Introduction
WSDM is the World Summit on Digester Management, a space where people working on waste, sanitation, and community-led sustainability come together to learn and share real ground stories. UCOST, the Uttarakhand Council for Science and Technology, hosted the summit to push conversations around climate action, low-cost tech, and village-level innovations.
I went because our work at Him Village Eprahari Foundation is directly tied to building a clean, zero-waste future for Himalayan villages. This was the right place to bring our model, learn from others, and see where we stand.
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About the Event
The summit focused on sustainable waste management, decentralised systems, and community-led solutions. It took place in Uttarakhand, organised by UCOST, with the purpose of bringing together practitioners, researchers, NGOs, and government teams who are solving real waste problems.
The vibe was simple: learn, share, network, and push better solutions for villages.
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Our Case Study
I presented our Zero-Waste Village Initiative from the Rajaji National Park belt, where 65 families were struggling with 13 dumping yards and multiple burning points.
We entered the village, spoke with the Sarpanch and the community, identified the burning spots, and started building a system that fits their daily life.
The model we presented:
- Segregation at source
- Door-to-door collection
- Composting for wet waste
- Upcycling and recycling channels
- Behaviour change as the backbone
- Strong youth leadership
It’s grassroots, low-cost, community-owned, and actually doable for Himalayan villages. That’s what made it stand out.
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Our Presentation Experience
Honestly, it felt good to be in a room where people genuinely listen. I spoke from my field experience, showed the real problem with simple photos, and explained how our model is working on the ground.
People connected with the story. A lot of folks came after the session to ask about community mobilisation and how we track impact. So overall, it was fun, slightly nerve-wracking, but mostly energising.
Key Learnings
A few things hit hard:
- Tech is useful, but community behaviour decides everything.
- Many villages across India face the same issues—burning, uncollected waste, no system.
- Decentralised composting is the future, especially for remote areas.
- Storytelling matters. When you speak from real fieldwork, people take it seriously.
- Collaboration between gov, NGOs, and communities is the only way out.
How This Aligns With Him Village’s Mission
Our mission is simple: zero-waste Himalayan villages.
This summit helped us share our model, test it against others, learn from experts, and bring new ideas back to our team. Everything we do awareness, youth leadership, waste systems, village mobilisation fits perfectly with the larger conversation at WSDM.
It showed that we’re not just dreaming big… we’re moving in the right direction.
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Conclusion
Attending WSDM with UCOST wasn’t just an event—it was a reminder that simple, community-led models can change entire villages.
If you want to explore more about how Him Village Eprahari is building zero-waste Himalayan villages, sustainable youth leadership, and climate-friendly innovations, check out our work.