In today's episode, I have the pleasure of inviting Nitisha Agarwal. Nitisha currently serves as a Founder & Director of Smokeless Cookstove Foundation (SCF), a Section 8, Not for Profit that works with marginalized communities across India by teaching them to make a zero-cost mud-based smokeless cookstove. Its partner enterprise, Himalayan Rocket Stove (HRS), has developed the technology behind this solution. While anchoring the programs at SCF, she doubles up as a Business Consultant at HRS, handling essential business functions and creating opportunities to apply efficient heating and cooking solutions to real-world problems. As a result, Nitisha can integrate clean energy solutions to a diverse set of community-based users at a national level. Both organizations' combined objective is to create efficient, high-impact, low-cost heating and cooking solutions at various acceptable price points, including our' zero cost' cookstove solution.
Since 2017, SCF has conducted field training programs in over 11 Indian states reaching out to more than 2000 community participants. Thus, the organization has simultaneously pivoted itself in a facilitator's mode to identify gaps within the clean cooking sector from the developer's end and the participative communities' perspective.
In line with Nitisha's endeavor to the sector, she is honored to be a part of the inaugural mentorship program – Women in Clean Cooking instituted by Global Alliance in Clean Cooking, SEforAll, and GWNET for Asian and African nations. She is also a proud member of SAWIE (South Asian Women in Energy), which has been constituted as a platform for women to form a collaborative and strategic approach towards reaching gender equality goals and building solid pillars across the energy sector
Before Nitisha stepped into the clean energy development sector, she accumulated over 17 years of experience in retail brand communications, public relations, business development, and social media marketing with brands like Volkswagen, Skoda, Marico, and Lintas. But her love for the mountains and outdoor adventures lured her to a chance interaction with an Australian eco innovator, Russell Collins (Founder of Himalayan Rocket Stove), and she quit her corporate life at Volkswagen India and found inspiration to set up SCF.
Nitisha studied Sustainable Development and Solutions from Columbia University, Earth Institute, to bring academic relevance to her work. In addition, she completed the certification program in Education in Sustainable Development from United Nations, Earth Charter International in collaboration with Peace University, Costa Rica, in 2018. Being a patron and endorser of The Earth Charter, Nitisha has continued her learning journey with the charter and completed a Business and Ethical Leadership for Sustainability program as a scholarship participant in 2020.
Extremely passionate about outdoor adventure, Nitisha started 'Children of Tribe' an outdoor learning experience and introduction to sustainable solutions for young city kids based on the ideology of Nature as a third parent. Before the pandemic, she conducted curated program over the weekends, allowing children to experience Nature by getting themselves fully immersed in it. This work has been featured in Condenast Traveller India's September 2020 issue.
Avid trekker and traveler but based in Mumbai/ Karjat, she has her bags packed all the time, and while on various assignments for the Foundation, she loves taking pictures, sharing meals on clean chulahs, and writing about her experiences in the form of travelogues. Nitisha's digitally published articles can be found on www.travelpurist.com.
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