Rakesh Khatri, a documentary filmmaker by profession and an environmentalist at heart switched his full time career to Environment Conservation in 2008 committing himself to ecosystem conservation particularly in a pursuit to find a solution to the dwindling population of birds living around human population like sparrows, myna, robin etc. After multiple innovations and experimentations, he succeeded in creating a nest out of bamboo, cloth, jute, cotton among other thing which have an adoption rate of over 75%. As a result of this, the population of sparrows which was on a steep decline in 2008 is currently at a comfortable figure. In addition to this, he has also been driving multiple innovative projects supported by different corporates and institutions particularly aimed at invoking the thought and action towards environment, bio-diversity and ecosystem conservation.

Founder & Managing Trustee of Eco Roots Foundation, he has committed his life to stimulating young minds towards conservation of environment. For this, he was presented with the prestigious “The National Science Award 2020-21” by Ministry of Science & Technology, Govt of India for his work with children and starting a thought, a dialogue, and concrete efforts to protect the environment. Along with this, his work with children has found mention in Limca Book of World Records twice, once for doing 1,20,000 theatre workshops with children across the countries in 12 languages in 24 cities and once for conducting Water Workshops with over 2 lakhs girl children across the country in a span of 12 months. He is also an awardee of the Earth Day Star Network and IUCN International Membership along with Green Apple Award in the House of Commons, London. His work also finds mention in Class IV ICSE English Textbook in the form of a chapter.

Monika Kapoor, trustee of the organization is an MSW from Lucknow University and has a vast experience of working with educational institutions and NGOs. She has worked with multiple schools for almost 10 years and then worked with the Leprosy Mission Trust India as a fund Raising Officer for over 5 years. In 2012, with the inception of the organization, she committed herself to the aims and objectives of Eco Roots Foundation and has been instrumental in developing and managing the relationship with the schools for our programs across India. She has also been involved with our projects at the grassroots and have motivated women from the marginalized communities to become part of the projects and get impacted by the innovative work that we are doing in rural as well as semi-urban areas. She is also an Advisor with ‘The Roots’ an NGO headed by film personality Satish Kaushik.

She has also anchored and hosted many programs on environment with Delhi Doordarshan Kendra. She is currently a member of YWCA Nominating Committee and also serving Women Fellowship Christian Service as their Secretary.

A self-driven professional with over 6 years of experience of working as a tenured Voice & Accent/ Soft skills Trainer in the Corporate Sector, but from within, he is a NGO person always curious on ecosystem and biodiversity conservation and at a very young age, he has set himself as an Environment/Wild Life Expert/ Biodiversity Conservationist.

As an environmentalist, his specialty lies in disseminating subject matter related to environment/ wildlife to an audience of great complexity, from school children to Corporates. He also has extensive firsthand experience with rescue and rehabilitation of the wildlife and animals around us.

As a trustee of the Eco Roots Foundation, he has been doing Nature Trails for schools, colleges, corporate houses in and around Delhi- NCR since 2008 when he was still in school. He facilitates these nature trails in various sanctuaries and national parks. He has curated natural trails which are subject specific e.g. tree walks, bird watching, butterfly walks. He also conducts regular in-class workshops on multiple environmental subjects with big clients like High Commissions and Corporate houses. He also conducted a TTT for the Department of Botany, Uttrakhand wherein young adults were trained on how to be a nature guide/naturalist and how to conduct nature trails.

He is responsible for conceiving new ideas for projects on environmental conservation and has also been engaged with the projects on ground.

Nipun Kaushik, a National Law University alumnus, basically a lawyer by education and an environmentalist at heart, has been working with the NGO sector for over a decade now. He has worked on leadership roles in the likes of SOS Children’s Villages of India and Oxfam India other than supporting multiple grassroots organizations also being on their Board helping them both strategically and functionally. It is his absolute passion to translate his ideas into action that he engages with the school and college students and provoke thought and action amongst them.

In the last year itself that is 2020-21, he has interacted with over 200 schools and colleges across the country on e-waste management. He had been invited by the likes of IIT Kharagpur, DNLU-Jabalpur, CNLU-Patna, RMNLU-Lucknow and NLU-D, Delhi amongst many others to interact with the students on environmental conservation focusing on legal and action aspects of it.

As the Director- Operations & Partnerships at Eco Roots Foundation, he is responsible for building new associations and managing the current partnerships. He also manages the overall operations of the organization.

Shikha Shukla is the Project Manager and leads the Green Window Project supported by HCL Foundation. Her past has seen her associated as State Vice President for Women’s Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (WICCI) – Delhi Design Council. She is also Consultant Jagran New Media for Entertainment Podcast and Special Segments. She has been associated with Community Radio and has worked with projects of prestigious organisations like UNICEF / UNESCO / COMMUNITY RADIO ASSOCIATION / Ministry of Women & Child Development / Ministry of Health & Family Welfare / Election Commission of India / National Health Mission.

She has been instrumental in implementing the Green Window project and leading the project to success.

Manisha Katyal is a distinguished alumna of Maharashtra National Law University Mumbai, where she graduated with Constitutional Law. She then pursued a master’s degree with a focus on Criminal Law. Her contributions to legal research at the university have been remarkable, notably in nationwide projects such as ‘Revisiting Law and Policy of Prison Administration in India’, where she led a team of 900 researchers as the Project Convenor and Coordinator, resulting in the publication of four comprehensive volumes. Additionally, she played a key role in the research project ‘Suggestive Amendments in Criminal Law’ commissioned by the Ministry of Home Affairs, leading to the publication of two influential reports proposing amendments to various legislative frameworks. Her active involvement with the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission, particularly in compiling and publishing Annual Reports and Progress Reports for 2022 and 2023, highlights her commitment to human rights advocacy. Furthermore, she played a pivotal role in initiating the MBA Programme at Maharashtra National Law University Mumbai and serves as a publishing editor for the Arbitration and Corporate Law Review. Her marketing skills were honed through her leadership roles at the Centre for Research in Criminal Justice, the Justice ML Pendse Chair in Environmental Laws, and the Centre for Law and Management. Additionally, she conducted various nationwide programs in collaboration with national and international institutions under these centers, leading to the development and enhancement of the center’s reputation and impact.

Ranica is the force behind our marketing for the products that are part of the Eco Roots stable. Further when we concieved the “From Waste to Wealth” project, one of the challenges was how would we be able to create sustainable market linkages for the project.

Ranica who has been a social media and Digital Marketing Expert through her long career has build the sustainable market linkages due to which the women beneficiaries are able to have a sustainable income.

Vikram Singh is the Coordinator for the Jal Sparsh project for the state of Uttar Pradesh. He is responsible for all the activities of Jal Sparsh in UP and for the successful implementation of the project.

Vikram has been in the NGO sector working majorly for the Child & Women Rights as he was part of Meerut Childline before joining Eco Roots but he has had a strong willingness to work in the Livelihood space so when Jal Sparsh opportunity came by, he grabbed it with both hands.

Chhavi is dedicated to preserving the environment and protecting its priceless inhabitants. As a fervent supporter of the environment and animal welfare, she puts her enthusiasm into practical action to create a better, more sustainable future. All efforts are important, whether they are focused on protecting the environment, planting trees, or rescuing species. She has a strong passion for the outdoors and is dedicated to promoting harmony between people and the natural world. She wants to encourage people to walk with her on the path of environmental stewardship with the means of community involvement, activism, and education. She believes that the concept of coexistence is vanishing which has to be brought to attention as it is the way universe functions. She also believes that, we can not survive without one another, and everything that Mother Earth has produced and provided for us is here for a reason. She believes in collaboration and team work and she would usually say, “together, let’s make progress towards a cleaner environment by raising awareness, adopting eco-friendly products and utilising as few harmful substances as feasible for the ecosystem.”

Devi Vasundhara Bhasin is the Digital Media Coordinator at Eco Roots Foundation. With a background in Political Science (Honours) from Delhi University, she brings a dynamic perspective to her role. Devi Vasundhara believes that change is constant and can be steered by those who wield influence. Her journey in the realm of digital media includes roles at philanthropic organizations like SOUL NGO, BLOOD CONNECT (where she was recognized as the top performer of the month), and EARTHA society (serving as the Content Head for 2 years).

Devi’s work is a testament to her perseverance and diligence, reflecting her commitment to impactful communication. In her current role, she leverages major social media platforms to showcase the remarkable work of Eco Roots Foundation and engage with individuals who share similar passions. Her approach is driven by a desire to amplify the organization’s impact and inspire positive change in the community.

As our Digital Media Officer, Vineet plays a vital role in managing activities under the Harit Green Widow project supported by HCL Foundation. He oversees social media strategies and content creation, ensuring effective communication of our initiatives. Vineet also manages digital content related to Eco Roots Foundation’s activities, showcasing our commitment to environmental sustainability. 

Outside of work, Vineet enjoys content creation, traveling to new destinations, exploring new experiences and cultures, listening to soft music, and capturing the beauty of nature through photography.