Mission Shunya

How can you get started with small action steps for a sustainable living?  Girish Shivakumar & Premasri Girish discuss the Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) programme. Key topics:  75 small action steps for everyday sustainable living Apply to the Mission LiFE global call for ideas: https://www.niti.gov.in/life | LiFE document: https://bit.ly/3U9OeD0   Artwork courtesy - www.terregenera...

Wouldn’t it be fun if your daily dose of game time resulted in planting more trees? Well, that’s exactly what Michael Libenson has set out to do with the EverForest game.  Michael joins Girish Shivakumar on this episode to share his idea behind this new game which is aimed to create a fun and socially inclusive behavioural nudges ultimately resulting in more trees on ground. Listen in to join the...

Why should we care about reducing our carbon footprint? Can we have a universal carbon label?  All this and a lot more discussed on this episode where Girish Shivakumar is in conversation with Frank Dalene.  Frank Dalene is President and CEO of Telemark, Inc and has over four decades of experience in the construction sector. On an even larger scale, Frank is innovating the manner in which companie...

Every business needs a value differentiator, so how do entrepreneurs’ discover their USP/UVP? Girish Shivakumar and Premasri Girish pick up a few entrepreneurs and their stories from the channel on this episode.  Listen to full episodes here- EnergyX, Lithium extraction (Ep.12- https://bit.ly/3Bt9s6G ) Waterscope, Water testing (Ep. 35- https://bit.ly/3xyLSV7 ) Rimagined, Upcycled products (Ep.8-...

Did you know that growing your own food is good for the planet?  Have you tried farming? If not, you can always rent a small farm to grow your food. This conversation between Girish Shivakumar and Kapil Mandawewala from Edible Routes is all about growing your own food and reducing your carbon footprint.  Connect with Kapil https://edibleroutes.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/edibleroutes   Artwor...

What happens to water after you flush it down the drain? You might not care. But, water is a stressed asset and it is high time we start to close the loop. Closed loop recycling of water is the theme of this episode where Aditi of Organic Solutions joins Girish Shivakumar to share her story and the organic water treatment solutions developed by them for both small and medium scale residential unit...

Are the high commodity prices going to be the new normal? What is the role of critical metals in the net zero transition and also a lot more about Titanium and recycling on this episode featuring a conversation between Girish Shivakumar and Anastasios (Taso) Arima from IperionX.  Connect with Taso Arima https://iperionx.com/ | https://bit.ly/3SmypIC   Artwork courtesy - www.terregeneration.com a c...

Electric Vehicles (EV) are the talk of the town (globally)! So, how do you decide if EV is right for you? Which category of EV should you choose? What are the incentives available for purchasing an EV? All this and more discussed on this episode.  Girish Shivakumar along with Premasri Girish share their personal journey and experience in owning an EV and completing 1000+miles so far on this episod...

When was the last time you had a light-bulb moment for an idea? What drives you to do the work you do? How did you get started with your passion project? All these questions lead to some interesting stories and this episode is a short compilation of such stories from a few of our guests who appeared on the episodes earlier. Pursuing a passion project or being an entrepreneur in the sustainability...

Today, we produce about 400 million tonnes of plastic waste every year. Our Planet is choking with plastics. How can we break free from plastics? What are the alternatives? How can brands and organisations be more responsible? As a consumer, what can you do to have a positive impact? Joining Girish Shivakumar is Von Hernandez, Global Coordinator, Break Free From Plastic. The Break Free From Plasti...

68% of the global population will be living in urban areas by 2050 according to the UN but, are our cities prepared for it? How can building cities move away from the conventional methods to make them more resilient? Why should we build better cities if we are to reach the global net zero targets?  Joining Girish Shivakumar is Pedro B. Ortiz, an acclaimed expert when it comes to building cities. H...

Recovering valuable resources from waste is only the last leg of the journey. But what goes into setting up the process for private & public sector stakeholders to ensure we build a zero- waste world. What are the best practices for market development in waste management and recycling that developing countries can adopt? On this episode Anne Johnson joins Girish Shivakumar to share her experie...

The IPCC publishes comprehensive reports about climate change, the impacts and potential solutions. But what goes behind in the preparation of the reports? How are the authors' onboarded? How do they go about preparing the massive reports that have a significant global influence?   Dr Aditi Mukherji, Principal Researcher at the International Water Management Institute and a coordinating Lead Autho...

How can you ensure better plastic recovery? Can businesses benefit from recycled plastic? How do you build the circular economy of plastic?  Pratibha Dewett, Chief Sustainability and Marketing officer of Lucro Plastecycle, an Indian plastic waste collector, recycler and product manufacturer joins Girish Shivakumar on this episode to share the story of how Lucro pioneered in developing post-consume...

What are the drawbacks of Lithium batteries? Can CO2 be used as a source for a battery? Are alternatives to lithium batteries price competitive?  Claudio Spadacini, Founder & CEO at Energy Dome joins Girish Shivakumar on this episode to share the technology behind Energy Dome and how they are using CO2 against Climate Change. Energy Dome’s focus is long duration energy storage.  Connect with C...

What is chemical recycling? Is it sustainable? Can circular economy in chemical recycling be achieved at a local scale? Maurizio Crippa PhD, CEO at Gr3n Recycling joins Girish Shivakumar on this episode to share his experience working as a materials scientist trying to solve the biggest problems through innovative solution. The result is Gr3n recycling with a vision of making plastics circular. Co...

Is connection to grid the real measure of energy access? What is the impact of energy access on livelihoods? How has energy access coupled with renewable energy created a new class of entrepreneurs’’? Abhishek Jain, Fellow & Director of Powering Livelihoods, a CEEW initiative joins Girish Shivakumar on this episode to share his experience from implementing various energy access projects across...

Climate Action through active community engagement - A community in the Western Ghats of India have come together to create environmental awareness in the bio-diversity hotspot. One of their communication channels is the Kodai Chronicle, an outlet that aims to be more than just a publication.  Rajni George, editor-in-chief of The Kodai Chronicle joins Girish Shivakumar on this episode to share the...

Forests are a big carbon sink, so why don’t we have more of them? How can communities create forests? How can we create a sustainable, natural ecosystem? All your questions on afforestation and getting started with community forests are answered on this episode. Varun Ravindra is the Chief Conservator at Vanantara, a community lead afforestation project and he is in conversation with Girish Shivak...

A discussion on Climate Change is not complete without talking about the risks. On this episode Praveen Gupta joins Girish Shivakumar to talk on this topic. Also discussed on this episode are the insurance industry’s interests in climate change and the importance of diversity in climate action.  Praveen Gupta is a former CEO who is currently exploring climate action, he can be reached at https://b...

It’s the last episode of 2021 and a perfect time to do a review. The review is of a different kind where Girish Shivakumar reviews Bill Gates’s book, ‘How to avoid a climate disaster’.  Know more - https://www.gatesnotes.com/Energy/My-new-climate-book-is-finally-here   Liked the episode? Give a rating and write a review on Apple Podcasts ( https://apple.co/2LFBCVw ). Share it with 3 people in your...

What does it take to work in Climate-tech? How do you position yourself for a rewarding role in the space? Why is now the right time to start in climate-tech? Girish Shivakumar shares his story and lessons from his journey of 10 years on building a career in climate-tech.  Links mentioned in the episode – VC report – https://pwc.to/3IIsCZm   VC newsletter – https://bit.ly/3yisIlq   Related blog po...

COP26 concluded in Glasgow recently, did it deliver? Well, we have the Glasgow climate pact, the Paris rule book and the mention of coal in the agreement. So what else happened during the two week event? Girish Shivakumar discusses the key outcomes from COP26 on this episode. Here’s primer to COP26 if you missed it earlier - https://bit.ly/3p92E85   Dr David Reiner’s review of week 1 - https://bit...

Globally one-fourth of the greenhouse gas emissions come from food production. It includes everything like farming, dairy and meat industries. In fact dairy and meat account for nearly 15% of the emissions. So how can a brand contribute to less land, less water and fewer emissions while selling plant-based meat alternatives? On this episode Todd Boyman, Co-Founder & CEO of Hungry Planet joins...

The 26th Conference of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will take place in Glasgow from Oct 31st to Nov 12th 2021.  The 4 top goals are - Mitigation, Adaptation, Finance & Collaboration. Along these lines we can expect more firm commitments from the countries at the event.  What more to expect? Girish Shivakumar shares his views on the origins...