When everyone around was just worried about spiraling fuel prices, Dhivik Reddy wanted to do something concrete about it.

An Electronics and Communications graduate, Dhivik, like everybody else, was bothered by the rising fuel prices and pollution levels in the city. That is why he started thinking about developing a vehicle which runs on electricity.

Dhivik Reddy designed his dream vehicle Go Green BOV (Battery Operated Vehicle) in 2007 as he wanted to make the automotive transport more green and more energy efficient. Go Green BOV is an electric two wheeler with zero fuel requirements, zero emissions, low maintenance needs and no noise pollution. The cost of the vehicle ranges between INR 28,000 and 48,000 depending on the model and one can travel 120 km on its fully charged battery. For every Go Green BOV sold, the company plants a sapling.

Dhivik’s business is doing very well as the demand for his vehicles has risen from 750 units in 2010-11 to 13,000 units in 2012-13. He has also received business queries from several other countries.

Preethi Sukumaran and Srinivas Krishnawamy are a couple and also business partners. Both worked in the corporate sector before deciding to quit and start a business of their own. Not an ordinary business but one related to environmental conservation.

In 2011 they started their own company, Krya Consumer Products. Their first product was Krya Natural Detergent Powder which uses locally available soap berries. It does such a good job washing clothes that in less than a year it has found thousands of loyal customers.

The enterprising couple is planning to develop a whole range of cosmetic products and also products for dish washing and laundry, all based on natural ingredients.

Vijay Sharma, a Bangalore based entrepreneur started his business as a manufacturer of trikes. Vijay was one day challenged by his friend to make cycles even more green than they already are and that’s how the concept of Bambike was created.

It took him three years to come up with an ideal bamboo bicycle design. He used bamboo coupled with hemp and raisin fibre to develop a strong frame. The cycle is manufactured manually to make the entire production process entirely green. The Nilgiri Hills Tours company helped him to further refine the design by supplying these cycles to tourists for cycling in the hills. The cyclists shared with Vijay observations and comments on the performance of his bamboo cycles, comparing the performance with that of conventional cycles. This helped him to improve the design still further. Even though the cost of "Bambike" is on a higher side it generated a lot of interest among European and American cycle lovers.

These young entrepreneurs are using their skills and capacities to develop innovative products and services for sustainable living. q