‍[00:02] Jennifer Wu: Hi everyone, thanks for listening to The Founder Spirit podcast. I'm your host, Jennifer Wu. In this podcast series, I interview exceptional individuals from all over the world with the founder spirit, ranging from social entrepreneurs, tech founders, to philanthropists, elite athletes, and more. Together, we'll uncover not only how they managed to succeed in facing multiple challenges, but also who they are as people and their human story. 

The following episode was recorded during the 2024 Villars Summit held by the Villars Institute, where I recorded several short interviews over a period of 3 days. The Founder Spirit Podcast is proud to be a partner of the Villars Institute, a nonprofit foundation focused on accelerating the transition to a net-zero economy and restoring planetary health.

“We switched on the lights - magic! The people started celebrating. There was such genuine moments of happiness that I could see on the faces of the people.”

“And that moment really flicked a switch inside me as well. I realized truly the purpose through this journey is about being able to create a tangible impact in the lives of the communities that do not have the same access to resources that we have in our cities.” 

Joining us today is Jaideep Bansal, CEO of GHE Impact Ventures, an award-winning social enterprise that has brought solar energy and sustainable development to over half a million people across the remotest communities in India.

Winner of the 2020 UN Climate Action Award, GHE is also recognized by the the World Trade Organization and the G20 as one of the successful case studies impacting Sustainable Development Goal 7 - affordable and clean energy.

An graduate from the Indian Institute of Technology, Jaideep has been instrumental in bringing the narrative of sustainable development to an wider audience.

Just how did Jaideep drive the growth of GHE Impact Ventures to bring sustainable development across the remotest communities in India? Well, let’s talk to him & find out.

Hello Jaideep, welcome to The Founder Spirit podcast! So wonderful to have you joining us today and thank you for taking the time.

[02:11] Jaideep Bansal: Thank you Jennifer, thank you for having me here. It's an absolute honor and a privilege to have this conversation with you. 

I've been following the Founders Spirit podcast and it's great to see the array of individuals that you have been showcasing through this podcast and really meaningful impact that is being created. 

And I think if I look at it, a lot of the people in today's world need inspiration. And thank you for doing the amazing work you're doing in bringing those stories to the front.

[02:38] Jennifer: Thank you, well, your work being one of them actually.

Jaideep, I wanted to take us back a little bit. So, growing up in India, what were some of your formative experiences that helped to shape your life trajectory?

[02:51] Jaideep: My father was a doctor in the Indian Army and my mother used to be a teacher. And so courtesy of that, I ended up travelling to a lot of places all across India. So it was so much of travel that we used to shift places every 2-3 years. So by the time I did my 12th grade, I had already changed up ten schools. 

And what that meant was that as you are moving from one place to the other, you find your base, you find your friends, and suddenly after two or three years, you are just moved to a totally new place where you don't know anyone. 

And so I ended up becoming an extrovert where I realized that I really liked having people around me. I liked the energy that I got from these meaningful relationships that I was able to create across so many places in India, and great insight into how also people in different parts of India live, how do they think, what are their dreams and aspirations. 

And I think one thought that really stuck with me and still stuck with me till date is my father always says that if everyone is going north, you go south. And so pursue things that you believe in are right versus what the masses around you are doing. And I think that has really shaped me fundamentally.

And I'm sure he might have regretted it later, because when I moved from a corporate job to a social enterprise, it was not something that they were expecting to quit a nice, fancy job and move into something with no available financing. 

And so, but eventually my father also realized that why I'm doing what am I doing? And but I think that sort of initial formative years of really being told to follow your passion, follow your dream, has really stood with me.

And I think I’ll definitely pass this on to my daughter as well, who's 4-years old now that it's not just about being in the rat race and doing what others are expecting you to do or are doing around you, but really finding your purpose and meaning in life and what really drives you as an individual, because that can create some beautiful outcomes.

[04:39] Jennifer: Oh, yeah, that's really beautiful. I mean, for me, I've always kind of followed the conventional path to begin with, at least for the first 20 years of my own professional career. And then at some point, I stopped and I said, you know what? Let me find what my true purpose really is, and here we are on the show. (chuckles)

So GHE stands for Global Himalayan Expedition. Can you share with us the founding story of GHE (Impact) Ventures and how you got involved?

[05:08] Jaideep: Yeah, so GHE was founded by Paras Loomba. 

He went on an expedition to Antarctica with Sir Robert Swan, and the expedition was basically to see the impact of climate change on South Pole. And Sir Robert Swan is actually the first person to have walked to both poles, and so a really inspirational leader in himself. 

And so when Paras went on this expedition, he, of course, had a profound impact with the journey. But when he came back, he also realized that, you know, this was a journey where they were on a ship, they went to see climate change, but there was no action that they took. They received a lot of information, but then I think the idea of creating action was something that was bugging him.

And so when he came back, he said, okay, why don't we do a similar thing where instead of taking people to see the impact of climate change, let's do something about it. And, you know, North Pole, South Pole, how about the third pole? The Himalayas?

And so that's where the idea of the Global Himalayan Expedition was born, where the paras decided, okay, let me just float this around. I'll take 20 people on this journey where we trek to a remote village in the Himalayas, and in just witnessing the impact, we'll do something about it by bringing in clean energy solution for this community that was using kerosene lamps and causing a lot of carbon emissions to the local environment. 

And I was working with Proctor & Gamble (at) that time. And when I met Paras, I immediately signed up for it. This seemed to be an adventure of a lifetime and I could not have missed it. 

And so here we were in the month of August in 2013 with 20 people from 10 different countries, crossing mountain passes at 15,000 ft to bring electricity to a remote Himalayan village. 

And we were working in the village for two days with the community, putting up the solar panels on the roof of the houses, putting up the LED lights. And after two days, when the sun set, the whole village went dark again. But then this time we did a countdown, 3, 2, 1. 

And then we switched on the lights - magic! The people started celebrating. There was such genuine moments of happiness that I could see on the faces of the people, not just us expedition participants, but also the local communities. 

One of the old ladies said that I always thought that one day light will come, but I did not realize it will come in just one day. And so it really became a cause for celebration for the entire community. 

And that moment really flicked a switch inside me as well, where I thought that my dream was to make and sell shampoo with Procter & Gamble. But then I realized truly the purpose through this journey is about being able to create a tangible impact in the lives of the communities that do not have the same access to resources that we have in our cities. 

And so that's where I joined hands with Paras and we started scaling up GHE.

[07:39] Jennifer: So service, right, service is one of the ways to wisdom - that's what I've read from the Bhagavad Gita, at least. Being able to service others and create impact is one of the greatest ways to really live out your dream, because it gives us such a sense of meaning and purpose when we can impact other people. 

I wanted to also understand, because you said that you were working with P&G at the time. Now when the inner switch turned on in yourself, tell us then what happened. Was that decision difficult for you to leave the security of a job behind?

[08:18] Jaideep: I think it was a time that I was being asked to move to London as an expat by P&G, and I had decided that I want to finally call it quits. And so it was a difficult time because suddenly you have this amazing offer from this company, which essentially maybe was my dream initially when I had joined P&G. 

And you're leaving all that, and then you are joining a social enterprise where currently there's no business model. Yes, there is an idea of how to do it, but how do we sustain it? How do we scale the impact? All those were unknowns.

But I think sometimes you need to follow your heart and not your mind, because the mind is always rational, the heart is always about passion. And, I remember that when I was in this contradiction everyone around me, including Paras, they said, you know, don't do this, just go to London, you'll have a great career. 

But I think I was convinced, and I went back, said no to this offer, and then finally quit P&G and started following my passion. And that journey has been so beautiful. There's never a day that I look back and say, oh, why did I not take up that offer. 

Because, frankly, the amount of impact we have been able to create, the amount of relationships that I've been able to build, the amount of experiences that I have got from the communities, from our partners, from the several stakeholders that we interact with on a day-to-day basis. And it's such an exciting work that every day I get excited because there is always something new, there is always something exceptional, that possibilities out there. 

And I think couple of moments that really shaped this decision. I remember one week after this whole expat offer role declining and everything, one of our local people, Dorje, we were traveling in the valley. We were trekking to one of the mountain to the villages, and as we were going there, there is a landslide.

So first Dorje slips, and then I slip, and we are both stuck, literally saved by a piece of huge rock. Otherwise, there's a straight fall into the cliff. And I'm stuck there wondering, why am I doing what am I doing? Wouldn't I have been better at taking up that role instead of being stuck here right now? 

But I think in those moments, you gain a lot of clarity in terms of why you're doing what you're doing. And I think just the kind of people from the villages that we ended up meeting, the amount of passion and commitment that they had to bring development to their villages was so infectious that the only path was always to move forward, and there's been no turning back.

Sitting here actually talking to you, I would like to really bring to the fact that I'm standing tall on the shoulders of the amazing people that we have on the ground, the people from these tribal communities that we train either as solar engineers or as homestay entrepreneurs or in handicraft value chains. 

Because they are doing that work on the ground that I am sitting here, I'm able to sit here and talk to you about the success story of GHE. And this would not have been possible for the communities that we work with and for the passion and grit and determination that they have for bringing development to their own communities.

[11:06] Jennifer: So, speaking of the communities, and also, many of us have never been to the Himalayas, can you just tell us what it's like to be with the community? What is it like being there? 

And give us a sense of the enormity of what you see and what you hear and what you experience as part of the GHE impact trips.

[11:27] Jaideep: Yeah, I mean, let me transport you through this audio note to a Himalayan village. 

Imagine you are walking in the Himalayas, surrounded by mountains on both sides, you're walking in a valley. There's a glacier stream that is going along you, and then finally you reach the village. 

When you reach the village, you see 10 or 12 or 15 houses, mud houses, rammed earth houses, in front of you, traditional construction, painted white or left for their own natural mud color. 

And then when you walk into the house, you'll be greeted, and they'll immediately take you into their small sitting area. There are no table, chairs here - you sit on the floor. There are some carpets and some old bedding that you can sit on. 

And you sit across the space heating device, where they use yak dung, or they use small fire sticks to burn - that also prepares the tea. Everyone is in this small room, and they'll first offer you tea before you say anything else. So that's how the community welcomes you. 

They are very close to nature. And unfortunately, they are also seeing the impact of climate change with the glacial streams reducing. Some of the communities tell me that earlier there used to be ten glacial streams in their village. Now, there's only one. And even if that dries up, that means they'll have to migrate the village itself.

So, climate migration, people think about it, they talk about it. I've seen it happen on the ground in the Himalayas. But despite all the challenges, I mean, they live in -20, -30 degrees in the winters, it's absolutely cold, but you will find the sense of community so beautiful and so strong.  

Everyone stays together, they stick with each other, everything happens with each other. For example, if someone wants to build a house, it's not like they'll call some external people. In the village, there'll be some carpenters, there'll be some mason, there'll be someone who can do woodwork. 

And so they will call these people in, offer them food and tea, and in return, those people will build the house for you. And so that's how it works, it’s all barter system, there's no cash being exchanged. So it's very beautiful. 

But at the same time, you know, the young people also then don't want to stay in the villages because they want to migrate to the towns because they want access to development. 

And often we get asked, as you are bringing development to these villages, aren't you spoiling this beautiful culture? Frankly, this culture will cease to exist if the development does nothing come to these communities. 

So our idea here at GHE is instead of getting the people to migrate to the development, can't the development migrate to these people? Can't these people continue to stay in their villages that they have stayed there for centuries? They have their own farmlands there, they are able to produce and grow their own food. 

And so if they are able to get all the access to developmental resources by being in the village, they will not have any reason to migrate to the town. That will also ensure that the culture and heritage of these communities is preserved. And it's a beautiful culture. 

The men wear gonchas, as we call it, during the traditional dance, the women have piraks with turquoise stones. And they look so beautiful in their traditional attire. And they are very warm, very welcoming communities. 

And I hope through this small note, I've been able to take you to a brief glimpse of how village in the Himalayas looks like.

[14:29] Jennifer: Jaideep, is it difficult for you to come back from that experience, back to today's divisive world? I'm just curious.

[14:38] Jaideep: Yeah. In the initial, there was always this sort of question in my mind that there is one part of the world that I see that has access to everything, and there's one part that does not. 

But I think that question in my mind has now resolved to more of it being converted into action, because nobody in today's day and age wants to live a life that these communities are living. 

Many of them, like I said, the young people want to migrate, they want to move to the towns, they don't want this hardship. And so the idea has always been to bridge this gap, while ensuring that they continue to maintain their heritage and tradition.

So that doubt always came in my mind that there are these two worlds that I see, but I also understand everyone has a different perspective. Some people like making money, feel free to do that; some people maybe are good at cooking, so they want to be a chef; someone wants to be a musician. Everyone has their own passion and ambition, so who am I to decide what career choice is right or wrong?

Being a social entrepreneur is something that has worked out for me, and I'm happy with the work I'm doing. But I also realized that had I continued to stay with P&G and maybe worked on sustainability projects within the company, I might have (had) a much larger impact. 

But what I feel is that there is a path that I've taken where it's about really being able to work for a meaningful cause and also create meaningful opportunities for these communities.

And at the same time, being content that I have certain privileges, I'm not ashamed of it, but how can I use those privileges to create an impact that is at a larger scale, going to ultimately benefit someone.

[16:07] Jennifer: And I want to go back to maybe some of the early days of GHE Impact Ventures. What challenges did you face in the early days, just starting from scratch and trying to reach those remote villages? 

[16:20] Jaideep: I think the initial days were challenging in the sense that we had to go to a lot of areas, and that meant trekking. I mean, there were days when we ended up trekking 40-50 km in a day, because there was no other place to stay in between. 

But, you know, it was always so exciting because every time you used to visit a village, the villagers would welcome you with open arms, they will offer you food and tea. And in return, they're not even expecting anything, and that's how these communities are. 

The idea was always that if you're developing a solution, first you need to understand the community. So getting a sense living with them, staying with them, understanding their problems, because then only can you design a solution. Otherwise, it will feel something that you have imposed upon them. 

And so that initial bit was really imperative in the first couple of years to go to these villages, understand their problems, mobilize the communities, hold stakeholder meetings, understand what kind of design solutions. 

So it was co-creating a solution of impact with these communities, whether it was around bringing energy to these villages, education access, or improving the healthcare, or creating livelihood opportunities. 

And I think some of the best conversations I've had are on these treks to the villages with local people, with Paras, and with, of course, so many other people that we ended up meeting.

And then the other part was also financing. You might have done the surveys, you might have everything ready, but how do you get financing? Because these are not pay-as-you-go models in the sense that it's not like I can take a loan and they'll pay me back the money because they are not financially well off. 

And so it was about creating this narrative and story and reaching out to people. And so, couple of things really helped. Being at Davos in 2016, as part of the 50 Global Shapers that were invited representing the youth voice, so I was able to fundraise more than $500,000 by talking to all the world leaders there and showing the kind of impact we are creating back in the Himalayas.

And so that was really transformational to believe that, a) that if you go out there and if you have a compelling story with a sustainable impact, people are ready to assist in whatever way they can, and b) that transformation is possible. That once you have the financing, then putting in the right models of sustainability, so ensuring that the communities are trained, that it's not just us going and installing something. 

We first empower the communities, so educating so many young men and women as solar engineers, as homestay entrepreneurs, as entrepreneurs on handicrafts, and so putting all those value chains together. 

And then also, the idea that making something happen takes time, being patient about it. And so there were times that we would go visit so many villages, the villages also start having an expectation. So being able to meet those expectations, being able to channelize all those energies, to really create an impact. 

In the initial years, it was tough, but I think those years were really formative to lay down the narrative of how we are going to grow GHE, how is scale going to look like. Do we want to achieve a fast pace of scale? Or do we want to achieve much deeper impact on these communities? And we chose the latter. 

So we wanted to go deeper in terms of impact rather than scaling up with just one vertical. And so that's where we came up with energy, health, education, livelihood, clean cooking - now we are looking at afforestation projects. And so really bringing all the narratives together and creating a comprehensive model for rural development for these communities. 

And I think sometimes once you set on a path, the cosmos also conspires. So, you know, getting the right people in, getting the right partners, getting the right stakeholders, and like I said, the community, they are the most critical part of it. 

Every single community that we have gone to, whether it's in the Himalayas or in Nepal, we've always overwhelmingly received a warm response. And the idea (is) that the communities also want to be a part of this development journey.

[20:12] Jennifer: And in working with those communities, what lessons have you learned from them?

[20:16] Jaideep: I think that there is nothing better than having a local community champion empowered, because the passion and dedication that they have to bring development to their own communities is just unparalleled. I'll share a couple of stories - the story that comes to my mind is one of our local entrepreneurs. 

So we were in a village, we had electrified the village, and we were moving to the monastery. There was a monastery, a Buddhist monastery, which was very spiritual to this village, where they also needed solar lights. 

So we were going to this monastery, which was on a hill. But there was one wire bundle missing, which what happened was when the horses were crossing the mountain pass, one of the horses had dropped it.

Now we could not finish the wiring, and we could not power up the monastery, which meant that we could not also power up the village, because the villagers would not accept that unless and until the monastery is not electrified, we cannot start the electrification of the village. 

So this person rode the horse the entire night, changed two horses, reached the roadhead the next morning, called from the satellite phone, got a wire bundle and rode all the way back and reached us the next night. 

So for almost 48 hours, this person had not slept. Why? Because he wanted to ensure that the wire bundle comes in time for an auspicious day so that the monastery can be electrified. I mean, who does that? What is the motivation? So, when I see these things, I try to understand what is driving them. 

For a lot of us, it's maybe that message that we get at the end of the month, right? The salary has been credited. There was no motivation like this here. For some of us, it could be being featured in a newspaper or being talked about at work. There was nothing like that at place. 

But what was driving this person to go 48 hours on horses across the Himalayan valleys to bring a piece of wire bundle? And that is the kind of intrinsic motivation that these people have, the fact that they were able to achieve something for their own community. 

A couple of months back in the northeast part of India, there's monsoons, there's jungles, there is no roads. And these three people, they walk for 30 km, just go to one house to ensure that the house has been repaired because there was some problem. 

Walking 30 km just to reach one house, that's commitment. And that self-belief, that power of being able to drive change in their own communities is something that I continue to be astonished each and everyday as I see these examples.

[22:39] Jennifer: If we can carry forward that spirit and work on climate action with that spirit, then I feel very hopeful. I hope that we will continue to find these stories not just in the Himalayan communities, but also elsewhere in the world. So thank you for sharing that. 

You had mentioned about bringing other sustainable development to the local villages, like healthcare, education, but I know that you're also expanding into the jungles of India. Can you tell us a little bit about that expansion?

[23:11] Jaideep: Yeah. And so it's been ten years now of bringing development to the remote corners of India. And so now we are operational in not just the northern part of India, in the Himalayas, but also in the northeast part of India, in the jungles. 

So initially we began with just electrifying villages. Now we have expanded, like I said, to six broad verticals. We have energy access that continues to be there, where we are not just electrifying villages, but bringing in clean energy solutions, such as clean cooking for these communities, solar water heaters, rocket stoves, so that there is a complete energy transition towards energy efficiency and also being able to empower them with clean energy sources.

The next vertical that we have is on education, where we are setting up solar-powered computer labs for the students and also not be limited by the textbooks that they have. I mean, frankly, who are these mountains or jungles to decide which child should have access and which child should not have? If we have the technology that can bring these students at par with the rest of their counterparts in Delhi or Mumbai, then why not? 

The third vertical that we have is around healthcare, where we are upgrading healthcare institutions with solar power and also installing medical care equipment. And these health centers primarily cater to maternal and infant care.

And what we have observed is just by bringing in these simple technologies, such as baby warmers, vaccine coolers, baby resistication kits and lab refrigerators, we are able to bring down the infant mortality by 60%, just because now these hospitals have access to power with the solar setup and also modern medical equipments. 

And then the fourth vertical that we have is around value chains, around livelihood, where we are promoting Pashmina or cashmere, as they call it. So training the woman on weaving, not just extracting the wool because there is no value addition there. And they get much more money for the selling of woven goods. Then around Eri Silk, which is in the northeast part of India. 

And then also around homestay-based tourism. So what we are essentially doing is in these villages, we are training the communities to set up homestay-based tourism so that they can welcome future travelers and also promote the agenda on sustainable and regenerative tourism. So that when these travelers reach these villages, they have a minimal carbon footprint and a minimal impact on the destination that they are visiting.

And now one of the last things that we are also doing is around afforestation, where in the northeast part of India, we are looking at sacred forest areas which have been degraded and to restore those sacred forests through afforestation projects and also putting in fruit bearing trees so the communities don't have to now cut forest for their livelihood, but they can use those fruit bearing trees to create livelihood and income and thereby save the forest and also grow the forest as well. 

So for the first phase, we are doing a pilot where around a million trees over the next three years, and then the plan is to scale up these projects. So these are the broad verticals where we are operating. 

And as we do that, we still continue to do those expeditions that we initially began with.So where we partner with both corporates as well as high schools where the students or the employees from these companies, they join us on these leadership treks for a week to ten days, where we take them to these villages with us and they get to experience hands-on and implement these clean energy projects with the communities and really leave behind a legacy of their visit. 

[26:28] Jennifer: That's fantastic. The way that you talk about your work, it makes me want to go. (chuckles) And I saw on your website that there's actually two couple expeditions coming up. 

I'm curious, since you've been to the remotest corners of India, do you have a favorite place that you like to return to?

[26:45] Jaideep: I mean, it's like apples and oranges, essentially, because every place is so unique. Every place has such a unique character. 

So while the Himalayas, the warmth and the hospitality of the people is amazing, but in the northeast, the simplicity is so beautiful, and the kind of terrain that they live in is just so rich with green trees, with fruits. You know, you can just go pick anything from the tree and eat it, which you can't do in the Himalayas. 

So I think it's totally different terrains, totally different set of people, totally different languages, but very pure, very genuine at heart. And I think that's what really binds these communities together.

[27:22] Jennifer: So it's been almost a decade, coming from just doing impact expeditions and then scaling that into six different verticals in total, what has been your greatest challenge and how did you overcome that?

[27:35] Jaideep: So I think the greatest challenge has been two things. 

One is, of course, reaching out to these remote areas because it's not easy. A) the language is a barrier, the distances are a barrier. And so just reaching out to these remote corners has been a huge challenge. 

And once you're there, once you have built your rapport, once you make the communities understand why you're there, then the work becomes easier. But to bring that initial credibility takes a lot of challenge, and it's a barrier that you have to burst. 

And the other thing also is around ensuring that the models are sustainable. Now, if I tell you that a health center has been solar-powered, what happens if the system goes down? Who is the local person who can be trained to repair these grids? So focusing on training and capacity development as well, because you need people who can understand technology and who can repair and maintain. 

And unfortunately, the people in these areas from the villages that we work with, they are not very educated. I also have realized that education does not become a barrier in the way of learning because we've had 7th grade fail people who are now some of our best solar engineers. And one of them has been featured by BBC as one of the top 50 solar trainers of the world.

And so that's so amazing to see the learning capacity that these young men and women have to really achieve something for their communities and the sense of pride that they have. So it's really about finding the right talent within these communities, empowering them with the right tools, resources, knowledge, and then creating models for sustainability. 

And so that becomes really critical as we scale up our work, because that means putting more and more trust on the local community to be able to maintain the existing infrastructure and install new infrastructure. And so it's really about empowering them with tools and with the right education and the right skills so that they can then be the force of change within their communities. 

And, you know, it's about passing on the baton, so they now are the flag bearers of GHE. I mean, I or Paras are not the face of GHE in these communities. Our local people like Wittersen, who's been our champion in the northeast part of India, people know him, he is GHE for them, not us.

[29:46] Jennifer: And so, switching gear a little bit, you've been attending the Villars Symposium for the last three years since the beginning, I want to know what have been your key takeaways? 

[29:56] Jaideep: I think what the Villars Institute is doing with the Lee (Howell)'s leadership is just amazing because they are getting all these brilliant students, brilliant minds, together for two to three days to brainstorm on a wide variety of problems and also look at systemic thinking when it comes to developing solutions. 

And there's a lot that I, going there, also learn from the students, so it's a two-way street. And even when we work with the communities, we never say that we are helping these communities. It's a two-way street where we are enabling these communities with technology, and in return, we are taking back that sense of gratification and happiness that we are able to do something and we are able to move the needle on sustainability.

And similarly with these students, if I am able to go in there and talk about my experiences as a social entrepreneur of building a business in India, serving the remote communities, and serving the underprivileged, with that experience, I am able to share with the students, but also I am able to get back ideas from the students. 

I also am able to understand their thought processes. So you might have someone coming from Africa or from South America, they also end up facing similar situations, where they say, how can I develop solutions for them? So it's so great to see at 14-16 year olds are now thinking of solutions - that thinking mindset, the action mindset is coming.

It's not just about, oh, this climate change is not my problem, somebody else will do it. They realize it's a collective problem. We all need to think about it. We all need to take action. 

And so the beauty of the Villars Symposium is the action-oriented mindset that the students come with and the learning that they get, the different experts that they can talk to. 

But most importantly, I think the idea that I come back energized that a) there is hope that the young generation is really geared up to do something, and they are looking for inspiration, and they're looking for ideas. They're looking for ways to bring development back to their own communities.

And that's so inspiring to see, and kudos to Lee and the entire team at Villars for building this.

[31:48] Jennifer: And when you talk to these kids, do they have any eco-anxiety at all, or are they more action-oriented?

[31:55] Jaideep: I think there was a beautiful session this time “from eco-anxiety to eco-ambition”. And that is what we are trying to do there. 

You know, the idea is that it's okay to be anxious. Yes, there is a lot of anxiety, but you can't just sit on that anxiety and do nothing about it. I mean, I love the Nike slogan, just do it. You know, you might have a lot of ideas, you need to go out there and do it. 

And it all starts from yourself. So if you have to change, you have to first change yourself. If you are worried about plastic consumption, look at your own plastic consumption. Can you reduce your own consumption? Then influence your friends and families, then increase your sphere of influence. Can you influence the local community?

I believe if you do the math, if there are 8 billion people on the planet, even if 1 billion people do the right thing and can influence seven to eight more people, that's the whole globe covered in terms of positive affirmative action. 

And that's what I see with these Villars Fellows, is that they are there because they want ideas to take action. So it's about getting to know the data, getting to know some solutions, and then co-creating solutions to create impact.

[32:56] Jennifer: And I understand you're also looking forward to bringing some of these Villars Fellows back to India with you on some of the impact expeditions.

[33:04] Jaideep: Yeah, hopefully. I mean, if it works out, the idea is to create an academy program where the Villars Fellows then come on these trips on the ground and implement their systemic learning. 

What does it mean to bring development to a community where you don't understand the language, but technology can be a common barrier. And so it's really about putting them in an uncomfortable situation in a different culture, different setting, but where you realize that the heart and the intention are the same on both sides.

So it's just beautiful to see that transition where when we do this with a couple of high schools where the students come in on the first day, they are very anxious that, okay, how will we do it? And on the last day, they just don't want to go back from the village.

[33:44] Jennifer: Yeah, I can imagine. And for those interested listeners out there, how can they support you?

[33:51] Jaideep: I think it's not just about supporting us. I firmly believe that if you can support the planet and the future generations, there's nothing better that you can do. 

And, you know, to all the listeners of this podcast, you might be working in a corporate, you might have your own business, you might be a chef, musician, artist, or whatever you are, how can you ensure that our planet is more sustainable? How can you leave behind an Earth for the future generations? And because that's the best that you can do. 

It's about really understanding your sphere of influence and then impacting and enabling change within that sphere of influence. And you need to do that because it's imperative, because if our generation does not do it, then there's nothing that we are leaving behind for our future generations.

And there is always ways that you can move the needle on sustainability and climate action. So you might have ideas, go out there and implement it. That's the best you can do, and that's the way you can support us. Because if all of us start working on our own individual actions, then there's nothing better than that.

[34:47] Jennifer: Wonderful. And last but not least, what does the founder spirit mean to you?

[34:51] Jaideep: I think the founder spirit really is a spirit of enterprise. It is about a spirit of giving, and it is about a spirit of creating impact. It is about moving away from I, me, myself, to us, to a collective. And, it's about thinking about others as you think about yourself, as you think about your family. 

And that's really the founder spirit, that how can you serve people, how can you lead people, and how can you ensure that you are working for the betterment of humanity. That is what this founder spirit is to me.

[35:23] Jennifer: That's beautiful, thank you so much. 

We're now coming to the end of our interview, and as you know, we end every episode with a quote. And for this episode, we have a quote from Robert Swan, the first person in history to walk to both the North and South Poles:

‍“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.” 

So Jaideep, thank you so much for coming on the podcast today and telling us stories and adventures from the Himalaya mountains in India. Thank you so much.

[35:53] Jaideep: Thank you, Jennifer, for having me. It was an absolute pleasure.

[35:56] Jennifer: If this podcast has been beneficial or valuable to you, feel free to become a patron and support us on Patreon.com, that is P-A-T-R-E-O-N.com/TheFounderSpirit. 

As always, you can find us on Apple, Amazon and Spotify, as well as social media and our website at TheFounderSpirit.com. 

The Founder Spirit podcast is a partner of the Villars Institute, a nonprofit foundation focused on accelerating the transition to a net-zero economy and restoring planetary health. 

[36:31] END OF AUDIO