Beyond Conservation: EcoSattva’s Blueprint for Environmental Renewal
What does sustainability really mean? For Natasha Zarine, it is more than conserving rivers or planting trees. It is about equity and justice, ensuring that the communities living closest to environmental collapse are not left out of climate solutions. That belief led to the founding of EcoSattva Environmental Solutions—a company proving that true sustainability must be both ecological and social.
From a Village to a Global Vision
Natasha grew up in Rai, a village near Dahanu, Maharashtra, where she saw the effects of unmanaged sewage and garbage polluting rivers and clogging land. These issues spiked her curiosity to find ways to address the situation, worsened by the pervasiveness of socio-economic inequalities and gender-based violence.
Determined to work at the intersection of environment and justice, she pursued psychology and law, understanding how systemic change happens. But it was at the Young India Fellowship (YIF) at Ashoka University that she discovered the spark, knowledge, and community that led to her co-founding EcoSattva with Gauri Mirashi.
A Just Energy Transition: Sustainability for People and the Planet
“I believe that a just and sustainable future is possible only when environmental action intersects with social equity and economic opportunity.”
- Natasha Zarine
At the heart of EcoSattva’s work is the principle of a Just Energy Transition—the understanding that environmental action must be ecologically sound and socially just. Restoration efforts cannot focus only on landscapes; they must uplift the people who depend on them. River and wetland restoration projects designed to revive ecosystems must strengthen communities against climate shocks. Waste workers, long excluded from formal structures, are integrated into recycling and sanitation systems. Sustainable urban planning is approached with the belief that cities should be designed for resilience, not just efficiency.
EcoSattva’s impact now extends beyond several states in India, with projects in Argentina and Indonesia, working to ensure that climate adaptation and mitigation efforts prioritize those most at risk. Initiatives span urban sanitation, recycling, waste management, restored critical water bodies, improved urban green cover, and building adaptive capacities in communities facing climate uncertainties.
Transformative Projects: Where Policy Meets Action
The Kham River Restoration Project in Aurangabad, launched in partnership with Varroc Industries and the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation in 2021, is a model for ecological and community renewal. It is aimed at reducing the solid waste and water pollution in the river stretch between Himayat Baug to Cantonment bridge, as well as to restore its ecological balance while creating community awareness and engagement. The restoration involves a long-term commitment of public, private, and government sectors whose efforts are based on scientific research and application of appropriate technological, social, infrastructural, and governance solutions.
Running along the river and covering over 10 acres of land, it also hosts multiple eco-recreational spaces for an immersive natural experience for visitors to Aurangabad.
Unnati is EcoSattva’s waste management drive that employs women in commercial waste management services. These women, called Safai Saathis, are trained to drive collection trucks, and are fully in charge of planning and executing waste collection in the areas they work in.
Innovation has been key to scaling these efforts. Ecosattva has standardized its adaptive solutions and progress monitoring via an app called BOTRAM(C). It offers stakeholders in government and other partners in India, Argentina, and Indonesia a shared platform to integrate insights and measure impact. By integrating technology with policy and grassroots action, EcoSattva ensures that its impact is measurable and adaptable.
In January 2025, EcoSattva signed a strategic partnership with the Maharashtra state government at the World Economic Forum in Davos, securing a commitment to expand its work across urban and rural landscapes.
Global Recognition and Growth
EcoSattva’s Kham River Restoration Mission won the 2024 St. Andrews Prize for the Environment, awarded by the University of St. Andrews. It was also recognised as a finalist for the WRI Ross Prize for Cities at New York Climate Week during the UN General Assembly in September 2024.
Scaling a Just Transition
Natasha’s vision is clear: sustainability cannot be an elite goal. It has to work for everyone. EcoSattva is proving that the transition to a greener world must be inclusive, equitable, and community-driven. Through every restored river, empowered waste worker, and reformed policy, it is reshaping sustainability as a force for both environmental and social renewal.
This story is part of the ‘Green Economies, Powered By Women’ campaign by SHE Changes Climate to spotlight women entrepreneurs driving climate solutions in Brazil, South Asia, and Africa. You can read Roots of Resilience from Kenya and the story of organic skincare brand Lhamour from Mongolia. Also read why green economies powered by women are the need of the hour.