SETU 2025 - Climate Change and Biodiversity

🌍✨ SETU 2025 | Little Scholars, Kashipur ✨🌍

Theme: Balancing Economic Growth and Environmental Protection

We are delighted to host SETU 2025 – a platform for knowledge, collaboration, and sustainable thinking. This year’s session brings together a panel of distinguished experts to inspire young minds and guide meaningful discussions.

👩‍🎓 Chief Guest:
Dr. Chong Shimray – Faculty Member, Department of Education in Science & Mathematics, NCERT, New Delhi.

🌟 Eminent Resource Persons:

🔹 Mr. Saurabh Popli – Associate Professor, School of Planning & Architecture, Bhopal
🔹 Mr. Amit Chawla – Architect, EDGE Expert
🔹 Ar. Dheeraj Annapureddy – Co-Founder, Pucca Local / FIEK
🔹 Prof. Vaibhav Bhamoriya – Assistant Professor & Area Chairperson, Economics
🔹 Ms. Bharti Chaturvedi – Writer & Environmentalist, Founder of Chintan
🔹 Ms. Aparna Rajgopal – Artist, Writer, Speaker, Agitator, Facilitator & Strategist

🗓 Date: 4th October 2025
⏰ Time: 10:00 am
📍 Venue: Little Scholars, Bhalla Farm, Pratappur, Kashipur

An opportunity to learn, reflect, and act towards a sustainable and equitable future. 🌱
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#SETU2025 #LittleScholarsKashipur #Sustainability #EconomicGrowth #EnvironmentalProtection #FutureLeaders #HolisticEducation #YouthForChange #KnowledgeSharing #EducationForSustainability

Photo Highlights

About SETU 2025

SETU 2025 (Social Enterprise Towards Unified Understanding and Undertaking) An initiative by Little Scholars, Kashipur

SETU, the social enterprise wing of Little Scholars, Kashipur, is an annual initiative that brings together students from schools across the region to explore, discuss, and act upon real-world issues linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The programme encourages students to think critically, collaborate meaningfully, and propose actionable solutions that reflect awareness, empathy, and innovation.

The Little Scholars Social Service Group has consistently strived to spread awareness on pressing issues. Over the years, SETU has explored diverse themes: Swachh Bharat (2015), Utopia (2016), Carbon Footprint (2017), Virtues (2018), Clearwater Revival (2019), Who Makes the City (2020), Streets for Me (2021), Sustainable Consumption & Production (2022), Sustainable Aqua (2023), and Climate Change & Biodiversity (2024). Each year, these efforts have been steps toward shaping informed and responsible citizens .

Theme of the Year : Sustainable Development (Balancing Economic Growth with Environmental Protection)

This year’s theme, based on SDGs 8 & 12, invites young minds to reflect on one of the most defining challenges of our time : how to pursue progress without compromising the planet. Through diverse activities and research-based exercises, students explored the delicate balance between human ambition and environmental responsibility.

Grades 6-8 Category: The Food-Water-Energy Nexus

At the heart of this year’s junior challenge lies the Energy–Water–Food Nexus , a concept that underscores how deeply these three essentials are intertwined. Each affects the other ; none can be sustained in isolation.

Participants in this category examined the patterns of food, water, and energy consumption in their localities and were tasked with designing modular household solutions that are adaptable by a typical Indian household, efficient, and eco-friendly. Their work reflected an understanding that sustainability begins at home, with awareness, creativity, and ● ● ● ● ● responsibility.

Grades 9-12 Category: The Three Streams of Sustainability

Senior participants engaged through three specialised streams, each addressing sustainability from a distinct yet interconnected lens:

Environmental Justice: Students authored policy-oriented articles proposing governance reforms to ensure fairness in access to food, water, energy, and environmental protection , framing sustainability as a matter of equity and rights. Empathetic

Economy: This stream encouraged students to think economically and ethically, proposing financial models and development frameworks that align economic growth with ecological balance. Their work aimed to show that empathy and economy can indeed coexist.

STEM for Sustainability: Participants designed conceptual and working models inspired by the idea of human energy as a renewable resource , connecting motion, innovation, and engineering solutions to practical sustainability challenges.

Workshops and Resource Sessions

To guide their research and development, participants attended a series of four online sessions led by eminent resource persons and field experts. These workshops introduced new perspectives on environmental policy, regenerative agriculture, and ecological design , helping students refine their approach and connect theory to practice.

The Finale (4th October 2025)

Based on their online submissions, top entries were shortlisted for the final presentations at Little Scholars, Kashipur.

In the Environmental Justice and Empathetic Economy streams, students presented their ideas through articles and panel discussions.
All the participants from the STEM and Grades 6–8 categories showcased their working models and modular solutions, turning ideas into tangible prototypes.

Each project was evaluated on originality, feasibility, community relevance, and impact. Beyond competition, SETU served as a collaborative platform where ideas, innovation, and integrity converged.

Teachers’ Online Session (Sustainability and Education)

On the final day, 4th October 2025, teachers from the participating schools across the region at Little Scholars, Kashipur attended a special online session dedicated to Sustainability and Education. The session was joined by Professor Anil Kumar Gupta, internationally acclaimed scholar, founder of the Honey Bee Network, and former Executive Vice Chair of the National Innovation Foundation (India). Known for his pioneering work in grassroots innovations and inclusive education, Professor Gupta shared profound insights on how sustainability can be woven into everyday teaching and learning.

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Each year, SETU reaffirms that meaningful change begins not with grand gestures, but with thoughtful steps — small actions that, together, shape a sustainable future.

Student Coordinators

LAKSHYA BISHT (CLASS11)

Swarnim Gairola, Student Coordinator of SETU 2025, has been & is a passionate youth leader dedicated to bridging innovation, social awareness, and real-world impact. He was involved in the organisation of multiple initiatives addressing pressing local and environmental issues under SETU. Swarnim has also presented SETU’s research findings and project outcomes to UADFC in front of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) and Harvard Sustainability Impact showcasing SETU’s commitment to driving meaningful community change through youth-led action and collaboration. His vision continues to guide SETU in building stronger connections between students, institutions, and society.

SNEHI AGARWAL (CLASS 10)

Snehi Agarwal is a distinguished sustainability leader and scholar, whose intellectual rigor and transformative passion are evidenced by her accolades as a Merit Holder in the International Sustainability Competition (TSL Berkshire England) and a Top 40 Finalist in Wipro EARTHIAN 2024. Her strategic acumen is demonstrated through a rapid ascent at SETU—from an engaged participant to the Event Coordinator—where she has masterfully progressed from grassroots immersion to hosting workshops, innovating sustainable aqua solutions, and now orchestrating strategic partnerships with esteemed organizations like Wipro and NSI. A recipient of the Paryavaran Prahari Samman (UK govt.) , she further leverages her powerful oratory skills to lead impactful initiatives like 'Experience the Purity of the Himalayas' and volunteered for Indian Red Cross Society thus, advocating for change in a sustainable range . Driven by an insatiable curiosity as an eternal learner and a performance-oriented leader, Snehi capable of advancing the most critical corporate sustainability and ESG objectives.

SUKHMAN SINGH SIDHU (CLASS 10)

Sukhman Singh Sidhu, Student Coordinator of SETU 2025, has played a defining role in shaping the initiative’s vision, structure & execution. Starting as a participant in SETU 2023, undertaking field studies on water sustainability, and later serving as Event Organiser in 2024, he went on to lead the planning and coordination of the 2025 edition. Keeping in mind his structured and thoughtful approach, he also guided birdwatching excursions from school under Wipro Earthian in association with the Nature Science Initiative and Nature Vidya, fostering awareness of avian biodiversity among students. His continued involvement reflects a strong commitment to experiential learning and community-based sustainability. He has worked for inclusive education through the Open Arms Project, has collaborated & coordinated with eminent resource persons, and has hosted webinars refining SETU’s framework. Sukhman has consistently linked learning with impact, and has also contributed to the school’s recognition at the Wipro Earthian Regional Awards.