Natasha Zarine Is On A Mission To Bridge Environmental Restoration & Social Equity

With rapid urbanisation, the strain on natural resources and public infrastructure has burgeoned, driving environmental degradation that, in turn, exacerbates social inequities. Addressing these intertwined issues calls for innovative and sustainable solutions that not only restore ecosystems but also uplift communities. SheThePeople, in collaboration with Women Climate Collective, is bringing forth stories of leaders who are part of these solutions. One leader who is spearheading this integrative approach is Natasha Zarine, the co-founder and managing director of EcoSattva Environmental Solutions and The Center for Applied Research and Peoples' Engagement.

In an interview with SheThePeople, Zarine spoke about her passion for socio-environmental development and the vital role of women in climate action. She is a part of the Women Climate Collective, a platform dedicated to developing leadership and empowering women in the climate and gender equity spaces across India.

Natasha Zarine: Excerpt From The Interview

Can you please tell me about yourself and how you got into the socio-environment and civic development sector?

I’ve been working in the socio-environmental and civic development sectors for over 11 years, but my connection to climate action and social justice started much earlier. Growing up, I was exposed to both socioeconomic disparities and gender-based violence, which deeply influenced my worldview and ignited a passion for addressing systemic inequalities. My time living on a farm brought me closer to nature, heightening my awareness of environmental injustices. These formative experiences shaped my career, leading me to focus on the intersection of social and environmental challenges.

My academic journey reflects this intersection. I pursued a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Jai Hind College, followed by a Law degree (LLB) from Government Law College, Mumbai. These experiences provided me with an understanding of human behaviour and legal frameworks, which have been invaluable in designing solutions that are both inclusive and systemic. Later, I had the privilege of joining the Young India Fellowship and the Acumen Fellowship, where I honed my leadership skills and deepened my commitment to driving sustainable change.

My career in environmental conservation began as a resident naturalist in the Andaman Islands, where I worked with the Andaman Nicobar Environment Team (ANET), assisting researchers in identifying canopy fauna. However, it was my co-founding of EcoSattva with Gauri Mirashi that allowed me to directly address the critical gaps we saw in India's waste management policies and their implementation. We recognized that while policies like the MSW Rules 2000 and 2016 were well-intentioned, local governments often struggled with expertise and capacity. Together, we built scalable, data-driven solutions that empower local self-governments to effectively tackle these challenges.

Today, as India generates over 150,000 metric tonnes of solid waste daily, our work is more critical than ever. Our nature-based solutions target not only environmental issues but also uplift marginalised communities. What drives me is the belief that those with the ability to act have a responsibility to do so. My personal journey, coupled with my educational background, has solidified my commitment to creating inclusive, sustainable change for both people and the planet.

What is the story behind EcoSattva?

The story behind EcoSattva began with a simple but profound observation: our cities are drowning in garbage, our rivers and lakes are polluted, and public spaces like parks and streets lack green cover. These are problems that people witness every day, but they often seem too big to tackle, so we’ve learned to ignore them. And Gauri and I asked ourselves - why do these problems persist?

Do we lack the necessary funding?

Do we lack policies?

Do we lack technology?

Or is it a matter of lacking willpower?

These were the questions that Gauri and I set out to explore. This pursuit led to the creation of EcoSattva — an organisation focused on restoring wetlands, managing waste, and building blue-green infrastructure to enhance climate resilience. We wanted to go beyond surface-level solutions and design interventions from the ground up that could not only address the environmental issues we saw around us but also transform cities, towns, and villages across geographies, inspiring real, lasting change.

We knew from the beginning that this work needed to be rooted in data-driven decision-making and the orchestration of ecosystems where nature-based solutions could thrive.

From your observations, what are some of the biggest environmental challenges that most towns and cities in the world are facing today? How do these impact the lives of indigenous communities? Do these socio-civic problems have particularly harmful impacts on women or minority groups?

Many of the environmental challenges facing towns and cities today are deeply connected to urbanisation, unscientific waste treatment, and mismanaged waste collection systems. Inadequate methods for collecting and segregating waste at the source lead to environmental degradation, such as air, water, and soil pollution, which negatively impacts everyone, though the impact is more severe for the most vulnerable groups.

One stark example is the 50 biggest active dumpsites in the world, which affect the daily lives of over 64 million people.

India is home to at least three of these massive dump sites, where some of the country’s poorest communities live in hazardous, makeshift homes near toxic waste. Waste pickers—about 4 million in India—routinely work in unsafe and degrading conditions, collecting materials from open dumps, and exposing themselves to deadly diseases and inhumane environments. This group, along with sanitation workers, often faces a lack of proper training, safety equipment, and basic dignity, making their lives and work highly precarious.

These conditions have particularly harsh impacts on women and minority groups. Women in marginalised communities, especially those in informal waste management roles, bear a disproportionate burden. They not only face health risks from unsafe working environments but also deal with social exclusion and gender-based discrimination.

Women often manage their families’ basic needs, such as sourcing water, food, and fuel. Environmental degradation, like water pollution or soil depletion, forces them to travel longer distances for these essentials, increasing their exposure to violence and limiting their educational or economic opportunities. Indigenous women experience these challenges in compounded ways due to both environmental injustice and cultural marginalisation.

How do you approach these problems? Please describe the role of collaborations with the government, the public, or other organisations in finding sustainable solutions.

Our key strategy is to build data-driven, nature-based solutions that work on the ground but are scalable across diverse geographies. This includes optimizing waste collection systems, using climate finance to support green infrastructure, and orchestrating ecosystems to sustain the restoration of degraded environments. These solutions only succeed through strong partnerships.

Government Partnerships: Collaborating with local governments is essential for the success of our projects. For example, our work on the Kham River Restoration Mission has required close coordination with municipal bodies to address solid waste management and water pollution issues. Government support in policy implementation and public infrastructure is critical to scaling our efforts. While funding remains a challenge, particularly in large-scale projects like sewage treatment and plastic waste management, our partnerships have enabled access to government programs and resources.

Private Sector Collaborations: Private funding has been a crucial driver of many of our initiatives. For instance, our partnership with the Varroc Foundation has helped us address over 110 garbage vulnerable points and restore large portions of riparian zones. However, private contributions alone are insufficient to meet the growing scale of our work, and we are constantly seeking additional funding sources. Collaborations with private industries also open doors to innovation in technology and the application of circular economy principles.

Community and Civil Society Engagement: Public participation is vital in ensuring that our solutions are long-lasting and resonate with the local context. We foster strong relationships with local communities, particularly marginalised groups such as waste pickers and women, ensuring they are part of the decision-making process. By integrating community art projects into our restoration work and engaging over 1 million citizens in waterfront events, we create a sense of ownership and pride in the restored spaces.

NGOs and Research Institutions: Collaborating with other non-profits and research bodies allows us to enhance the scientific rigour behind our nature-based solutions. For example, the Prakriti Research Fellowship, which provides seed funding for research projects across India, has allowed us to support innovative ideas that directly contribute to on-ground conservation work. These partnerships enable knowledge exchange and ensure that our interventions are informed by the latest scientific insights.

How has your experience been as a woman in climate leadership? Have any of your personal experiences as a woman influenced your climate action efforts? 

As a woman in climate leadership, my journey has been deeply shaped by both the opportunities and challenges that come with navigating traditionally male-dominated spaces. Leading a women-led organisation has given me an acute awareness of the gender dynamics at play in the environmental sector.

In many ways, my personal experiences as a woman have strengthened my resolve to fight for both social and environmental justice. Growing up, I witnessed socio-economic inequalities and gender-based violence, which instilled in me a deep desire to create change, not just in the environmental sphere but also for the marginalised communities, who are often most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

However, being a woman in leadership hasn’t been without its hurdles. At EcoSattva, we frequently encounter situations where our leadership is not taken seriously, particularly in early interactions with stakeholders. Whether it’s being dismissed for asking to reschedule an early morning meeting to accommodate childcare or hearing comments like "Please send an engineer who will understand this," we often face scepticism that stems from the skewed gender representation in leadership roles. Most of our counterparts, whether in government, corporate, or even technical teams, are men, which further compounds the underrepresentation of women in leadership.

On the ground, gender also plays a significant role in how public spaces are accessed. In our work restoring rivers and creating public spaces, we’ve seen that safety concerns disproportionately affect women, limiting their ability to fully utilize the green spaces we've created. This has deepened my commitment to ensure that our projects don’t just transform the environment but also address the social barriers that women and marginalised groups face. We design our spaces to be inclusive and accessible, ensuring that women feel safe and can participate in their communities.

How have support systems like Women's Climate Collective been helpful in your journey?

Support systems like the Women’s Climate Collective have been incredibly valuable in my journey, particularly in navigating the complexities of running a climate-focused organisation like EcoSattva from a Tier-2 city in India. Being based in a relatively smaller city presents unique challenges, such as staying connected to global environmental efforts and up-to-date on the latest advancements in climate action and waste management. Through platforms like the Women's Climate Collective, I have access to webinars, online resources, and a network of professionals that helps me bridge this gap. These virtual interactions provide insight into global best practices that I can adapt to our work in India.

One of the most impactful aspects of such organized networks has been the opportunity for potential partnerships and collaborative problem-solving, especially as we work to build climate-resilient communities. Being able to exchange ideas with other women navigating similar challenges has been invaluable in building resilience, both personally and professionally.

In addition, these interactions have given me the space to reassess our approach at EcoSattva. Stepping away from the day-to-day operations and engaging with a diverse set of peers helps sharpen my strategy and thinking. 

How has working in this space influenced you personally? Have you felt any change in your perspective or life since you embarked on this journey?

Working in the climate space has profoundly influenced me, not just professionally but also personally. When I first embarked on this journey, I was driven by the need to address the visible environmental degradation around me—polluted rivers, mounting waste, and disappearing green spaces. But over time, my perspective has deepened in ways I couldn’t have anticipated.

One of the most significant changes has been the way I now view problems as opportunities. Early in my career, the scale of environmental challenges often felt overwhelming, and it was easy to fall into a cycle of frustration. However, working on the ground, and seeing the small but meaningful transformations, has shifted that mindset. Whether it’s collaborating with local governments or working alongside marginalised communities, I’ve learned that change happens incrementally. 

On a personal level, working outdoors, in nature, has always brought a sense of calm and clarity. It grounds me, reminding me of the larger ecosystems we’re all part of and our interconnectedness. Spending time in restored wetlands or alongside community members working to clean up waste has reaffirmed my commitment to simplicity and living sustainably. My work has also strengthened my belief that empowering women and marginalised communities is central to solving environmental problems. Ultimately, this journey has reinforced my belief that privilege brings responsibility.