Kirtanya Lutchminarayan, 25, has been tackling neglected societal issues for as long as she can remember.
It’s hard to keep track of all the projects she’s involved in, especially in “Green” areas, such as representing South Africa at the World Student Environmental Summit in 2014. Lutchminarayan is the secretary-general of Green Shift Africa, an NGO which addresses issues of climate change, food, water and energy security on the African continent. She holds an Honours degree in Terrestrial Biology from the University of Cape Town.
She is also presently awaiting feedback on her Master’s thesis, which deals with kelp and climate change. When she’s not interning at WWF South Africa’s marine programme, she serves as an Earth Peace Warrior for Homey Impact. Homey Impact is a not-for-profit organisation that strives to inspire inclusive community environments.
Her role involves educating communities about environmental and mental health, as well as implementing food garden and pollution control projects. In 2016, she received the Eco-Logic Youth Bronze Award for her work with UCT Green Matter, Green Shift Africa, Green Campus Initiative and the Fossil Free UCT campaign.
She sums up her outlook perfectly when she says she is constantly driven by the quote, “If not me, who? If not now, when?”
|The hardest lesson I have ever learnt is to develop the courage to walk alone.|
