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Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
TOI celebrates 26 ecopreneurs steering country's green shift
New Delhi: To celebrate changemakers driving India's green transition, the TOI Ecopreneur Honours 2025 was held on Aug 4, recognising individuals, startups and corporates making significant strides in sustainability. The award, hosted by The Times of India, honoured 26 changemakers for steering the nation towards net-zero goals in various fields, from renewable energy, zero-waste living to water conservation. Delivering the keynote address, Udai Shanker Awasthi, managing director of Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative, stressed the need for sustainable agriculture and urged youths to develop solutions balancing growth with environmental care. "The patents and innovations by ecopreneurs must be protected. Their products and the money invested in them must not go waste," he said. Among the 26 honorees were Malhar Kalambe's Beach Please for youth-led cleanups, Mayank Nagori's Gud Gum for plastic-free chewing gum and Chirag MG's Sunbird Straws for natural alternatives to plastic. Prachi Shevgaonkar was recognised for her climate-action app Cool The Globe, alongside environmentalists Pradeep Sangwan, Pankti Pandey and Marimuthu Yoganathan for their grassroots efforts. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like TV providers are furious: this gadget gives you access to all channels Techno Mag Learn More Undo You Can Also Check: Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi Innovative startups like Without, Woolah Tea, Dharaksha Ecosolutions, Mahina, HealthFab, Ecoil, Packmate, Bare Fruit and Gen-E were lauded for solutions in waste upcycling, sustainable menstruation, eco-packaging, clean fuel and climate storytelling. Companies, including Hero MotoCorp, Adani Green Energy, Godrej Properties, Shree Cements, JSW Energy, Jain Irrigation, Organic Mandya, Suzlon Energy and Eternal (formerly Zomato), were honoured for embedding sustainability into business practices through green energy, mobility, innovation and conservation. The event also featured two panel discussions. The first, The Power of the Citizen: Redefining Environmental Activism in the Digital Age, was led by Shevgaonkar and Kalambe, two of the honorees. The second, From Boardroom to the Road: Integrating Sustainability into India's Growth Strategy, brought together industry leaders Anjali Ravi Kumar of Zomato, Hero MotoCorp's Ram Kuppuswamy, Adani Green's Pankaj Verma and Abhijeet Sinha of National Highway for EV.
Time of India
04-08-2025
- Business
- Time of India
TOI Ecopreneur Honours 2025: Youth-led movements and digital platforms drive environmental action
TOI Ecopreneur Honours 2025 At the TOI Ecopreneur Honours 2025 held in Delhi on Monday, the first panel of the evening ,The Power of the Citizen: Redefining Environmental Activism in the Digital Age, showcased two young changemakers leading by example in the fight against climate change. Prachi Shevgaonkar, founder of Cool The Globe, and Malhar Kalambe, founder of Beach Please India, discussed how their grassroots movements have turned individual responsibility into large-scale environmental impact, using digital tools and community engagement as key drivers. Malhar Kalambe, whose journey began with a simple beach clean-up, highlighted the power of hands-on experience in shaping environmental consciousness. 'You can't learn about the environment in a classroom,' he said. 'What we try to do through our community is give young people — even kids as young as six — the opportunity to physically clean beaches and rivers. Only then do they understand how serious the problem really is. ' Over 800 clean-up drives later, his initiative has removed over 8 million kilograms of waste and engaged 4.5 lakh citizens. Kalambe emphasised relatability and creativity on social media as essential tools in motivating youth. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 15 Most Beautiful Female Athletes in the World Click Here Undo 'We try to make beach clean-ups cool, something young people can relate to. A single social media post once brought in 6,000 volunteers.' For Shevgaonkar, personal climate anxiety led to innovation. Her journey began with a self-imposed challenge to reduce her carbon footprint by 10%, leading to the creation of Cool The Globe, a mobile app that tracks carbon savings from everyday actions like public transport use or waste segregation. 'People often ask: what can one individual do?' she said. 'When one lakh users from 150 countries came together, we saved over 7 million kilos of carbon emissions. That's the power of collective action.' The app features a live global meter and has sparked a worldwide movement, with sustainability ambassadors in over 25 countries. She credited social media for helping create belief among ordinary people that their actions matter. 'If we all do our part, miracles can happen,' Shevgaonkar said. The panel highlighted how India's new wave of eco-champions is turning anxiety into action
