CHENNAI (India CSR): Accenture is supporting the development of a 15-acre Eco Action & Learning Hub focused on wetland restoration in Manali, Chennai, in collaboration with Zone 2 (Manali Zone) of Greater Chennai Corporation and Farmers for Forests, a non-profit organisation. The hub will help local communities learn about sustainability and take part in environmental action. This is the third Eco Action & Learning Hub supported by Accenture and Farmers for Forests in India, following a 12-acre hub in Manchar (Pune district, Maharashtra) and a 10-acre hub in Nrityagram (Bengaluru, Karnataka). Together, the three hubs combine ecological restoration with hands-on environmental education and community participation.
The Chennai initiative has helped transform a polluted industrial site into a restored wetland ecosystem that supports habitat regeneration. Designed to enhance ecological resilience and reduce flood risk, it features ponds, deep-water zones, diversion channels, and habitat zones. By the end of the year, the site will be home to more than 19,000 native trees and shrubs and support a rich diversity of birds, pollinators, insects, and other wetland-dependent species.
The hub will host guided nature tours, birdwatching, sustainability workshops, and hands-on demonstrations for local communities, including school children, on topics such as renewable energy, circular economy practices, waste management, sustainable food systems, and sustainable living. Visitors can also participate in environmental action through tree planting, biodiversity monitoring, composting, permaculture gardening, and wetland restoration activities such as planting native reeds, removing invasive species, and creating habitat features for local fauna. Powered by solar energy, the hub incorporates rainwater harvesting and soil conservation techniques.
The Chennai hub builds on the success of two existing Eco Action & Learning Hubs supported by Accenture in India. Over the past two years, more than 30,000 people, including 15,000 school students, local community members, and Accenture employees, have visited the hubs in Manchar (Pune district) and Nrityagram (Bengaluru). Together, the Manchar hub and Bengaluru hub are home to more than 27,000 trees and over 200 species of flora and fauna.
Ajay Vij, Senior Country Managing Director, Accenture in India said, “At Accenture, stewardship is rooted in our responsibility to our people, communities and the planet. We believe education and participation can help turn awareness into action. By helping people experience sustainability firsthand, we hope to build greater understanding and inspire the next generation to embrace environmental responsibility.”
Manisha Bhattacharya, Lead – Corporate Citizenship, Asia Pacific, Accenture said, “From Manchar in Pune district and Nrityagram in Bengaluru to the newest Eco Action & Learning Hub in Chennai, these spaces are rooted in the environmental priorities of their communities and bring sustainability to life in ways that are tangible, relevant, and accessible. Just as local communities learn from the hubs, they also contribute to them through biodiversity monitoring and conservation activities, helping these spaces evolve and thrive over time.”
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