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“It’s not a competitive domain, it’s a domain of
collaboration.”
The ingenuity gleaned from unexpected sources, particularly students, high-
lights a critical element of foresight. Lipi recounts being “just mind-blowing”
by student ideas for turning sustainability problems into business opportuni-
ties. Specific examples included managing “construction debris” from decon-
structed sites by “introducing credits, […] for them”, and the concept of “water
credits”. These demonstrate that innovative impulses arise when individuals are
empowered “to put their own experience into a different dimension”, perceiving
economic or sustainable opportunity where others might only see nuisance or
waste. It illustrates that equipping individuals with a discerning lens and incen-
tive can unleash a cascade of previously unconsidered solutions.
Lipi also systematically addresses the pervasive misconception that concepts
like ESG are “rocket science, or it’s complicated. It’s way too technical or very
complex with so many elements”. Her counter-argument: it’s “rooted in the ba-
sics”. She parallels traditional Indian practices such as rainwater harvesting pits,
the spiritual reverence for rivers, which inherently discouraged pollution , and
the age-old practice of carrying reusable water bottles. These historical exam-
ples demonstrate that fundamental sustainable behaviors are not complex inno-
vations but often inherent, intuitive actions. When confronted with the notion
that ESG is “all about numbers”, Lipi advocates for explaining it “through their
own perspective”. Critically, this involves leveraging “data visualization”, using
tools like satellite imagery to show “before after scenarios of maybe floods and
droughts. Such visualization makes complex data “easily understandable for lay-
men”. The core challenge, then, is not the inherent complexity of sustainability,
but the clarity of its communication: it is “all a game of how you put it down in
front of the other person who’s not understanding it”.