Our Learnings, Mission and Purpose

At CapitalTrails, our mission has been to bring people outdoors and assist like-minded folks with outdoor experiences, while making the natural trails across NCR more accessible. We achieve this through various efforts, which include monthly outdoor meets, mapping and running FKT routes, and the CapitalTrails Race series.

With a sincere objective towards bringing awareness about green spaces around us, we have also been supporting and aligning with those who are creating a positive impact. Since 2020, we have been donating to various individuals and non-profit organisations. This has been made possible by our active CLUB members and their engagement to come together on this journey with us over the years.

Learnings Through Our Collective Efforts

1. Community Engagement: Our biggest asset has been the wonderful community members who not only explore the outdoors with us, but also have been supporting us in helping these organisations maintain and keep the natural habitat intact.

2. Leave No Trace: While we have supported various non-profits/individuals, the learnings have also made us more aware of how we as a community interact with our natural spaces. And we have made conscious efforts towards ensuring no trash is left behind during all our trail efforts.

3. Safe Access to Trails: Living in NCR, and understanding the concerns folks have regarding safety, we have put in great efforts to ensure the trails are accessible and the experience is safe for everyone. We further encourage members to take first aid and other outdoor courses and share feedback, which can help us improve our interventions as we go along. 

4. Engaging Local Experts: We have initiated outdoor walks for our community members with an expert naturalist/environmentalist to help bring awareness about the rich natural habitat around us.

   
   

Contributions Summary for FY2024-25

In the last financial year 2024-25, CapitalTrails India supported various causes:

1. All Creatures Great and Small: A unique orphaned animal rescue shelter (farm) at Mangar, run by Ms. Anjali Gopalan. The shelter began with a batch of 55 dogs, but soon took in other animals, mostly from her rural surroundings. From a shelter for dogs, it became a sanctuary for a disparate group of animals. Gopalan named the shelter after the title of her favourite book, "All Creatures Great and Small," written by veterinary surgeon and author, Dr. James Herriot. There are over 600 animal inmates, including cats, donkeys, pigs, horses, cows, monkeys, and even emus. ( Instagram | Short video)

2. The Hell Race Sports Foundation: The Hell Race Sports Foundation believes in the transformative power of long-distance running. Born from a decade of hosting long-distance races across India, HRSF identifies and empowers talented but under-resourced runners. The foundation provides financial aid, coaching, equipment, and competition access to fuel India's long-distance running revolution. Through our support, travel funding, and expenses for athletes were supported for the HRSF athletes to represent India for the World Trail Championships. (Website)

3. Waste Warriors: Since 2012, Waste Warriors Society has been championing the waste crisis with an ambitious mission to clean up the eco-sensitive Himalayas. They work through a multi-pronged approach of ensuring better government-led access to waste management services, addressing policy gaps, promoting local entrepreneurship and catalysing communities to co-create localised solutions. (Website)

4. New Delhi Nature Society: NDNS is an NGO dedicated to promoting nature awareness and conservation in the bustling city of Delhi. A registered trust since 2017, they have been actively engaged in various activities to create a greener and more sustainable environment in the city. NDNS aims to connect people with nature and empower them with the knowledge to protect and conserve the environment (Website)

5. Sunil Harsana/Mangar Eco Club (supported by the Laksh Foundation): Through the Mangar Eco Club, Mr Sunil Harsana has been working actively to protect Mangar Bani and educate local kids about the natural world around them (Instagram)

6. I Am Gurgaon: I am Gurgaon is a citizen-led movement dedicated to restoring the biodiversity of Gurgaon by fostering an ecosystem that can thrive amidst rampant urbanisation (Website)

7. There Is No Earth B:  There Is No Earth B is a leaderless people’s movement, consistently working on the ground since 2018, with an ever-growing group of volunteers who passionately commit themselves to advancing decentralized climate actions. Their motto has been to support, encourage, and facilitate the way for inclusive, organic, and decentralized climate action and advocacy. Our support helps them with Sanjay Van’s weekly clean-up and other environmental activism (Website)

   
   

Summary report of the total amount contributed in FY 2024-25 is shared below: 

#	Organisation/ Individual	Amount Contributed
1	All Creatures Great and Small	INR 5,000
2	The Hell Race Sports Foundation	INR 25,000
3	Waste warriors	INR 5,000
4	New Delhi Nature Society	INR 4,000
5	Mangar Eco Club (supported by Laksh Foundation)	INR 13,500
6	I Am Gurgaon	INR 11,000
7	There is no Planet B	INR 3,500
	Total	INR 67,000

Moving Ahead with Purpose

Actively engaging and contributing towards our ecology, making conscious choices and taking actions to protect and preserve the environment through these organisations has truly been a rewarding experience.

If you would like to support our work and help fund amazing organisations/people listed above, please consider becoming a member of the CapitalTrails CLUB. Your membership can go a long way, quite literally and figuratively!

Annual membership amount for the CLUB is Rs. 5,000. More details can be found on our website. See you on the trails!