Sustainability Weekly
By Samarth Sheth
Sustainability WeeklyAug 24, 2020
Sab Ganda Hai Per Dhandha Hai Yeh - Professional Waste Management Landscape of India.
Approx. 73 mn MT is the solid waste that India generates, most of this unfortunately lands up in the landfill to generate methane gas which is 21 times more hazardous than Carbon Dioxide! One of the ways we as citizens can contribute is by segregating our waste, now more than ever before - the risk of contamination through our waste increases many fold if not appropriately segregated.
Here's a conversation with Mr. Goutham Reddy, MD and CEO of one of the largest professionally run waste management company Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd - REEL. The company has proved that, while there is money to be made in waste, while treating it appropriately to reduce environmental impact. Mr. Reddy vide this podcast has shared information on the Macro Landscape of the country, how the pandemic has increased the need for segregating our waste at source and what to do with the hazardous waste we generate - pre, during and post pandemic.
Cleanliness begins at home and this 73 mn MT Mammoth too will reduce, mainly from our very own kitchens!
S2E7 - Investing In the SDGs - Romain Diaz
Having your degree in place, you now wish to go change the world with that idea you have been working on; however, neither do you have the bank balance to start a business nor the mentors or the team in place. What do you do? Either park the idea and get a job or approach one of the Start-up Studios. Satgana is a new Start-up Studio which is focused on "For Profit" ventures which have one or more of the SDGs as a focus area. In conversation with the Founder and CEO Romain Diaz, this episode gives insights on what one can expect being a part of a Start-up Studio.
You could look up Romain Diaz on LinkedIn or look him up on https://satgana.com/
Following are links to the few ventures/ companies Romain referred to in this Episode:
Successful Start-up Studio based in France : https://www.efounders.com/
Some of the companies successful now after having gone through a Start-up studio:
Following are a few Venture Studios existing in India:
S2E6 - E-Waste Recycling - Karan Thakkar
S2E5- Wildlife Corridors of India - Prakriti Srivastava
Social Impact Investment in the Agricultural Space - Mark Kahn
"VC Money is Jet-fuel and should not be used in a Maruti Swift or even a Lamborgini" in laymen terms, not to use this route for traditional businesses., as successful as they may be. Mark Kahn, a citizen of the US, Germany and Canada choose to call India home and made a career in the social impact space. This podcast is about his journey and the Social Impact Investments in the Agriculture space. Following are a few links to further reading/ information on what Mark mentioned in this episode:
Agriculture Exports from India : https://bit.ly/30Wyiem
Omnivore : https://www.omnivore.vc/
#socialimpact #investing #sustainability #agriculture #agritech #aquaculture #export #india #asia #vietnam #UAE
Decent Work & Economic Growth
Give her fish and you have fed her for a day; teach her to fish and you have fed her for a lifetime! That's precisely what Pipal Tree Foundation does, in Conversation with a media & camera shy Shailendra Ghaste [was a task to get the profile picture from him as well!], who requested not to name his other for profit ventures as he wishes to dedicate the podcast to only the social cause! Without you and me knowing much about his ventures, Pipal Tree Foundation and Ventures has been responsible to place over 80,000 people over the past decade! Following are a few links to the websites Shailendra refers to in the Podcast:
https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/covid19-lockdn-migrant-construction-worker-crisis/
www.Pipaltreefoundation.com
Life Below Water with Marine Biologist Gabriella D'Cruz
A call for climate action is needed with immediate effect; the urgency to act to ensure "Life Below Water" is well taken care of, to start with cannot be emphasized more. One of the reasons for starting the podcast is from my last snorkel and scuba trip to the Maldives. Hope every listener in their own way is able to contribute to make a difference, be it either by volunteering or providing funds or guidance to any of the organisations listed below :
Michelle Forney - Acoustic Ecologist at Cornell University is the lady Gabriella referred to who did the research on Whale songs; here's a podcast in which Michelle describes the experiment : https://open.spotify.com/episode/0K0KS3ZBSNM7oN6z3lkPl9?si=hMbJi7QESk2vynXG3bsJeg
The Good Ocean : https://www.instagram.com/thegoodocean/
Marine Life of Mumbai : https://www.marinelifeofmumbai.in/
Terra Concious [Save the turtle project] : https://www.terraconscious.com/
Know your Fish : http://knowyourfish.org.in/
Reef Watch : http://reefwatchindia.org/
Society for Marine Research and Conservation : http://smrcindia.in/
Coastal Impact : https://coastalimpact.in/
Dr. Ruth Shapiro, CAPS - Philanthropy and how 18 Economies of Asia are Doing!
Dr. Ruth Shapiro is the Founder and CEO of the Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society [CAPS]. She and her team have been instrumental in coming up with a "Doing Good Index" report which is a league table of sorts of the 18 Asian Economies. Many a governments and large corporates across these 18 economies have reached out to them for advisory on framing their policies on "doing good". Dr. Shapiro shares with us her journey so far, the future of CAPS and certain economies.
Trailer to Season 2
Sustainability Weekly Season 2, bringing on many more subject experts to talk about social impact and sustainability issues. What's the "Good, Bad and Ugly" of the business and process of sustainability. People in the field of Philanthropy, Social Impact Investing, Companies making sustainable products, Organisations working towards wildlife, water and soil conservation, etc. will all form the lineup in Season 2.
Future Without Landfills
Waste is no longer someone else's responsibility! We have examples of expats getting back to the country to "get their hands dirty" and make a difference. Nupur Tandon one such noble soul, Founder of ProWaste Concepts has a vision of a "Future Without Landfills", is marching one community/ campus at a time towards achieving the same.
Website : www.prowaste.org
Roti, Kapda, Makaan and........Dukaan! - With Vinayak Kamath from CSA
Sustainable Startup - Disguise Cosmetics
Being a new business around the block, here is a startup which did not cut corners not only while making the product, but also while the customer has to dispose off the packaging of the product. Here's the story of a Profitable, Clean, Ethical and Environmentally Friendly Startup - Disguise Cosmetics.
www.disguisecosmetics.com
Upcycling - With Hemal Damani
10 Habits to a Sustainable Living
How not to Screw up a Family Business!