From overcoming tobacco addiction to reducing carbon footprint: top Social Stories of the week
Read the top picks from this week's SocialStory — at the intersection of sustainability, innovation, and healthcare.
This week, SocialStory interacted with 20-year-old Vinod, who shared his story of overcoming his tobacco addiction. Twenty-five-year-old Neeraj Kukreti also spoke about his struggles and how he achieved his dream of becoming a chef.
Read these and more such insightful stories this week in SocialStory.
This 25-year-old dreams of being a chef and having his restaurant
Neeraj Kukreti grew up in a farming family in the picturesque Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand. The youngest of three children, he lost his mother after a prolonged illness when he was young, and is reluctant to talk much about his childhood. He shares there were struggles, especially with his education.
“We grew up in a very remote area, and I had to travel a great distance every day to attend school as there was nothing near my village,” says 25-year-old Neeraj.
“I was forced to give up my education after Class 10 because the journey to school was just too long. I would have to travel three hours one way, and even the buses were not regular. So, I decided I would look for a job to bring in some income for the family. I moved to Rishikesh and began searching for a job,” he says.
His older brother found a job in Delhi, and his sister married and moved to Haridwar. Neeraj was nervous about whether he would find a job given his lack of education, but he was ready to try anything to get an income.
How 'Green Tech' companies can help in reducing the carbon footprint
Increased population and industrial and economic expansion play a considerable role in causing detrimental effects on the environment's health. A carbon footprint or the total greenhouse gases (CO2, CH4, CFCs, etc.), act as shields or blankets, trapping the heat in the atmosphere and warming up the earth.
Due to this, the earth's temperature is rising at an average rate of 0.18 °C per decade since 1981 and accelerating at an increased pace. The main culprit in this remains carbon dioxide (CO2). Global CO2 emission from fossil fuels and industry in 2019 was 36.7 billion metric tons and continues to break records.
Trees are the natural sink for CO2, and a single mature tree can store nearly 167 kg of CO2 per year. This makes the forests the second largest sink after oceans. Human-induced climate change, toxic acid rains, unavailability of clean air, and vigorous melting of glaciers are significant areas of concern arising from continuous loss of forest cover.
These five women entrepreneurs have made path-breaking innovations in healthcare
The role of science and technology is instrumental in improving India's healthcare. Advancements in technology are changing the face of healthcare across the world and are also creating opportunities for entrepreneurs.
At the forefront of this transformation are woman entrepreneurs who are embracing innovation and making important contributions to the healthcare sector.
We profile five women entrepreneurs in STEM, supported by the India Health Fund, who are catalysing change in the healthcare sector. They are leading their respective companies to ensure that these breakthrough technologies reach and benefit the last mile by getting entrenched in the public health system, thus making healthcare accessible, equitable, and affordable to even low-income populations.
[Survivor Series] I used to consume tobacco 20 times a day
I am Vinod (name changed), and I am a 20-year-old HSC student from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
I live with my family comprising of my mother, younger brother, and a sister. After my father passed away a few months ago, my family’s responsibilities fell on me. I had to leave my coaching classes, and I started working as a receptionist in a travel agency.
During this time, I first tried Gutkha (chewing tobacco) with my colleagues. Moreover, some of my friends were also consuming it, and I became addicted to it because of their influence.
Edited by Suman Singh