Ocean plastic pollution is one of the most visible and urgent environmental challenges of our time. Join Vidya Venkataramanan, an expert in environmental sustainability and public health, for a conversation on how we can move beyond cleanup to systemic solutions that bring us one step closer to realizing a zero-waste world.

Drawing from her leadership on USAID’s Save Our Seas Initiative and global waste management programs, Vidya will share lessons learned from designing and implementing large-scale plastic pollution strategies across Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. We'll explore the role of social and behavior change, data-driven policy reforms, and cross-sector collaboration in reducing single-use plastics, improving waste management systems, and protecting coastal and marine ecosystems.

Who should attend:

Ocean advocates, circular economy and zero waste professionals, policymakers, development practitioners, behavioral scientists, and anyone working to address plastic pollution at scale.

Speaker Bio:

Vidya Venkataramanan was most recently an Environment Officer at USAID focusing on ocean plastic pollution and the urban environment, where she designed and managed international programs to prevent the flow of plastics into the environment.

As a public health and environmental social scientist, she has spent the past 15+ years working on interdisciplinary topics across the circular economy, water security and sanitation, urban environmental sustainability, and infectious diseases. She has a PhD in Environmental Science and Engineering, a Masters in Public Health and Bachelor’s in International Relations.

Join us for a session with Ikarus Janzen, Chief Commercial Officer and Co-Founder of Varaha, Asia’s leading carbon removal company. 

From closing the world’s largest biochar deal with Google to forging high-impact partnerships and pioneering climate tech investments, Ikarus brings a rare blend of commercial strategy and deep sector insight. He’ll share Varaha’s story, lessons from scaling climate solutions across emerging markets, and what it takes to build trust and value in the carbon removal space.

Ideal for anyone curious about the future of carbon markets, climate tech entrepreneurship, and building in the Global South.