Stone Soup Leadership Institute

Turning Trash Into Trees

When Vihaan Agarwal read about a fire at a large landfill in Delhi, he learned that trash was causing almost 20 percent of the city’s air pollution. He decided to do something about it; and together with his younger brother Nav, he started One Step Greener, an organization that collects and separates trash, and recycles it. Then they use the money they earn from picking up and selling waste from more than 700 households in Delhi to plant urban forests, to further improve air quality. “When you do something that actually creates a difference, everyone will want to do something that is as inspiring as the things you do,” Vihaan says. He adds, “What you’re doing might not make a difference directly, but the domino effect it creates will create huge change–even something as small as planting a tree in your backyard.”