Buddies - Sumathy Krishnan

Sumathy Krishnan

Consultant, founder - Sustainpath

MAIN SKILLS

Behaviour Change

ESG

Community Mobilisation

India

Singapore

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Sumathy's introduction

I am a social impact cum sustainability professional and a writer. I am driven by Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy that "the difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems". My work through my company Sustainpath is at the intersection of People, Planet and Profit – the Triple Bottom Line (TBL).

Top 3 pieces of advice to The Matcha Initiative (TMI) users ?

You can make a difference
It is possible to DO GOOD & DO WELL
We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children

How could you help TMI users ?

I help individuals, communities, institutions, and corporates to integrate sustainability into their lives and business. My areas of passion & expertise are:

Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) – How to ‘Do good & Do well’
Community projects around energy, water, waste management and green living
Training and capacity building on sustainability topics focusing on action
Curriculum / content curation around sustainability topics, and teaching

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Expertise in the following

What brought you to sustainability?

I was part of my apartment management committee and implemented various projects on waste management, composting, rain water harvesting, water recycling, and energy efficiency. My experience in creating a small but positive change in the apartment made me build a career in sustainability using my scientific training.

Which sustainable actions are you in charge of or have you implemented in your organisation?

I have conceptualized and implemented programs around SDG goals 5, 6, 7, 11, 12 and 13 through my NGO. I worked with mid to large corporates to design and run impactful CSR programs. I have experience in carbon credit projects through improved cook stoves. Our work on behavior change led energy conservation was selected as one of the best practices for sustainable lifestyle by the Government of India and was also published in a book on Behaviour Change for International Development.

At Singapore, my company Sustainpath provides services on:

Implementing support for S of ESG
Strategic CSR and Philanthropy to achieve ‘Do good and Do well’
Corporate – Civil society – Community liaisoning
Designing programs to advance SDG 11, 12 and 13 on Sustainable cities, Responsible Consumption and Climate Action.
Trainings, curriculum / content development around Sustainability topics focusing on action.

Which challenges did you meet and how did you overcome them?

‍Fund raising and self-sustainability is a challenge when it comes to sustainability projects. I tap into diverse sources of funds including CSR programs, Government grants, International aid agencies, and International foundations and also a self sustainaing model through income generation. ‍
Green gap – Motivating both funders / implementors / corporates and community to walk the talk on sustainability is a challenge. Targeted communication, actional practical steps and demonstration of impact help in bridging the green gap, ‍
Impact tracking: Through a professional approach starting with Theory of Change, Log frame analysis and measurable indicators, we can establish Return on Investment for Sustainabilty projects and CSR programs.

What are you most proud of?

Being nimble to adapt to the changing needs of society and the world.

Writing a book on build a professional and purposeful career in social impact space.