Have you seen the Untaught Side of Sustainability?

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My Sustainable Encounter with Mansi Kasliwal

by Albert Schiller

Why Education Must Be Part of the Climate Conversation

When we talk about sustainability, education rarely comes first. But after speaking with Mansi Kasliwal,

I think it should.

Mansi isn’t a sustainability professional in the conventional sense. She doesn’t work in carbon credits or climate science. She’s Vice President of Social Initiatives at BYJU’S, and she leads impact efforts that stretch across India, focusing on children in under-resourced communities. But what she’s really doing is helping build the foundations of sustainable thinking.

That sentence stuck with me. Not because it was complex, but because it was clear. We can’t expect people to live sustainably if they aren’t educated, if they don’t know how systems work, or how their choices affect the world. And more than that, if they don’t believe their choices matter.

Equity, Access, and the Real Roots of Change

Mansi’s daily work makes that belief possible. She coordinates partnerships with nonprofits, governments, and school systems. She helps bring quality digital content to schools that often lack buildings, let alone broadband. And she sees firsthand how sustainability isn’t just about materials or energy use—it’s also about equity.

What hit me hardest was that this isn’t just about underfunded schools. It’s about the entire logic of development. “There’s enough on the planet for everyone,” she said, “but it’s unequally distributed.” She’s not interested in corporate minimalism or lifestyle trends. She’s asking a more serious question: what do we really need and what can we give back?

This reframes sustainability not as a tech solution, but as a shift in perspective. One that starts with how we educate, who we invest in, and what kind of future we believe is possible. Mansi’s work helps build that future not through headlines, but through systems. And more importantly, through children who learn to imagine differently.

When I asked what advice she had, her answer was direct: “Understand the urgency.”

Most people still act like we have time. But the systems that shape behavior are already in place. If they don’t include everyone, they won’t sustain anyone. Mansi reminded me that sustainability isn’t just ecological, It’s educational. It’s cultural. It’s personal.

If you’re wondering what this means for your life, try starting here:

Mansi's work teaches us that sustainability is learned. And if we want a more conscious world, we have to start teaching for it, now.