Countdown is a global initiative to champion and accelerate solutions to the climate crisis, turning ideas into action. The goal: To build a better future by cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 in the race to a zero-carbon world – a world that is safer, cleaner and fairer for everyone.We are bringing together scientists, activists, entrepreneurs, urban planners, farmers, CEOs, investors, artists, government officials and others to find the most effective, evidence-based ideas. Our goal is to identify the bold solutions that can be activated when people break out of their silos and rise to the challenge.
SPEAKERS
Sayesha Sachdev
With a keen eye for design & a strong focus on sustainability, Sayesha Sachdev is an experienced entrepreneur, environmental activist & creator. Driven by the goal to positively impact people & our planet. She takes pride in being the creative director of Bangalorebased conscious design house CORE. CORE focuses on transforming natural, plant-based & recycled textiles into finely tailored contemporary clothing; using her creativity to encourage important dialogues around inclusive sustainability within the fashion & design space. Her extraordinary commitment to social & environmental justice can be seen through her work that highlights Eco-responsibility. She does so by curating unique lifestyle experiences, designs & products that enable a conscious & mindful way of living.
Tarun Bothra S
Tarun is one of the Co-Founders & CTO at Saathi, a purpose-driven next-generation socially responsible company dedicated to providing a sustainable solution for menstruators in India and the globe. He believes sustainability is important for our survival in the future and wants to give back to the masses. He is passionate about empowering women and removing the taboo associated with menstrual hygiene in India. Saathi is combining both of these goals in providing a sustainable high-quality product to menstruators everywhere. He leads the R&D, Product Development, Technical, Legal & Corporate Operations teams of Saathi to develop the highest quality product and ensure that the supply chain is completely sustainable for zero impact on the environment.
Vani Murthy
Popularly known as Compost Queen, Vani Murthy is an icon in the area of composting and terrace gardening. She is one of the founding members of the Solid Waste Management Round Table(SWMRT) which began as a group of citizen volunteers and NGO veterans who were convinced that the only way to manage waste was to decentralise the system. In 2016, Vani Murthy was the brand ambassador of the SwachGraha campaign, launched by SWMRT, which took the city of Bangalore by storm with its invitation to all citizens to start their journey towards Sustainability with 3 green spots – COMPOST, GROW, COOK as a response to the Urban Crisis. She also wants people to get a positive feeling about the food they eat by growing their own organic vegetables. Vani Murthy works passionately and tirelessly to spread her vision of a zero waste lifestyle through mobile stalls across her city, social media, weekly columns and workshops
Karthik Ganesan
Karthik Ganesan is a Fellow at the Council on Energy, Environment, and Water (CEEW), a not-for-profit policy research institution based in New Delhi. His research focuses on all things energy, but he is particularly interested in the future of India’s power system. He wants to improve air quality in Indian cities and is convinced that it is the biggest environmental threat facing Indians – rich and poor. He hosts a podcast that goes by the name Peak Planet. He’s a recovering scrabble addict.
Michael Pearce
Over the years Architectural design and development have embraced a more eco-friendly approach as a way to counter the adverse effects of Global warming, with ecologically friendly and sustainable designs now being considered the new modern. However, there are a few who have been advocating such design philosophies for decades now and Michael Pearce is one such pioneer. His work has always focused on the development of buildings which have low maintenance, low capital and running costs and renewable energy systems of environmental control, thereby embracing the approach to balance both the natural as well as the social and the economic environments in which the project is sited. His work can be seen in many corners of the globe, from building in remote parts of Central Africa to converting old buildings in North-East England and large-scale city developments in Zimbabwe, an ecological exhibition center in Belgium, and the CH2 council office block in Melbourne, Australia.