Akash S

Templates across India generate a considerable amount of waste from burning incense sticks, which generates ash that contaminates local water supplies. His team of six collects waste from  50+ temples in Delhi. Instead of polluting the environment, the waste is redirected to individuals who are incarcerated at a local jail in Uttar Pradesh.  

Participants each receive creative training and paying jobs to upcycle the ash into sculptures that go on to be sold in the community. The venture has provided jobs to 22 people in the prison, ensuring financial sustainability for them and their families that they would not have accessed otherwise. Eager to offer rehabilitation and reformation programs, 18 of these individuals have been granted permanent bail, and Energinee Innovations has helped 4 of them get jobs with different NGOs.