Let’s Talk: Building a greener future with technology

Maya Hari describes herself as a technologist during the week and an urban farmer on the weekend. With more than 20 years of experience working in technology, Maya is combining her personal passion for sustainability with her illustrious tech background to lead climate-tech venture Terrascope.

Having made sustainability a lifetime goal, Maya shares more about how she is practising sustainability in her daily life and helping companies decarbonise for a net-zero future.

How did you begin your journey into climate technology?

I've spent the majority of my career working in technology companies across the world. In the last few years, I kept getting drawn into sustainability more and more, where I’d spend my weekdays and weekends obsessed with it, and decided that I should find a day job where I can bring these two different passions together.

Climate change is one of the largest existential challenges we face today, and I was drawn to Terrascope’s mission, which aims to help enterprises achieve net-zero through a data-driven approach. The platform helps companies to accurately measure and measure their emissions, which helps to improve accountability, and better chart their decarbonisation journey.

We heard you’ve partnered with Shopback to launch a community garden, and your house is built on sustainability principles. It’s very inspiring – as everyone knows that sustainable living is better for the planet, but don’t always practise it.

It didn’t happen overnight, but rather through a series of small changes. My own passion for urban farming started as a small effort at home. My daughter had come home from school, feeling helpless about the climate change situation. We decided to try growing our own food, and giving them away to our friends and the community. With #ShareTheGreen, we’re able to leverage ShopBack’s space to help working professionals learn how they can grow their own produce, and inspire them to do that at home. These are all small steps that go a long way in being more sustainable.

Are businesses doing enough in the fight against climate change?

We definitely have our work cut out ahead of us in getting businesses to adopt more sustainable business practices. It’s encouraging to see sustainability become top of mind in recent years. In my daily job, I interact with companies who are keen to reduce emissions, and what I’ve observed is that many tend to be stumped by where or how to start.

I’d advise these organisations to start by thinking how they measure their carbon footprint and what is causing these emissions, before identifying the relevant areas to take action. By having a broad goal, and breaking it down into smaller, measurable targets, this will make it easier to track progress to make continuous improvements.

Watch the video below to learn more about Maya’s experiences and insights on building a greener future:

Check out the other videos in the Igniting Conversations with Futurists of Singapore series. Hosted by Markus Schuster, Managing Director of Audi Singapore, the series celebrates the inspiring stories and aspirations of six local changemakers, and how they are creating a better future in their own ways.