This program is creating a new generation of sustainability leaders

And it can be replicated everywhere

Apr 21, 2023

Shimla, the summer capital of the state of Himachal Pradesh in northern India, experienced its warmest February this year with temperatures reaching 21C. This is a city that’s at the foothill of the Himalayas.

The state has seen a large influx of tourists in the last few years and the construction of dams and highways has led to the deterioration of the environment.

To fight this, Earthjust Ecosystems collaborated with the state government to launch a unique program.

The program called Satat Shikshak Samudaya (loosely translated as a group of engaged teachers) has shortlisted 16 teachers from government, private, and central schools.

These teachers will be mentored by experts from top organizations like Deloitte, Tata, and EY and will also get technical and policy-level inputs from experts in their area.

It’s also a great opportunity for corporate leaders to learn & understand change at the grassroots level.

These teachers would then go on to educate thousands of students, enabling them to become future changemakers in our fight against climate change.

Satat Shikshak Samudaya program in action

Have you seen similar programs in other parts of the world?

Thanks to Bidyut for sharing this story with me

Moving onto this week’s content. So today, we have👇🏽

A startup that has bioengineered a plant to purify the air in your home
Another startup that allows you to compete with your colleagues on your carbon footprint
Some good news
Can I help you?

🪴 This startup has bioengineered a plant to purify the air in your home

Toxic Indoors…The quality of outdoor air is deteriorating. The situation is no different for indoor air. Our houses are full of pollutants as well. The most common ones are Volatile Organic Compounds, commonly known as VOCs. They are carbon-containing toxins that can be dangerous for us, our kids, and even pets. They come from a variety of sources like building materials, and home & personal care items. Even tobacco products, foams, wood burning stoves emit them.

Revolutionary Air-Cleaning Plants…Now traditional air purifiers don’t capture VOCs. Some houseplants can do that but you would need an entire garden for that. And that’s where Neoplants come in. Through bioengineering and directed evolution (a process by which biological entities with desired traits are created), they are creating plants with a purpose.

These plants can fight indoor air pollution.
Their first plant is Neo P1 which is equivalent to up to 30 regular houseplants in terms of air purification.
It doesn’t store pollutants like a typical houseplant but rather captures and recycles them into amino acids, and sugar.

Locally Grown…Neo P1 is grown in greenhouses. To reduce its carbon footprint, it is grown closer to the point of sale, unlike most houseplants that are transported using planes.

Check out Neoplants

👣 This startup allows you to compete with your colleagues on your carbon footprint

Neglected Emissions…Companies emit CO2 through a lot of activities and they track a lot of them too. But there’s one area that often gets neglected and that is employee engagement. It includes activities like flights taken by employees or commutes done by them from their homes to work. It could also include something like the meals eaten on the job. All of these are responsible for emissions but they do not get measured.

Gamifying Carbon Reduction…If these emissions won’t be measured, they won’t be reduced. That’s where Carbon Neutral Club comes in. It has built a software-as-a-service model which calculates the carbon footprints of employees when they answer questions related to their activities that lead to carbon emissions at the workplace.

It then challenges them to reduce their footprint through activities like swapping one red-meat meal per week for a vegan meal
It has gamified the concept where workplace teams can see each other’s progress
There are checks and balances in place so that you can’t cheat the system

Sustainable Rewards Program…Employees earn points upon success and they can redeem them for rewards from sustainable brands. It has partnered up with conscious brands in the apparel, food, beauty, and personal care categories.

Check out Carbon Neutral Club