Ishita Khanna

Co founder, Ecosphere

The initiative

A group of friends who share a passion for the environment, the mountains and adventure initiated a project in Spiti in 2002 to address issues pertaining to economic empowerment, conservation and development, in the Spiti Valley. This humble beginning was the genesis of the social enterprise, Ecosphere which is a collaborative effort of the local community of Spiti and professionals from diverse backgrounds. Ecosphere's 'responsible eco-travel' initiative endeavours to make tourism profitable for the traveller, local community, their culture and the environment. The objective of the initiative is to develop unique and meaningful travel experiences and activities, link them to community livelihoods and conservation of culture and nature. Moreover all Ecosphere's trips are carbon neutral.

Ecosphere works on various issues that range from responsible eco-travel, the promotion and installation of renewable energy, promotion of traditional crops and organic practices, revival of art forms and their promotion, development of greenhouses that enable vegetables to grow even in the winter months, construction of solar passive houses to reduce fuelwood consumption and carbon emissions, as well as livelihood generation from indigenous plants such as the wonder berry Seabuckthorn that are ecologically very conducive for the area.

Through its various programs Ecosphere not only generates income for the local community from the various livelihood interventions it has initiated, it also channelises all its revenue back towards development and conservation activities mentioned above besides further capacity enhancement of the local community.

From a young age I was passionate about the environment and trekking. My various treks in the Himalayas brought in a great reverence for the mountains and nature and the harmonious yet delicate balance that exists between the two. The realisation of this fragile ecological balance and the dependence of various life forms on the sustenance of this balance became starkly evident during these excursions. A Masters degree in Social Work at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences exposed me to various development and conservation needs and issues. My interest in the mountains, their environment and the conservation of both led me to undertake the work that I do now.

The challenges

The journey has been far from smooth. Spiti's geographical isolation and poor communication infrastructure was one of the major bottlenecks in speeding up the works initiated. What would otherwise be achieved in a day or two in the city would take weeks and sometimes even months in Spiti. Spiti's extreme winter and dusty environs of a rugged back country make for a beautiful setting but a hard working environment. In the winter of 2003, while returning from Spiti, two of the founders met with a fatal accident in which one of them lost his life and the other was seriously injured. The void created by this event in our personal as well as professional lives was one of the most demanding times for the team and the organisation as a whole.

Women's Day message

In a rapidly emerging market driven consumerist society wreaked with issues of climate change, I feel it imperative to reflect on one's own actions and their impacts, especially those in the context of the environment. The travel industry while being a large revenue generator has a huge impact on the environment and is perhaps one of the largest polluters and emitters of carbon. I would urge all those in the travel industry and travellers to take the responsibility to reduce their impacts on the environment for a greener and more sustainable future. The Earth is like our Mother who nurtures us - let us respect and care for her like we would our mother.