Through the TEDx platform, Almitra Patel brings to light a relatively ignored problem of accumulated garbage that contributes to massive pollution in the environment. To tackle this crisis that is developing steadily, Patel talks at length about ‘bioremediation’- a bio mining process to manage untreated waste. She reminds her listeners of the threats that global warming presents and urges them to not remain passive agents but demand more from their community authorities to safeguard the environment.
Being encircled by science from a very young age, the curious Almitra Patel went on to become the first Indian woman engineer to graduate from MIT. She successfully headed a refractories firm for over 30 years after which her inclination shifted towards environmental issues and since 1991, she’s been an active self-taught garbologist. When she filed a countrywide PIL to enforce hygienic waste management and was appointed to a Supreme Court Committee for Solid Waste Management, it resulted in India’s first Municipal Waste Management Rules. There has been no stopping this woman ever since as she still works actively on this front to awaken the citizens of India towards eco-friendly living. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx