'Straws From Coconut Leaf' Idea Makes Indian Finalist For UN Body Award

Chirag M G's passion for environmental conservation and his idea of making straws out of fallen coconut leaflets has earned him a place as one of four finalists for the prestigious Youth Ecopreneur Award. The award is given by the International Trade Centre, the trade arm of the United Nations 

Last year, the award had gone to India-based entrepreneur Vedant Gandhi, co-founder of  RecycleX, which makes sustainable and innovative construction material. 

Bengaluru-based Chirag's Brown Reed Agri Waste Innovations makes straw out of fallen coconut leaflets - each coconut leaf has 200-300 leaflets - in an attempt to check the irreparable impact of non-biodegradable plastic straws. Chirag is seeking a funding of $2,50,000 (approximately Rs 2 crore) to expand the use of his startup's patented technology. 

Pitching his idea at the World Development Forum in Mongolia's Ulaanbaatar,  Chirag said, "Plastic straws worth $1 billion are used every day around the world. They remain on planet Earth for years and keep accumulating every day". On being a finalist, he told NDTV, "I am quite pumped. Imagine, these naturally fallen leaves would otherwise be burnt". 

Also in the race is Airee, a startup co-founded by Oyungereal Munkhbat, an environmental scientist from Mongolia. The venture makes air filters out of sheep wool, which the country is known to have in plenty. The filters are aimed at pregnant women and little children, who are especially vulnerable to air pollution. She is seeking $1,80,000 (approximately Rs 1.47 crore) in funding to further the startup's international presence. 

"During Covid, we saw a lot of masks being wasted and most of them were made from plastics and were not biodegradable. We can replace all of this with a biodegradable solution made from regenerative sheep wool. This will also help herders who are vulnerable to climate change, " Munkhbat said.

Giving a new use to the 16 million tonnes of ground coffee wastes in cafes every year is an Egyptian startup, Cupmena, co-founded by Abdul. Cupmena uses the coffee waste to raise sixteen types of vegetables. "Coffee waste has a very bad impact on the environment and it's important to use it. For every 2 kg of coffee waste used here, 1 kg turns into nutrition for the mushrooms we make. Sustainable coffee is better for the future".

Tamara Gondo,  representing Liberty Society, a startup from Indonesia, pitched the idea of converting plastic waste - which ultimately finds its way to the sea - into merchandise. "By 2045, the sea may have more plastic than fish. Plastic waste is often dumped into countries like Indonesia. We have brought a solution to upcycle the waste into merchandise such as beautiful bags". 

On the aim and vision of the global competition, Govind Venuprasad, Senior Coordinator at the International Trade Centre, said, "Youth are the inheritors of this planet and the world belongs to them. It's important that we engage with them for green solutions."