Amplify

For the final episode of Season 2 I am joined by Ashish Birulee, photojournalist, activist and founding member of Adivasi Lives Matter (ALM) and Isha C content strategist, documentary filmmaker, senior editor and co-creator of ALM. On August 9 it was the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. These are the people whose way of life has always been sustainable and has hugely inspired and encouraged our own choices, behaviour and consumption patterns and that’s great. We should look to them who have been the custodians of nature for so long. But is following in their footsteps and striving for zero waste living or circular economy models enough? Is eating plant-based, buying secondhand, upcycling/recycling sufficient in and of itself to move towards a more environmentally just future? Not really. Because If we talk about growing and eating local but not about stolen forests and lands and displaced indigenous communities, if we talk about switching to electric cars and bikes but not about how specific communities become dumping grounds for waste then our sustainability is performative. To live and act sustainably is to unlearn and criticise current systems that exist and actively, constructively agitate for better, more equitable systems instead. It’s a verb, it’ a practice, it’s imperfect and it’s a long journey. So for this episode I am speaking to Adhivasi Lives Matter movement in India to talk about some of the key issues of EIA Draft 2020, land rights, displacement, environmental racism that affect indigenous communities directly and understand what we can do to amplify their voices. Listen, share, subscribe to the podcast and follow ALM's work on: https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/adivasilivesmatter/#about and on Instagram @adivasilivesmatter. Stay tuned for more on @amplifypodcast. 

This week we're talking about one of the world's favourite foods: chocolate. I'm joined by chocolate maker David Belo who is the founder of Naviluna Artisan Chocolates in Mysore, India and has an extensive background of working in bread, pastry and mixology in London. The chocolate industry is rife with several issues from mass deforestation to child slavery. The workers in the world's largest cocoa producers - Ivory Coast and Ghana - earn less than a $1 a day in a $103 billion industry. The rise of bean-to-bar chocolate makers such as Naviluna then are a means to address growing concerns of sustainability, ethical labour practices and transparency. In bean-to-bar everything from sourcing the cocoa beans from suppliers and farmers to crafting the chocolate bar is done by the one entity themselves. What then is the sweet spot between sustainability and scalability? What does India have to offer to an industry so heavily reliant on West Africa? What constitutes "good chocolate"? Are consumer palates and wallets ready for this evolution in their favourite foods? As ever, subscribe to us, share our episodes and say hi to us on IG: @amplifypodcast. Check out the incredible work Naviluna are doing at: https://naviluna.in. 

In conversation with Mihir Sharma, Indian economist and Senior Research Fellow at Observer Research Foundation, columnist at Bloomberg Opinion and Business Standard India. We talk about how the Indian economy had been showing signs of slowdown long before the double whammy of the pandemic and lockdown. In this episode we talk about how COVID19 will affect the way we live, work, travel and consume, whether our post-pandemic recovery will be the most coveted V-shaped recovery and if any portion of the $266bn relief and recovery package announced by the government will be invested towards sustainability and/or green growth. In addition to this the India-China brawl on June 15 has further complicated the relationship between our economies. What role will India play in the emerging geopolitical order? What are the consequences of banning Chinese goods and supplies? All this and much more in today's episode. As always don't forget to subscribe, rate and review to help us reach more people. Follow us on Instagram for updates and snippets on more interesting conversations: https://www.instagram.com/amplifypodcast/. 

I am joined by Rahul Nainani, founder and CEO of Raddi Connect a resource recovery social startup that works with multiple stakeholders like governments, brands, informal sector and consumers to divert waste away from landfills and oceans and into the economy to get reused, recycled or repurposed. India's 62 million tonnes of waste is picked up, cleaned, sorted and segregated by an invisible workforce of 1.5 to 4 million waste pickers. Our raddiwalas. They salvage waste that is recyclable and sell it further up the value chain to make a living. Waste progresses through the chain from bins of high-income homes to transfer stations before finally ending up in landfill sites. In this journey neither the households nor the municipal corporations do their bit to segregate their waste. Although infrastructure is being built to process and dispose off this waste there is still a long way to go before India becomes fully zero waste. We talk about the work done by raddiwalas, the policies and infrastructure needed, the impact of a pandemic on our waste and the work we need to do to close the loop on what we throw out. Don't forget to like, share, subscribe and follow us on Instagram: @amplifypodcast. If you're in India get in touch with Raddi Connect http://www.raddiconnect.com and be responsible with your rubbish. 

How has the rise and hegemonic presence of influencers on Instagram impacted sustainability? In this episode I am joined by Aditi Mayer, sustainable fashion blogger, model, writer and speaker on all things fashion to talk about the role of influencers in catalysing change. We trace the humble beginnings of Instagram in 2013 to the rise of the luxury lifestyle influencer, the #ootd throwaway culture it brought with it to the conscious, ethical influencer who uses their social currency to spread awareness. We talk about building a culture of accountability with brands, the Black Lives Matter movement and how fashion closely intersects with race, gender and class. Ultimately, it boils down to whether sustainability is compatible with scalability. When brands start off with the vision to do something different do they eventually have to trade this for growing their business? All this and much more in this episode, don't forget to like, share, follow, subscribe, rate and review us via your podcast provider. Follow Aditi Mayer on Instagram, follow us on there too and tune in next week. 

The food industry is undergoing a seismic shift as producers, farmers, policymakers, consumers come to terms with issues pertaining to current food cycles. In this episode I am joined by Andrew Ive, Founder and Managing General Partner of Big Idea Ventures a venture capital fund and accelerator investing in food tech, alt protein and food innovation in Singapore. As the chatter around how people can eat green/clean/ethically/locally etc increases we talk about the role of investors and mentors in propelling this sector. The rise of companies such as Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods in the US is testament to the fact that the alt protein sector is here to stay. It disrupts the filthy business of slaughter, meets the nutritional requirements of consumers and is kind to public and planetary health. The New Protein Fund of $50 million by Big Idea Ventures is backed by Temasek Holdings and Tyson Foods and is actively looking for entrepreneurs who are building the future of food. We talk about what investors are looking for in aspiring and current food entrepreneurs, contextualise the food systems to date and envisage what the future of food could look like. Andrew talks about some of the rising stars of this space including homegrown companies in India and how Singapore is paving the way to this edible and equitable future. Do check out the incredible work they're doing to amplify the work of food entrepreneurs and regardless of whatever stage you're at do approach them to know more about their fund and their accelerator program: https://bigideaventures.com. As ever, please do follow us on IG at @amplifypodcast and rate and review us via your podcast provider.