Mission Shunya

Globally air pollution accounts for 7 million annual deaths according to the WHO. In India alone, air pollution causes over a million deaths annually. Air pollution peaks during the post monsoon months in India especially the national capital, New Delhi is in the news every year for this reason. Will this change this time around? Karthik Ganesan, Research Fellow at CEEW joins Girish Shivakumar to...

In recent months, the lawmakers in the US have been tough on the meat alternatives industry especially in the way how products are labelled and marketed. So how are US start-ups bracing up for a face-off with the regulators and what can the European Union (EU) learn from the growth of the industry in US.  Finally, what can consumers like you and I expect from the market. On the second of the two p...

The meat industry accounts for about 15% of the total annual greenhouse gas emissions and the growth in global meat consumption will increase by 15% by 2027. On the first of two part series on meat alternatives Laura Wellesley (Chatham House) and Meera Zassenhaus (New Harvest) share ideas and regulatory perspective behind the advocacy for meat alternatives. For more info check the report by Chatha...

Want to meet the lobbyists for your grandchildren? Meet ‘The Sustainability Mafia’. Started in 2018 by Ganesh Shankar this ‘Gang’ aims to bring together people in the sustainability space from around the world. Girish Shivakumar who is part of this gang gets into a chat with Ganesh on this episode. Interested to join the Sustainability Mafia? Drop an email with a brief intro to sustainabilitymafia...

Will we run short of Lithium to make batteries for Electric Vehicles (EV)? Not really! Listen to Teague Egan, CEO of EnergyX share his views on this interesting topic with Girish Shivakumar. About EnergyX : Energy Exploration Technologies (EnergyX) based out of Austin, Texas claims to have found a novel way in lithium extraction through their patented LiTAS (Lithium Ion Transport and Separation) m...

Dr Chetan Singh Solanki joins Girish Shivakumar to share his latest solar endeavour, the ‘Gandhi Global Solar Yatra’, commemorating 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.  Prof. Solanki has been a popular voice for solar advocacy. His initiatives have had a positive impact in India over the years. Now, he takes his vision of ‘Energy Swaraj’ around the world. He has chosen to celebrate the 150t...

Wondering what to do with your electronic waste? Dr Shalini Sharma shares her story of building a convenient platform to dispose electronic waste with Girish Shivakumar on this epsiode.  E-Waste Exchange aims to 'Transform E-Waste and Plastic Waste Management Sector'. It ensures the process is convenient, sustainable, economically beneficial and transparent.   If you liked the episode, subscribe,...

Syed Mubasheer joins Girish Shivakumar to share his experience of covering 467kms in an electric car on a single charge.  In 2017, Syed, an Electric Vehicle (EV) enthusiast undertook an endurance drive by redesigning his electric car to accomplish a distance of 330kms on a single charge. When batteries of the car finally drained, he had completed 467kms on a single charge. Syed shares his journey...

Shailaja Rangarajan joins Girish Shivakumar to share her story of creating one of India's first upcycling company, Rimagined. If you liked the episode subscribe to it on your favourite platform. Give it a rating and review if you are listening to this on apple podcasts. Mission Shunya: Towards a Zero Carbon Economy  Check the amazing products upcycled at www.rimagined.com   Follow Mission Shunya o...

If you have asked, “How can I make my home eco-friendly?” this is the episode for you. Girish Shivakumar shares three simple steps that you can take to ensure your home is eco-friendly.  Step 1: Better water use and management Step 2: Replace lights with LED  Step 3: Go for efficient appliances they save a lot in the long run, it’s good for your pocket and the planet. If you liked the episode subs...

Jaideep Prabhu who has co-authored international best sellers like ‘Jugaad Innovation’ and ‘Frugal Innovation’ has released his recent work, ‘Do Better with Less: Frugal Innovation for Sustainable Growth’. On this special episode for World Environment Day 2019, Prof. Prabhu (University of Cambridge) joins Girish Shivakumar to discuss more about the book which covers global companies and their frug...

Ola rolled out India’s first city wide Electric Vehicle (EV) pilot in 2017. 2 years later a report was released by Ola Mobility Institute analysing the project including comparisons to alternative Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles. On this episode, authors of the report Aishwarya Raman and Nitish Arora join Girish Shivakumar to discuss the report and Ola’s plans for rolling out EVs in the...

The cost of solar power generation has decreased significantly over and the government regulations worldwide are promoting residential solar power projects with incentives and India is no different. If you are ever considering setting up a solar project on your roof, this is the perfect time. This episode is just to ensure you have the basic facts covered before you Go Solar. Sharath Devineni who...

Cooling loads account for nearly 50% of the power demand in a major metropolitan city. Why should you care and why is it related to the power outage you face in summers?  Abhishek Ranjan joins Girish Shivakumar to share his experience as a utility operator in Delhi. He also talks about the BSES Delhi’s programmes’ to replace ACs including the new partnership with EESL. If you liked the episode, le...

Summarising the clean-tech agenda of both the Congress and the BJP prior to the 2019 elections on this episode of the Mission Shunya podcast.

The launch episode of Mission Shunya provides an introduction to the podcast and what to expect as we embark on an transition to a zero carbon economy.