Black pollution is the new green in India, as Bharti Singhla points out in this episode. A chemical engineer, Bharti’s the executive vice president of strategy for Chakr.in–a start-up founded in 2015 that’s innovating a way to clear the air in a nation that according to the WHO has 14 of the 15 most polluted cities on the planet.
How are they doing that? Well, Chakr’s invented a shield that captures deadly black diesel exhaust and converts that pollution into ink that Chakr then sells. Already some big Indian emitters are capping their diesel pipes, and Chakr is winning all types of grants, awards, investment, and yes, media attention. Even the prestigious World Economic Forum has taken note of the young start-up, profiling them as an innovative environmental problem-solver, and the company founders were named in Forbes’ 30 under 30 list of social entrepreneurs.
Show Notes:
- 1:11 – John Mackey on conscious capitalism
- 1:36 – Lisa Schon on bird-friendly glass
- 2:00 – Seth Goldman on selling Honest Tea to Coke
- 2:42 – Paul’s thoughts on the book Shoe Dog
- 3:48 – Business for Good Patreon
- 4:21 – Bharti Singhla introduction
- 4:37 – Introduction to Chakr Innovation
- 4:52 – World Economic Forum article
- 5:01 – Forbes’ 30 under 30 article
- 7:55 – India ranked as one of the most polluted cities in the world
- 25:16 – Conflicts of Interests: My Journey through India’s Green Movement by Sunita Narain
- 27:22 – Chakr’s website
- 27:32 – Videos about Chakr can be seen here and here and here
Book recommended by Bharti:
Conflicts of Interests: My Journey through India’s Green Movement by Sunita Narain
