Latest news with #SunbirdStraws
Time of India
06-08-2025
- 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.
The Hindu
25-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Dr. Saji Varghese on going beyond teaching to make a social impact
The next in the monthly series by WWF-India that highlights niche and unconventional green careers through the stories of well-known personalities from the field of environment and conservation I never imagined that a casual walk across my university campus would lead to a global eco-innovation. I've been an Associate Professor of English at Christ University, Bengaluru, for over two decades. But, along the way, my passion for sustainable change nudged me beyond the classroom; into a world of agri-waste, biodegradable straws, and circular innovation. Born and raised in Maharashtra, I studied at Mt. Carmel Convent School in Chandrapur and completed my higher education at Dr Ambedkar College, Nagpur. I earned my PhD in English from Nagpur University. Teaching was something I was always drawn to, but I also carried within me a constant urge to 'do more.' While teaching at a college in a remote village in Maharashtra, I saw the stark realities of farmer suicides and poverty. I kept thinking about the children in slums who deserved a better future. That experience pushed me to ask, 'I might teach English for another 15 years, but how will I make a tangible impact on the life of at least one such child?' Turning point The spark came unexpectedly. One day, a visitor from the Netherlands mentioned how disturbing it was to see so many single-use plastic straws and how it has become a scourge to our environment. The next morning, I noticed coconut leaves littered across campus and, almost like an epiphany, it struck me. I picked one up, steamed it in my kitchen, and it clicked! The natural wax coating on the coconut leaf was perfect; it didn't need a polymer lining. That moment became the birth of Sunbird Straws, the world's first biodegradable drinking straw made from dead coconut leaves. With no lab, no funding, and just a desire to make a difference, our straws are today not only reducing plastic pollution but also supporting the livelihoods of over 200 women across India's coastal states. Sunbird is a small idea that continues to grow. Now, my mornings start at 3:30 a.m. and my 'lab' is still my kitchen. Whether it's exploring the use of pineapple leaf cuticle or pandanus leaves, I keep experimenting. At Christ University, I prepare for classes and lead the Centre for Design and Innovation for Social Entrepreneurship, where I mentor students to turn their ideas into scalable solutions. I spend my evenings at the Sunbird office, interacting and planning with our team. What excites me most is the ability to close loops: to turn waste into something of value. Discoveries that I make during my experiments promote waste to wealth, circularity, and biodiversity are helping both the environment and the lives of women in rural areas. One challenge we face is pricing. Sustainable products often cost more because they're labour-intensive. We've had to find a balance between improving efficiency and protecting the livelihoods our work supports. Every decision we make — whether it's adding a new machine or changing a material — is weighed against its social impact. To students and young innovators, my message is this: look around you. There are problems waiting for creative solutions. There's no 'right' time. You just need a critical eye and the tenacity to come up with sustainable alternatives. Innovation doesn't require a lot; sometimes, it just needs a critical mind, a coconut leaf, and a question worth chasing.
