philosophy Behind ALTERNATIVE
ALTERNATIVE reflects Vimové Foundation’s long-term approach to social impact:
- Continuity over one-time events
- Youth ownership over passive participation
- Collaboration over silos
- Reflection and learning over repetition
Each edition is designed to build upon the last—deepening engagement, broadening perspective, and strengthening credibility.
Conclusion
Today, ALTERNATIVE stands as a living platform—one that listens before it speaks, evolves before it expands, and places people at the centre of environmental change.
As Bengaluru continues to grow, the question is no longer whether the city can become sustainable. The question is whether its citizens are willing to participate in that future.
Through ALTERNATIVE, the answer has been clear year after year.