Parisar used to bring out a quarterly publication called Parisar Varta that highlighted many contemporary issues and informed its readers about developments and innovations in the field of sustainable development. Parisar now communicates with its friends through periodic electronic newsletters.

Parisar conducted an annual public lecture on different topics of social interest by eminent personalities in the social field. Dr. Vandana Shiva, Dr. Ramachandra Guha and Dr. Amulya K. N. Reddy have been some of the speakers at the Parisar Annual Lecture series. Parisar has re-started the lecture series from 2010 with a lecture by Mr. P. Sainath.

Parisar was formed on the 5th of June – World Environment Day – 1981 in response to deteriorating quality of urban life resulting from an overall apathy towards the environment and neglect of natural and man-made heritage of the city. It is registered as a charitable trust or NGO at Pune, Maharashtra, India and has worked in a variety of fields such as protecting urban heritage, preserving the bio-diversity of Pune, and challenging questionable decisions by the Government. The range of its activities has included advocacy, campaigning and playing the role of a watch-dog to ensure that citizen's interests are protected. Currently, Parisar is focused on advocacy and lobbying for sustainable urban transport policies.