In 2015, Versova Beach in Mumbai was little more than a dumping ground for garbage and waste. After witnessing the devastating impact the refuse was having on the ocean, young lawyer Afroz Shah, with the help of 84-year-old neighbor Harbansh Mathur, decided to take matters into their own hands. What started off as a single man’s mission to clean up his favorite childhood beach turned into the world’s largest beach cleanup initiative with 70,000 adult volunteers and 60,000 student volunteers. After three years of work, Shah and hundreds of volunteers had cleaned up over 9 million kilograms of plastic and waste, with hopes to expand their initiative to other beaches in the future. The beach is now clean enough to welcome olive ridley sea turtles ready to lay their eggs to its shores. In 2016, Shah was awarded the UN’s Champions of the Earth award. He is currently working to clean Mithi River, Mumbai’s longest river.