Over the years, pollution has become a prominent topic across the United States. In Oregon, we not only face the same issues with air quality but see this spike each summer with the wildfires that ravage hundreds of acres. Without change, this pollution is bound to impact communities all over.
However, Romita Sekar decided to address this problem through her Cleantech Challenge innovation.
Romita Sekar is originally from India and came to Oregon four years ago. Sekar is a lawyer by training and has two years of corporate law experience under her belt. Now, Sekar has shifted her focus toward a Master’s in Finance and MBA dual degree at Portland State University.
“The main reason why I joined Portland State University is because it stands for sustainability and social responsibility. And ever since I saw the flyer of Cleantech for last year’s competition, I have been planning to be a part of it,” says Sekar.
For this year's Cleantech Challenge, Sekar plans to use her entrepreneurial spirit to create an impact on pollution experience across various communities.
“I’m working on creating a prototype which would try to capture all the carbon footprint emissions and all the captured carbon would be filtered and made into a final, which could be useful in different industries.” She adds by saying, “The industry I’m starting with is the cosmetics industry, making kohls, mascara, and other cosmetic products.”
For Sekar, the inspiration to capture carbon and bring about change was fueled by a couple of different reasons.
“There’s a lot of pollution in all the places, and back in India, where I held from, pollution is very huge in many cities. And the other thing is when the forest in Oregon happened, I saw the impact with my own eyes, and I experienced it and saw many people suffer because of that,” says Sekar.
While Sekar’s passion for creating impact has pushed her to embrace entrepreneurship and innovation, the journey hasn’t come without challenges.
“There is a part in the prototype where I have to filter the carbon, and I’m looking into how to make that step work. I’m trying different methods to go about it.”
Looking ahead, Sekar has kept an optimistic view of the outcome of the Cleantech Challenge.
“I hope to leave with making a lot of friends; I hope to leave with just honing all my skills. Not just my entrepreneurial skills, but also my leadership skills, my personality, and just being around a lot of inventors and innovators will help me build so many soft skills.”
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