Vihaan Agarwal Email & Phone Number

OneStepGreener strives for a zero-waste future and works with waste management, recycling, and urban afforestation to achieve the same.

New Delhi Area, India

OneStepGreener is India's first waste management, recycling, and tree plantation initiative to be awarded internationally by the Children's Climate Prize in Sweden. As founders of OneStepGreener were also honoured to have been the only children invited by The Honourable President of India to meet His Excellency King Gustav III and Her Excellency Queen Sophia of Sweden during their state visit to India at the President’s House, Rashtrapati Bhavan. We train people to use simple ways to segregate waste at source and plugin an existing gap by offering door-to-door pickup of dry recyclables and have tied up the loop by sending the waste to certified recyclers for recycling. Instead of discarding resources, we have created a system where all resources can be resumed fully back into the system. We collect and recycle segregated waste including paper, plastics, metal, cardboard, glass, and e-waste. Till now we have collected and recycled over 100,000 kgs of waste saving 76,179 lbs of carbon from entering the atmosphere and energy to power 60,000 Indian homes for a day. An urban forest has been planted in Delhi of native, indigenous trees. We have planted over 2000 trees till now generating 83,20,700 pounds of oxygen. Our ventures are self-sustaining and have created employment and training for people in the unorganized sector. We have raised over $25,000 through crowdfunding, grants and awards. Awards won:InternationalChildren's Climate Prize 2019Eco-Hero Award 2019Global Social Leaders Award 2019The Diana Award 2019National Cuckoo Hero Award, 2020, Delhi Bird Foundation Young Changemaker 2020, Hindu Business Line Awards, chosen amongst top 6 nationallyAshoka Youth Venturer, Young Changemaker Fellowship, Cohort 2019Pramerica Community Service National Award, 2019NYS Zee Media National Award, 2018Paryavaran Rakshak 2018 Award, Griha CouncilFeatured in:Earth Day Golden Anniversary Celebration- 50 Youth Voices from around the globe

Stanford, California, United States

Gurugram, Haryana, India

As a member of the editorial team, I contributed to the Photography Portfolio of the Editorial Board. Working collaboratively with students from across the school, we developed creative strategies and events to support our goals. Our efforts resulted in an improvement in photography skills and increased student participation.

Bengaluru, Karnataka

Fellow, Ashoka Youth Venturer, 2019-2020Worked with other fellows and developed inter-disciplinary social impact projects. Part of the ‘LeadYoung Young Change-Makers’ initiative; worked with media groups to spread the stories of young leaders.

India

Under the guidance of CERE's experts, I worked on Urban Afforestation Projects. This involved geo-tagging trees, conducting biodiversity analysis, and maintaining and preserving urban forests. I assisted in the selection of native trees and prepared materials to raise awareness and promote education. Additionally, I researched and developed a paper titled "Rethinking Urban Afforestation: Examining the Economic Viability of Non-Forest Land in India". This experience allowed me to refine my skills and deepen my understanding of conservation issues.

New Delhi, Delhi, India

During an intensive internship with the Swachh Bharat (Clean India) Mission, working under KPMG in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MOHUA) internship, I identified and collaborated with recycling vendors to implement waste segregation in a government housing society. I also designed and conducted a survey to gather data on waste segregation practices and trained residents on effective recycling techniques. Additionally, I created and executed a weekly waste pickup service and implemented a pilot program to test its effectiveness.To increase recycling participation, I designed ads to encourage more residents to recycle and set up a data management system to track progress. My efforts contributed to the success of the Swachh Bharat (Clean India) Mission and reinforced my commitment to environmental sustainability.

Education record

Class of 2026

International Baccalaureate, 12

Activities and Societies: Form Representative, Paryavaran Club, The Shri Ram School, 2016-201 Junior Editor, Photography Club & School.

Solving Global Challenges

9

Studied Socratic Dialogue, critical thinking and communication; visited an orphanage and performed for the children, gave them food.

Education record

Education record