Profiles of Purpose: Flowers in the River | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Ankit Agarwal founded Kanpur Flower Cycling to collect waste flowers from temples and turn them into eco-friendly products, addressing pollution in the River Ganges and providing fair job opportunities for women in India.

Key Insights

• 🧑‍⚕️ The pollution caused by temple waste flowers in the River Ganges is a major health concern, impacting both India and Bangladesh.
• 💟 Kanpur Flower Cycling addresses this issue by converting waste flowers into eco-friendly products like incense and biodegradable alternatives to Styrofoam.
• 🧚‍♀️ Besides environmental benefits, the company provides fair employment opportunities for women, replacing the degrading job of manual scavenging.
• 😒 The use of waste flowers for sustainable products helps reduce the reliance on chemical-based alternatives.
• 🗑️ Kanpur Flower Cycling's innovative approach demonstrates the potential for waste recycling and sustainability.
• 🧑‍🦽 The organization aims to make a significant impact by focusing on education and breaking the cycle of manual scavenging in future generations.
• 🪈 By securing orders from major household brands, Kanpur Flower Cycling is poised for significant growth and expansion.

Transcript

Why I do this business is, or how I can serve the community is, by being able to give them an opportunity to work, a fair opportunity. I cannot be everywhere, I cannot control what happens. But I can at least make sure that everyone has that opportunity. [MUSIC] So, my name is Ankit Agarwal. I was born and brought up in Kanpur Uttar Pradesh, that i... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: How did Ankit Agarwal come up with the idea for Kanpur Flower Cycling?

During a conversation with a Czech friend, Ankit realized the pollution caused by temple waste flowers being dumped into the River Ganges and felt motivated to take action.

Q: What are some health issues caused by the pollution from temple flowers in the River Ganges?

The pesticides used on these flowers mix with the river water, leading to severe health issues like diarrhea, hepatitis, and cholera in India and Bangladesh where the river flows.

Q: What sustainable products does Kanpur Flower Cycling create?

The company produces incense made from temple flowers, which is chemical-free and hand-rolled with natural essential oils. They have also developed a biodegradable, home-compostable alternative to Styrofoam using flowers.

Q: How does Kanpur Flower Cycling provide employment opportunities for women?

Kanpur Flower Cycling offers women an alternative to the demeaning job of manual scavenging. They can work in a single workplace, contributing to cleaning the River Ganges and feel good about doing meaningful work.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Ankit Agarwal started Kanpur Flower Cycling to address the pollution caused by the disposal of temple flowers in the River Ganges, which leads to various health issues.

• The company creates eco-friendly products like incense and biodegradable alternatives to Styrofoam using waste flowers, reducing environmental impact.

• Beyond environmental impact, through Kanpur Flower Cycling, women are offered dignified employment, breaking the cycle of manual scavenging.