The Problem

In order to meet the needs of a growing population, deforestation is taking place worldwide. Forests are very important for the entire human community as well as necessary for creating a natural balance in the environment. However, human greed is leading to a continuous burning or cutting of trees in order to procure charcoals or to make items to be used in various forms, besides obtaining land for farming, residential, or commercial purposes.

The Solution

'Environment' urges people to plant at least one tree on their birthday.  The initiative not only saves trees from being cut, but it also increases the number of trees in the environment.

The Venture

“Environment” uses proper forest management strategies to ensure that the environment is not disturbed. The venture is trying to raise awareness among local people about the importance of environmental friendly manners in cutting their trees, and ensure that only cautiously selected trees are cut and transported with the least possible damage to the area. “Environment” team is trying to do awareness raising work with the help of local communities, local government and other local organizations such as schools and Gram Panchayats so that they join hands to start local trees planting programs and management of their local forests.

The Problem

Plastic waste is the most toxic waste ever produced by man on a day to day basis. Plastic does not decompose like many other types of waste rather it stays in the soil contaminating both the soil and the groundwater with toxins that do not promote any kind of life. Burning it is also not a convenient option as it releases oxides of nitrogen and sulfur and carbon monoxide that contributes to global warming and acid rain. The problem being solved is the lack of a safe method to dispose of plastic in each locality.

The Solution

The solution to the problem is to use a process known as pyrolysis or destructive distillation which breaks molecules having long chain lengths into smaller molecules by heating it to a particular temperature in the absence of fresh oxygen in a specially designed tank that  is capable of withstanding the temperature without interfering with the chemical process that is occurring inside. This is the exact same principle used in my project. This is a very reliable method as it does not pollute any natural resource and leaves practically no residue making this a very feasible project both economically and ecologically.

The Venture

The solution to the problem of Plastic is to use a process known as pyrolysis or destructive distillation which breaks molecules having long chain lengths into smaller molecules by heating it to a temperature in the absence of fresh oxygen in a specially designed tank that can withstand the temperature without interfering with the chemical process that is occurring inside. This is the exact same principle used in Sriram’s project. This is a very reliable method as it does not pollute any natural resource and leaves practically no residue making this a very feasible project both economically and ecologically.

The Problem

Present-day carbon dioxide levels have hiked by 27.3% leading to an increase in the global temperature and increasing sea level. Trees are being cut down to accommodate expansion of roads, industries and swanky complexes. These are important factors contributing to climate change, carbon footprint and a variety of other problems detrimental to all living beings. There has been a profound depletion of forest cover and the diversity of wildlife.

The Solution

The new dimension of the afforestation program in her school is to raise and exchange saplings, by collecting seeds and cuttings. Some saplings are given as gifts on birthdays to students. Guests and visitors also receive a gift of a sapling when they come to school.  They also provide to the community saplings, which are distributed as return gifts on various occasions. Some of these saplings which are raised from chemical-free parent plants are in great demand with the local nurseries and other schools. They are exchanged for plants and shrubs we need in the school.

The Venture

Inspired by a program in her school, Nanditha has gone on to start the Green Cover Proliferation initiative, which raises and exchanges saplings by collecting seeds and cuttings. These saplings are then given as gifts on birthdays of students or for guests and visitors of her school. Nanditha also provides the community with saplings that are distributed on various occasions. These saplings are raised from chemical-free parent plants and are therefore in high demand by local nurseries and other schools. These saplings are used in exchange for plants and shrubs that Nanditha’s school needs. Some goals of this initiative are: to improve tree cover so as to act as a carbon sink, improve the micro-climate of Hosur, prevent soil erosion, create a home for arboreal beings, promote awareness among young generations and increase the water table. So far, Nanditha has exchanged 1,000 saplings and gifted many more. There has since been an increase in the population of butterflies on the school campus as well as a reduced level of carbon emission as reported by the weather station installed in the school. In the future, Nanditha hopes to use other methods of vegetative propagation to raise saplings and expand their proliferation. She also hopes to expand the initiative to partner with other schools, NGOs and service clubs. Eventually, she hopes to be able to talk to industries and ensure a green cover in each of them.

The Problem

Delhi’s waste ends up in 4 landfills or is dumped on the streets to rot. 12500 tons of waste is generated daily and 5500 tons reach the landfills. The landfills are overflowing and over dumping is causing air pollution and diseases. The burning of waste contributes to 30% of the total PM 10 and 10% of PM 2.5 to the air. Waste generation has increased at an alarming rate and the composition has drastically changed seeing a skyrocketing of plastics as a percent of the waste.

The Solution

One Step Greener focuses on environmental sustainability, solid waste management, Segregation, Recycling and Composting. They spread awareness and offering door to door pickups of recyclable waste and ensures responsible recycling.

The Venture

One Step Greener is spreading awareness and offers training to households, students and teachers in schools and universities, to corporates, communities and RWA's.  They have designed simple and reasonably priced products to aid the process and get people started on segregating. These products include a visual chart, a box, a bag and stickers both out of Hindi and English. They have a tie-up with a company that provides monthly door to door pick up service for dry recyclable waste, pays for the waste and responsibly recycles it.

The Changemaker

Within a few months of their journey, Vihaan, and his team have grown from impacting 1 house to more than 200 houses in colonies of Delhi including, Vasant Vihar, Shanti Niketan, West End and Anand Niketan. One Step Greener has recycled over 5000 kgs of paper, 1800 kgs of cardboard, 500 kgs of metal, over 900 kgs of plastics and 1200 kgs of glass. This is equivalent to saving over 95 trees, 7000 litres of oil, 25 cubic meters of landfill space and 1,30,000 litres of water and energy enough to power 7500 average Indian houses for a day.

The Problem

Cost of construction of soil erosion stoppers and wave breakers is really high. Additionally, there is so much industrial waste that is thrown into waterbodies.

The Solution

The project aims at solving the problems of management of non-recyclable waste plastics, waste blast furnace slag, environmental pollution, health and sanitation and coastal erosion.

The Venture

The problem is solved using a 3 step down approach, that involves Collection, Recycling and Applications of waste plastics. The plan is to collect waste plastic from society via kiosk and pay them with a unique currency. The plastic is then transported to the industrial setup to segregate, clean and process. Then the plastic is mixed with waste blast furnace slag and again processed to form a unique composite material. It has very good properties compared to concrete and can be used as a viable alternative to concrete and other building material. Since the material is corrosion resistant and has high impact strength it can be used in the construction of barriers to prevent coastal erosion. This material also finds use in the construction of toilets and other basic infrastructure. Thus, solving the major issues of waste management, coastal erosion and sanitation. The solution is a combination of Blockchain, Technology, Material science for society.

The Changemaker

Swastik is currently studying in Grade 11. He wishes to pursue science post-high school with a focus on innovation.  

The Problem

There are three problems that meet:
(1) An excessive amount of electronic waste (E-Waste),
(2) the lack of access to computers for underprivileged people, and
(3) the lack of job opportunities for computer engineers

The Solution

1) Reducing Electronic Waste (E-Waste) problem can be solved by using hardware parts
2) Affordable computers for people, students and those who can't afford to buy new ones
3) Employment to computer engineers.

The Venture

E-Waste is about employing computer engineers and utilizing electronic waste to make new computers for underprivileged people at a low cost. The benefits are reducing electronic Waste, providing employment opportunities for computer engineers, and create affordable and accessible computers to underprivileged people and students.

The Problem

Dry-cell batteries (used at home) are disposed of in the garbage in India and they end up in landfills. Many times, these batteries explode in landfills due to fires or any other reason and leach toxic chemicals that seep into our land and water table and causing harm to humans if they meet it.

The Solution

Battery recycling has 2 parts - collection and re-processing. The biggest challenge is organized battery collection (for re-processing, there are recycling companies).

Nishant proposes to organize the collection of used batteries through schools and colleges (and possibly through large offices and housing societies). Young children and youth care a lot about the Environment. They are open to learning and enthusiastic about his initiative. This develops "fearless" children and modifies adult behaviour too.

The Venture

“E-waste Recycling” collects used batteries through schools and colleges. Nishant also wants to move onto big housing societies and large corporations. He has tied up with a recycling company that takes the batteries that he has collected and extracts raw materials or metals and other substances from them. 

They then sell these to industries and companies that require them, thus reducing their dependency on mineral extraction.

This also reduces minerals overexertion and reduces damage to the environment. Nishant uses new age connectivity offered by social media to spread his message. He uses tools like Facebook and other networking sites to spread awareness. He has recently tied up with GODREJ to increase his impact. He conducts live chats with 4 thousand plus people from their offices.

The Problem

Trash Mob works to encourage the youth of the society to keep their environment and their surroundings clean and if spots are found where cleaning is necessary, they have loud music playing and a group gathers and like a mob, they make the place clean again.

The Solution

Trash mob is a fun, different take on cleaning trash. We incorporate elements of social events into the mobs, getting groups of friends to pick up trash together, under a backdrop of good music and gamification.
Technology has a large role in getting adopters, and we want to exploit this. We are developing an app that will gamify the process of ‘trash mobbing’. We want the app to facilitate the creation of ‘clubs’, that will engage in ‘competitions’.
We want to involve schools and colleges, and bank on the friendly rivalry that exists already to fuel participation.

The Venture

Trash Mob has conducted 7 trash mobs in the past, a rough estimate of 3150 kilos of garbage has been removed from 8 trash-filled pieces of land, 7 main roads were beautified, more than 30 trees were planted, almost 1200 people were educated and nearly 200 people have gotten their hands dirty in trash mobs. Trash Mob has been featured in 2 newspapers, 2 online news reports, and 2 radio stations.

The Problem

Trash Mob works to encourage the youth of the society to keep their environment and their surroundings clean and if spots are found where cleaning is necessary, they have loud music playing and a group gathers and like a mob, they make the place clean again.

The Solution

Trash mob is a fun, different take on cleaning trash. We incorporate elements of social events into the mobs, getting groups of friends to pick up trash together, under a backdrop of good music and gamification.
Technology has a large role in getting adopters, and we want to exploit this. We are developing an app that will gamify the process of ‘trash mobbing’. We want the app to facilitate the creation of ‘clubs’, that will engage in ‘competitions’.
We want to involve schools and colleges, and bank on the friendly rivalry that exists already to fuel participation.

The Venture

Trash Mob has conducted 7 trash mobs in the past, a rough estimate of 3150 kilos of garbage has been removed from 8 trash-filled pieces of land, 7 main roads were beautified, more than 30 trees were planted, almost 1200 people were educated and nearly 200 people have gotten their hands dirty in trash mobs. Trash Mob has been featured in 2 newspapers, 2 online news reports, and 2 radio stations.

The Problem

People look at garbage in a negative manner and do not want to be associated with it. It is important to change the mindset of the people to look at trash positively so that they don’t litter and take proper action with their waste.

The Solution

ENGAGING COMMUNITIES By activating public space with sculptures of colour, Trash sparks awareness about waste, sanitation, and consumption. The daily task of creating waste is mundane, thoughtless, yet necessary. It does not have to be this way. Instead, it can be related to as a social practice that is expressive, informed, and sustainable. CLEANUPS ENCOURAGING CLEANLINESS We support and organize events to foster a positive way to care for the environment. Ocean plastic pollution is starting to critically affect our marine food chain, coastline habitats, and clean water sources. Cleanups are a direct solution to waste management. Let's all participate actively inhabits that keep our earth and oceans clean. COLLABORATION WE ARE ALL CONNECTED Trash project is open to new ideas. We explore the role of trash in society and encourage activism through collaborative and educational activities. Solutions will come by working together to reimagine our waste culture.

The Venture

To solve this problem Madhav has organized clean ups that use colourful polka-dot bags to capture waste, a more exciting method than cleaning places with brooms. These pink bags are meant to get the community involved in trash pick-up in an exciting and attractive way. Madhav is inspired by the creative potential of the project and is continuously looking for something new and engaging to transform mindsets and make this much-needed change. Madhav’s team currently consists of fifteen people who in addition to the cleanups, raise awareness around the issue of waste through talks at schools and flash mobs. So far, The Trash Project has collected 2500 kilograms of waste through their organized clean-ups. In the future, the team would like to organize more talks with schools, engage more students in their clean-ups and work to make Gurgaon a plastic-free zone.

The Entrepreneur

Hi, my name is Madhav Mohan. I graduated from The Shri Ram School Aravali. As a student, I've always wanted to do something with my life which was more satisfying than academics and I found my peace staring at the hills of garbage that litter Gurgaon's roads. So in the 9th grade, I decided to bring an initiative called Trash Project to India.

The Problem

Many students in India lack adequate learning resources (primarily stationery) while at the same time there is an incredible amount of waste of paper throughout the country.

The Solution

TAGE's model involves "school-pairs", which consist of a "donor" school, which adopts a "recipient" school, establishing a relationship between students from both schools. 
Step 1: Organise annual field-trips from the donor school to the recipient school to engage with children and understand their problems, and assess benefit (see step 4).
Step 2: Collect resources to solve problems identified previously, through paper collection drives, and notebook making competitions (student-made notebooks).
Step 3: Revisit recipient school to implement solutions to identified problems
Step 4: In the next visit, assess solution to problems
Step 5: Network with other school pairs to improve ideas

The Venture

To address this inequity, TAGE developed the school-pairs model, which consist of a donor school, which adopts a recipient school, establishing a relationship between students from both schools. The team organises annual field-trips from the donor school to the recipient school to understand the resources they lack.

They then collect resources, through a paper collection drives, and notebook making competitions (student-made notebooks). The donor school revisits the recipient to assesses the solution to the problems and ensure that recipient students regularly receive learning resources and that the paper waste generated by these resources is recycled. In partnership with ITC's "Wow initiative", they encashed blank sheets from unused parts of notebooks as well as separated and hand-made them into new notebooks for students. Over the past two years, TAGE has provided over 430 children from government schools (in collaboration with Akshara Foundation) with a notebook, and handmade notebook, a box of pencils, two erasers and a sharpener.

Of their many successes, TAGE has recycled over 6 tons of paper; at an average rate of Rs. 7/kg, which has generated about 42,000 rupees to buy stationery. In 5 years, TAGE hopes to be a part of 30 schools across Bangalore, involving several thousand students. This large-scale level of participation by students, for students, is previously unseen and has a great impact in terms of providing resources and empowering the student body to solve their own problems.

The Problem

Many students in India lack adequate learning resources (primarily stationery) while at the same time there is an incredible amount of waste of paper throughout the country.

The Solution

TAGE's model involves "school-pairs", which consist of a "donor" school, which adopts a "recipient" school, establishing a relationship between students from both schools. 
Step 1: Organise annual field-trips from the donor school to the recipient school to engage with children and understand their problems, and assess benefit (see step 4).
Step 2: Collect resources to solve problems identified previously, through paper collection drives, and notebook making competitions (student-made notebooks).
Step 3: Revisit recipient school to implement solutions to identified problems
Step 4: In the next visit, assess solution to problems
Step 5: Network with other school pairs to improve ideas

The Venture

To address this inequity, TAGE developed the school-pairs model, which consist of a donor school, which adopts a recipient school, establishing a relationship between students from both schools. The team organises annual field-trips from the donor school to the recipient school to understand the resources they lack.

They then collect resources, through a paper collection drives, and notebook making competitions (student-made notebooks). The donor school revisits the recipient to assesses the solution to the problems and ensure that recipient students regularly receive learning resources and that the paper waste generated by these resources is recycled. In partnership with ITC's "Wow initiative", they encashed blank sheets from unused parts of notebooks as well as separated and hand-made them into new notebooks for students. Over the past two years, TAGE has provided over 430 children from government schools (in collaboration with Akshara Foundation) with a notebook, and handmade notebook, a box of pencils, two erasers and a sharpener.

Of their many successes, TAGE has recycled over 6 tons of paper; at an average rate of Rs. 7/kg, which has generated about 42,000 rupees to buy stationery. In 5 years, TAGE hopes to be a part of 30 schools across Bangalore, involving several thousand students. This large-scale level of participation by students, for students, is previously unseen and has a great impact in terms of providing resources and empowering the student body to solve their own problems.

The Problem

The system of education in India is very impractical. Unfortunately, students are not exposed to life scenarios. Practical studies and real-life concepts that students can relate to are not valued. Furthermore, students face societal pressure to earn high scores. The focus of education now seems to be on scoring high marks rather than on gaining knowledge.

The Solution

The objective of School Kit is to inculcate a 'Green Curriculum' concept in society. We believe that knowledge about the deteriorating condition of our environment is the need of the hour. Thus, we conduct highly interactive, practical and productive workshops spanning over 3-5 days, focused on environmental concepts. At the end of the workshop, we distribute 'School Kits' with donated stationary material to students of underprivileged schools to encourage them to continue studying further.

The Venture

As a first step School Kit is to inculcate a “Green Curriculum” concept amongst students. Sana and Ayushi believe that knowledge about the deteriorating condition of our environment is the need of the hour. Thus, they conduct highly interactive, practical and productive workshops spanning over 3-5 days, focused on environmental concepts. At the end of the workshop, they distribute School Kits’ with donated stationary material to students of underprivileged schools to encourage them to continue studying further. The team has successfully reached out to more than 500 students by conducting workshops at schools and community centers. The stationary material has been donated by friends and family or collected through social media campaigns and both Sawbros International and Rajnandini Estates have sponsored a few of the cloth bags for the school kits.

The team hopes that the Green Curriculum will be accepted at a national level and that School Kit workshops become annual events that students look forward to. Eventually, the team hopes to shift focus and change mindsets on education to value real learning and relatable concepts.

The Problem

The system of education in India is very impractical. Unfortunately, students are not exposed to life scenarios. Practical studies and real-life concepts that students can relate to are not valued. Furthermore, students face societal pressure to earn high scores. The focus of education now seems to be on scoring high marks rather than on gaining knowledge.

The Solution

The objective of School Kit is to inculcate a 'Green Curriculum' concept in society. We believe that knowledge about the deteriorating condition of our environment is the need of the hour. Thus, we conduct highly interactive, practical and productive workshops spanning over 3-5 days, focused on environmental concepts. At the end of the workshop, we distribute 'School Kits' with donated stationary material to students of underprivileged schools to encourage them to continue studying further.

The Venture

As a first step School Kit is to inculcate a “Green Curriculum” concept amongst students. Sana and Ayushi believe that knowledge about the deteriorating condition of our environment is the need of the hour. Thus, they conduct highly interactive, practical and productive workshops spanning over 3-5 days, focused on environmental concepts. At the end of the workshop, they distribute School Kits’ with donated stationary material to students of underprivileged schools to encourage them to continue studying further. The team has successfully reached out to more than 500 students by conducting workshops at schools and community centers. The stationary material has been donated by friends and family or collected through social media campaigns and both Sawbros International and Rajnandini Estates have sponsored a few of the cloth bags for the school kits.

The team hopes that the Green Curriculum will be accepted at a national level and that School Kit workshops become annual events that students look forward to. Eventually, the team hopes to shift focus and change mindsets on education to value real learning and relatable concepts.

The Problem

Most of the energy used comes from fossil fuels, like coal and natural gas. These resources are non-renewable which means they will eventually finish. Once we have used them up, they will be gone forever. Since this is a major area of concern we are working towards using these resources efficiently.

The Solution

 STRIVE Hour - The period for which we encourage individuals, families, organisations to switch off their power to conserve energy and its wastage (similar to earth hour)
2) Other related projects which support STRIVE Hour and raise awareness about it- It includes street plays, newspaper collection drives, notebook donations, etc.  
3) Reach out to major consumers of energy in an attempt to make them more energy efficient- We are now working with schools, apartment complexes, companies etc.
4) Integration of technology/ tools like AI to measure energy waste/ conservation and implement possible tools for conservation.

The Venture

Taking inspiration from earth hour Chandana and Sakshi launched STRIVE HOUR last year on earth day. They felt that earth hour wasn’t very effective in India for two reasons, limited knowledge about it and low frequency. They wanted to make energy saving a part of people’s daily life. Only then a large impact could be made. The best way to do this was to implement it in people’s daily schedule. What better way to do this than an unmissable platform viewed almost every minute? GOOGLE!
They motivate people to join their cause through various awareness campaigns both online and off. Once people fill their online form they get updated in STRIVE HOURS database and get timely updates on their Google calendar about STRIVE HOUR. People are also reminded to comply with the cause and turn off their electrical devices and lights through this platform.

Chandana and Sakshi have implemented STRIVE HOUR - an hour-long period in which they encourage individuals, families and organizations to switch off their power to conserve energy.

STRIVE HOUR initially started monthly but now they won't have moved to a weekly model. They are trying to increase frequency even more. They started with just 5 min a month now they’ve moved onto an hour.

Through STRIVE HOUR Chandana wanted to penetrate the community, even if it was a small one. It was easier to influence and explain the relevance of her work to a small community (whether it is a colony or school or a company). What she noticed is that seeing a few people switch off their lights, many others in the area also soon followed. Taking small steps, she has now influenced a large section of people and wants to grow further.

The team has saved a total of 497,850 Watt-hours (wh) in the last few months just by implementing a weekly STRIVE HOUR which is observed by many schools and individuals. Out of the Watt hours saved, 440,000 has come from schools, 60,000 from individuals, and 5,000 from apartments and offices.

The team has also developed other related projects that raise awareness about STRIVE HOUR, such as street plays, newspaper collection drives and notebook donations. They are also currently working on collaborating with major consumers of energy (apartment complexes, companies and schools) to make them more energy efficient.

The team so far consists of 50 students who have been delegated the work of spreading STRIVE HOUR to their communities and schools.

The project currently impacts some areas in Bangalore city but the team plans to expand statewide with a goal of saving 1,000 kWh per month.

Chandana has approached the problem in our society in a new and innovative way. She has understood that many people want to be a part of a change but needs just a little push. She wants to reciprocate her model on a national scale now.

Looking forward, Chandana and Sakshi also hope to integrate technology and tools like AI to measure energy waste and implement possible tools for conservation.

Chandana uses social media to spread awareness and reach out to people. She also effectively uses the various tools provided by Google to send reminders and updates to her users. Her users also get reminders and notifications on their Google calendar about switching off the lights and electrical appliances during the STRIVE HOUR. What Chandana has noticed that many people want to make a small difference and all they require is a small push. These notifications do just that.

STRIVE HOUR also has a very active social media team that spreads awareness and looks to maximize the impact of their work. The online platform is one of their most important tools to recruit more people in their program. They are also planning for an APP but it's in the nascent stages.

The Problem

Most of the energy used comes from fossil fuels, like coal and natural gas. These resources are non-renewable which means they will eventually finish. Once we have used them up, they will be gone forever. Since this is a major area of concern we are working towards using these resources efficiently.

The Solution

 STRIVE Hour - The period for which we encourage individuals, families, organisations to switch off their power to conserve energy and its wastage (similar to earth hour)
2) Other related projects which support STRIVE Hour and raise awareness about it- It includes street plays, newspaper collection drives, notebook donations, etc.  
3) Reach out to major consumers of energy in an attempt to make them more energy efficient- We are now working with schools, apartment complexes, companies etc.
4) Integration of technology/ tools like AI to measure energy waste/ conservation and implement possible tools for conservation.

The Venture

Taking inspiration from earth hour Chandana and Sakshi launched STRIVE HOUR last year on earth day. They felt that earth hour wasn’t very effective in India for two reasons, limited knowledge about it and low frequency. They wanted to make energy saving a part of people’s daily life. Only then a large impact could be made. The best way to do this was to implement it in people’s daily schedule. What better way to do this than an unmissable platform viewed almost every minute? GOOGLE!
They motivate people to join their cause through various awareness campaigns both online and off. Once people fill their online form they get updated in STRIVE HOURS database and get timely updates on their Google calendar about STRIVE HOUR. People are also reminded to comply with the cause and turn off their electrical devices and lights through this platform.

Chandana and Sakshi have implemented STRIVE HOUR - an hour-long period in which they encourage individuals, families and organizations to switch off their power to conserve energy.

STRIVE HOUR initially started monthly but now they won't have moved to a weekly model. They are trying to increase frequency even more. They started with just 5 min a month now they’ve moved onto an hour.

Through STRIVE HOUR Chandana wanted to penetrate the community, even if it was a small one. It was easier to influence and explain the relevance of her work to a small community (whether it is a colony or school or a company). What she noticed is that seeing a few people switch off their lights, many others in the area also soon followed. Taking small steps, she has now influenced a large section of people and wants to grow further.

The team has saved a total of 497,850 Watt-hours (wh) in the last few months just by implementing a weekly STRIVE HOUR which is observed by many schools and individuals. Out of the Watt hours saved, 440,000 has come from schools, 60,000 from individuals, and 5,000 from apartments and offices.

The team has also developed other related projects that raise awareness about STRIVE HOUR, such as street plays, newspaper collection drives and notebook donations. They are also currently working on collaborating with major consumers of energy (apartment complexes, companies and schools) to make them more energy efficient.

The team so far consists of 50 students who have been delegated the work of spreading STRIVE HOUR to their communities and schools.

The project currently impacts some areas in Bangalore city but the team plans to expand statewide with a goal of saving 1,000 kWh per month.

Chandana has approached the problem in our society in a new and innovative way. She has understood that many people want to be a part of a change but needs just a little push. She wants to reciprocate her model on a national scale now.

Looking forward, Chandana and Sakshi also hope to integrate technology and tools like AI to measure energy waste and implement possible tools for conservation.

Chandana uses social media to spread awareness and reach out to people. She also effectively uses the various tools provided by Google to send reminders and updates to her users. Her users also get reminders and notifications on their Google calendar about switching off the lights and electrical appliances during the STRIVE HOUR. What Chandana has noticed that many people want to make a small difference and all they require is a small push. These notifications do just that.

STRIVE HOUR also has a very active social media team that spreads awareness and looks to maximize the impact of their work. The online platform is one of their most important tools to recruit more people in their program. They are also planning for an APP but it's in the nascent stages.

The Problem

Restaurants waste a large amount of water, whether wasted in the kitchen or left by customers in their glasses. In addition, these restaurants generate large amounts of organic waste. However, these waste problems are not exclusive to the commercial realm as many households also waste big amounts of food and water.

The Solution

“Why Waste” conducts awareness campaigns for the public and helps restaurants identify the various ways in which they can save resources. The venture encourages restaurant customers against leaving behind extra water in glasses and suggests daily practices that can help save these resources.

In addition, the venture has designed numerous educational materials such as posters in order to raise widespread public awareness about the amount of waste that is produced by restaurants and households. The venture has also created partnerships with local NGOs that collect restaurant and household waste and decompose it. “Why Waste” is built on the power of behaviour change by building awareness and hopes to take these initiatives to a global platform in the future.

The Venture

The Progress of Youth Venturers: Why Waste? started out as a small initiative and today they have reached out to over 75 restaurants, conducted numerous workshops, and have been a part of a couple of amazing events this past year. Along with this, they have been featured on India Today and on the Google Expeditions.
"When Why Waste was selected to be an Ashoka Youth Venture, we were a bunch of youngsters, with an idea and a dream to change the world. Today we are a global organisation, with our presence in over 10 cities across the world. Our idea has escalated from an initiative to an organisation with a functional model. We have expanded our outreach from 30 restaurants in Bangalore to 500 globally. 
We have engaged over 50 youth as volunteers, collaborated with several large scale organisations and have been recognised and appreciated at an international level for our work. As youth, we have been able to realise the power of youngsters to transform the world and have also been working to reciprocated the same further!"

The Problem

Restaurants waste a large amount of water, whether wasted in the kitchen or left by customers in their glasses. In addition, these restaurants generate large amounts of organic waste. However, these waste problems are not exclusive to the commercial realm as many households also waste big amounts of food and water.

The Solution

“Why Waste” conducts awareness campaigns for the public and helps restaurants identify the various ways in which they can save resources. The venture encourages restaurant customers against leaving behind extra water in glasses and suggests daily practices that can help save these resources.

In addition, the venture has designed numerous educational materials such as posters in order to raise widespread public awareness about the amount of waste that is produced by restaurants and households. The venture has also created partnerships with local NGOs that collect restaurant and household waste and decompose it. “Why Waste” is built on the power of behaviour change by building awareness and hopes to take these initiatives to a global platform in the future.

The Venture

The Progress of Youth Venturers: Why Waste? started out as a small initiative and today they have reached out to over 75 restaurants, conducted numerous workshops, and have been a part of a couple of amazing events this past year. Along with this, they have been featured on India Today and on the Google Expeditions.
"When Why Waste was selected to be an Ashoka Youth Venture, we were a bunch of youngsters, with an idea and a dream to change the world. Today we are a global organisation, with our presence in over 10 cities across the world. Our idea has escalated from an initiative to an organisation with a functional model. We have expanded our outreach from 30 restaurants in Bangalore to 500 globally. 
We have engaged over 50 youth as volunteers, collaborated with several large scale organisations and have been recognised and appreciated at an international level for our work. As youth, we have been able to realise the power of youngsters to transform the world and have also been working to reciprocated the same further!"

The Problem

Water bodies are lifelines of cities. However, water quality has become a global issue. Bangalore has become one of its victims. Bangalore was once called the “city of lakes”. Records from the Government of Karnataka's ENVIS Centre show that till 1960 there were 262 water bodies in Bangalore. Today the figures have declined to about 81 of which 34 are recognized as live lakes. These figures denote a reduction of lakes as high as 69.4%.

The Solution

Due to lack of real-time monitoring of lakes, the dumping of sewage and industrial effluents persists unabatedly. The Testing Waters team built a cost-effective portable mobile and floating device called FLoBoT that can monitor the pollution levels of lakes in real-time.

The Venture

They have tested the device in 8 different lakes with the help of the city's lake conservationists. For the scientific aspect of the project, they received mentorship from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). The team now aims to install the device in many water bodies and increase the device’s application to other fields.

The Person

Siddharth takes interest in finance and marketing. Mathematics is his strong suit.  Siddharth also enjoys playing cricket. They won the 2nd grand award at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair and have a minor planet named after them.

The Problem

Wastage of paper leading to deforestation and lack of awareness of the judicious use of paper among students and teachers.

The Venture

Every bit of paper waste generated in the campus is recycled to create handmade paper which goes into the production of folders and cards. We as a group of students work towards collecting the waste generated and personally produce handmade paper.

The Problem

Water bodies are lifelines of cities. However, water quality has become a global issue. Bangalore has become one of its victims. Bangalore was once called the “city of lakes”. Records from the Government of Karnataka's ENVIS Centre show that till 1960 there were 262 water bodies in Bangalore. Today the figures have declined to about 81 of which 34 are recognized as live lakes. These figures denote a reduction of lakes as high as 69.4%.

The Solution

Due to lack of real-time monitoring of lakes, the dumping of sewage and industrial effluents persists unabatedly. The Testing Waters team built a cost-effective portable mobile and floating device called FLoBoT that can monitor the pollution levels of lakes in real-time.

The Venture

They have tested the device in 8 different lakes with the help of the city's lake conservationists. For the scientific aspect of the project, they received mentorship from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). The team now aims to install the device in many water bodies and increase the device’s application to other fields.

The Person

Pranav is a musician, web developer and designer. His interests are music, computer science and environmental engineering. They also won the 2nd Grand Award at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, as a result, having a minor planet named after them. Pranav is also collaborating with 'Why Waste?' a water conservation organisation co-founded by Garvita Gulhati (May 2016, India Cohort) in web development and scaling the initiative.

Problem being addressed

There is very low awareness amongst children and the community on child rights. Additionally, the use of traditional fuels amongst rural communities is declining and they don’t have an alternative that is sustainable, low cost and eco-friendly.

Venture Brief

The abovementioned problems are being addressed by forming more child collectives and strengthening existing ones. Naveen has a team of 4 that assists him with various activities for this initiative. Naveen conducts regular awareness sessions for children and the community on child right topics such as child labour and child marriage. In order to increase their impact, Naveens involves key stakeholders to influence change by sensitizing the communities.For the second part of his initiative, Naveen has made an innovative low-cost fuel, which is eco-friendly and easily accessible to most households. Naveen has enabled anganwadis in his village to use this cooking fuel from roasted coconut husk, yam powder and limestone.

Impact

The low cost, eco-friendly cooking fuel has been adopted by several schools for the preparation of mid-day meals in their schools. Naveen is also improving the status of children in the community through working on advocacy. A total of 23 children are mainstreamed in schools and hostels from Eswaramma colony.