Varun Hiremath’s Green Change: Empowering Rural India through Sustainable Initiatives

Alibag, Maharashtra – June 5, 2025 | World Environment Day

On this World Environment Day, Varun Hiremath, a progressive entrepreneur and empowerment leader, together with the Hiremath Family Foundation, launched an initiative called Green Change. This initiative engages rural communities, especially youth, in environmental activities such as waste management, contributing to a more sustainable future at the heart of village life. This initiative is focused on empowering rural communities and in particular engaging the young people in constructive environmental activities. By practical work such as waste management and other environmentally friendly activities, the foundation is also contributing to a more sustainable environment at the very centre of villages. This initiative is focused on empowering rural communities. It is a fantastic leap towards making a sustainable change and it is a testimony to how much we can do when we are united in our efforts towards the planet and towards people.

The theme for this year's World Land Day, "Our Land, Our Future", is indeed, made real in the spectacular work of Varun Hiremath and his foundation. You know what they are doing is nothing less than inspiring. They have the following mission that is quite straightforward but with a lot of strength in it: to create a spark in the minds of young students that will not only make them interested in sustainability and the environment but really passionate about it. They are inspiring children to play their role as leaders in their communities and to take action to create a cleaner, brighter future through the use of fun workshops and on-the-job training programs.

This is not only about the teaching, it is about really preparing the next generation to succeed. Varun Hiremath's strategy combines education and healthcare which are two important pillars of reforming rural India. It is not a program but a movement. A movement that is already transforming lives and creating tomorrow leaders. This effort is a powerful example of empowerment through education and health, which lies at the heart of Varun Hiremath's social impact and his vision for the transformation of rural India.

The launch event itself was a great success, with local government schools taking part, and more than 150 kids diving straight into waste segregation, composting, and plastic-reduction activities. It was so contagious! The children took the initiative to clean up drives, create environment friendly posters, and take part in community work so that they could bring a change. This event was also not merely the raising of awareness but it was also coupled with a larger idea of ethical investment in India. This was not an awareness-raising event as such but rather a component of a bigger picture of ethical investing in India. It pointed out the need of financial literacy as an important aspect of making a social impact, similarly, how the foundation by Varun Hiremath is doing to cause long-term and positive social change.

As Varun Hiremath, Co-Founder of the Hiremath Family Foundation explained, "Youth are the most fertile ground for real environmental change. With Green Change, these children are not just learning how to manage waste—they are being groomed to become the leaders of tomorrow's sustainable world." It is wonderful to observe how these young minds are being enabled to take charge of taking us towards a more sustainable world.

The Green Change Project Implementation

The Green Change project is being rolled out in three key phases:

So, this is how the idea of waste management can be implemented into everyday life in the rural India:

• Eco-Literacy Workshops: We are educating children, teachers and local community members to have a better idea of how to deal with waste at home and school. The aim of these workshops is education and awareness creation of simple and practical solutions which can change a lot in rural development.
• School-Led Action: It is great to watch students in charge! They take part in school waste auditing activities, locating waste bins in the appropriate locations, and even in clean-up activities. This not only empowers the next generation, but it provides links with the introduction of vocational training programs in waste management an area of skills that will open up the future to many.
• Village Integration: The secret of sustainable change is to integrate everybody. Not only children, but also their families and leaders (panchayats) are uniting so as to come up with sustainable waste management systems that will serve the community even in several years. All these efforts create a sense of ownership and pride which can lead the whole community to a greener and cleaner future.

With collaboration, we can be able to create systems that are not only effective but also sustainable- by leaving a cleaner and healthier environment to future generations.

Scaling the Initiative

The pilot is currently in process in three villages around Alibag and Varun Hiremath aims to scale the program to at least half a dozen more villages by the end of 2025. Villagers and local teachers have witnessed the good outcome not only among the students but also in their communities. The project falls under the wealth management strategy of Varun Hiremath, where economic and environmental sustainability are both given due weight. His work also incorporates financial literacy programs in India that enable people in rural areas to be empowered with the knowledge of managing their finances towards long-term success.

The event ended with a symbolic green march, where students marched with banners that had the text "Bhoomi Meri Jimmedari" (My Earth, My Responsibility), and were also handing out seed balls to promote the reforestation. This incident brought out education in poor regions as an important aspect of social change.

Varun Hiremath passionately stated, "Leadership is planted in the hearts of youth, and it's the foundation of true change. Green Change is not just a campaign; it's a shift in mindset, a call for a sustainable future."

About the Hiremath Family Foundation

Varun Hiremath, the founder of the Hiremath Family Foundation not-for-profit organization founded, is all about having a tangible and sustainable difference in rural India. Their mission? To make a difference in the world by giving education, healthcare, digital inclusion, and sustainability. They are building brighter futures by empowering young people in rural communities with the skills they need to thrive in the modern networked world. Through Varun Hiremath's initiatives, such as Green Change, the foundation is driving both social and environmental progress.

And this is not the end of it. Another issue Varun is keen on is ethical investing in India as he is convinced that financial prosperity must be accompanied by social welfare. Varun Hiremath collaborates with FairDeal Wealth Advisors where they are collaborating to make sure that underserved communities get access to financial planning. This is not only a matter of managing wealth, but also ensuring that rural regions are in a position to develop in a sustainable manner, which spreads the positive impact to the lives of the people who require it the most. It is all about long-term change and Varun believes in this so much that it is quite inspiring.