Innovation for Sustainability

03RD JUN 2026: VIEWS: A SMALL GRAM PANCHAYAT IN MADHYA PRADESH MAY HAVE SHOWN US ONE OF THE INDIA'S MOST IMPORTANT CLIMATE LESSONS

Recently, I attended the 13th Earth Care Awards where Gram Panchayat Nanasa from Dewas district, Madhya Pradesh, was recognised under the category Institutional Leadership in Climate Action. At first glance, this may look like a village water conservation story. But it is much more than that. See: https://lnkd.in/dRrXRrrB

India’s water challenge is no longer limited to drought-prone regions. It is now a national development risk. NITI Aayog’s India Climate & Energy Dashboard shows declining per-capita water availability, reminding us that water stress is driven by population pressure, rising demand, poor recharge and weak local water governance. Refer: https://lnkd.in/dJqt_xWP

The warning is stark. NITI Aayog’s Composite Water Management Index noted that India faces one of its worst water crises, with nearly 600 million people under high to extreme water stress....more...

30TH JAN 2026: WORK: INDIA'S ROAD SAFETY CHALLENGE IS ALSO TO BUILD COEXISTENCE WITH WILDLIFE INTO INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING

At Sthaar Consulting, our work on sustainable infrastructure consistently highlights one truth: road safety in India must account for both human mobility and wildlife movement. As highways expand through tiger reserves, elephant corridors, grasslands & coastal forests, wildlife–vehicle collisions are becoming frequent—and often fatal for both animals and people

Recent examples underline urgency:

1. A lioness killed on the Bhavnagar–Somnath highway in Gujarat

2. Repeated leopard deaths on NH-44 in Telangana’s Indalwai forest range

3. Regular elephant crossings threatening safety in MM Hills Sanctuary, Karnataka

4. The Delhi–Dehradun Expressway’s 14 km wildlife corridor through Rajaji National Park—an important step in the right direction

These are not isolated incidents. They point to a systemic gap that traditional infrastructure alone cannot solve...more...

06TH JAN 2026: VIEWS: A QUITE WARNING FROM SCIENCE AND ONE WE CAN NO LONGER AFFORD TO IGNORE

Pollinators, especially bees, are repeatedly identified by ecological research as keystone species.

Nearly 75% of global food crops depend at least partly on animal pollination. In India, this directly affects fruits, vegetables, oilseeds, coffee, cocoa, and pulses — livelihoods as much as nutrition.

Remove pollinators, and food systems don’t collapse dramatically. They erode silently — yields drop, diversity shrinks, costs rise, and resilience disappears. This isn’t a new finding.

It’s just inconvenient. It doesn’t trend as well as tech breakthroughs or growth narratives. As a founder working in the sustainability transition space at STHAAR Consulting, I see this pattern everywhere. We try to optimize systems that are fundamentally out of balance, instead of restoring what made them work in the first place...more...

21ST OCT 2025: VIEWS: TIDE IS FINALLY TURNING FOR MUMBAI'S RIVERS AND COASTLINES

As someone born and raised in this city, my earliest memories are of Mumbai’s coastline—long walks on Juhu beach with family, the salty breeze at Marine Drive, the monsoon high tides crashing against Worli sea face. The sea has always been Mumbai’s soul.

But over the years, that soul felt suffocated.

Plastic-choked rivers flowing into the Arabian Sea. Flamingos in Thane Creek struggling against polluted waters. Familiar beaches buried under waves of waste after every monsoon. For me, this has never been just an “environmental issue”—it has been deeply personal.

Yesterday, while scrolling, I came across an update that made me pause: The Ocean Cleanup announced Mumbai will deploy its very first Interceptor by the end of 2025. This isn’t just a headline. It’s the result of years of research and partnerships...more...

12TH JUL 2025: VIEWS: WHAT IF IPL HELPED FUND INDIA'S FUTURE?

Every year, the Indian Premier League (IPL) captures global attention — stadiums packed, viewership soaring, and billions flowing through ads and media rights. It’s one of the most profitable sporting ecosystems in the world.

But here’s a thought: What if a portion of IPL’s massive revenues were taxed and redirected to fund research and innovation in India?

In IPL 2023 alone, BCCI recorded a surplus of ₹5,120 crore, with total revenues of ₹11,770 crore. Future seasons are expected to rake in ₹12,000–₹13,500 crore annually. And yet, BCCI enjoys income tax exemptions under charitable status, and franchises benefit from favorable tax treatment. Player salaries are taxed — but large chunks of ecosystem profits remain lightly taxed or untaxed. 

Imagine if a 40% tax was levied on just BCCI’s IPL surplus...more...