Learning by Proxy with Vivek Srinivasan Vivek Srinivasan

I sat down with one of the founders of Paani.Earth, Madhuri Mandava to talk about the work that they are doing and why it matters.
What I learnt blew my mind. In 20 minutes, Madhuri took me through her journey to make data about rivers more accessible and how it plays a crucial role in decision making whether in courts or policy.
You can access the data they have painstakingly put together about the rivers around Bangalore at this link.
Paani.Earth is an 80G certified NGO, if you want to support them in any way, you can get in touch with them at paaniearth@gmail.com or connect@paani.earth.
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I sat down to speak with Saras Agarwal who is the managing partner at Earth Fund which is building a Real Estate focused sustainability fund. We spoke about the industry and the challenges and opportunities that he sees in the sector and the kinds of ventures that they are seeking to invest in.
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You can also follow the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, and Podbean


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.learningbyproxy.com

I spoke with Shreya Nath of WELL Labs to understand what took her from being an Architect to leading the Urban Water Program at WELL Labs and what she does there.
This conversation ranges from the structure of our cities to how water is accessed and provided to each of the residents to how we dispose of this water and finally what role policy could play in changing behaviour.
In the process, I learnt that Bangalore has the largest number of decentralised sewage treatment plants in the world. What we do with our sewage and our rainwater and what we should probably aspire to do.
If you have wondered at all about the recent water challenges in Bangalore, you will be glad you heard this.
If you are interested in knowing how Bangalore is fed its water here is an amazing video published by WELL Labs.
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You can also follow the podcast on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, and Podbean



This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.learningbyproxy.com

I spoke with Melissa Tan who is a Malaysian Actress, Model, Host, Entrepreneur and Climate Activist.
She has been working towards reducing the amount of fashion that is unnecessarily consumed. Her initiatives in Kuala Lumpur have seen thousands participate.
It was an interesting conversation about how she got into activism and how she sees change coming.
Listen in.
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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.learningbyproxy.com

Normally, my podcasts are about 20 minutes long. This one is about 50 minutes long thanks to Shyam Menon.
This is easily the most I have enjoyed recording a podcast. Shyam Menon is the co-founder of Infuse Ventures and the Bharat Innovation Fund. In this podcast, he shares his journey from the US to India; from technology to VC; and from defence to sustainability.
A super candid conversation on how India’s first sustainability-focused fund got set up and what were the key learnings from that journey.
Deeply insightful and full of nuance, just listen to it.
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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.learningbyproxy.com

I had the opportunity to speak with Aidan Charron from Earth Day about plastics and their environmental effects. Plastics are everywhere around us and have a detrimental effect on our health and bodies.
I dive into what plastics are and how they affect us in this podcast.
The first Earth Day was organised on 22 April 1970. This year their theme is Planet Vs Plastics. They have published a report on the subject at this link.

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.learningbyproxy.com