Richa Chadha and Harish Duhan talk about sustainable practicesNEW DELHI: Environmental responsibility, sustainable business practices and cleaner industrial growth were at the centre of two fireside conversations at the Times Internet Ecopreneur Awards 2026, where actor-producer Richa Chadha and South Eastern Coalfields Ltd (SECL) chairman-cum-managing director Harish Duhan spoke about the role of individuals, businesses and industry in advancing India's sustainability goals.Speaking during the first fireside chat, Richa Chadha said businesses can no longer afford to ignore climate change and environmental degradation. "Any business today that is not taking climate or waste into account will have to pay a price," she said, pointing to growing concerns around plastic pollution and water contamination.Reflecting on her childhood in Delhi, Chadha recalled the city's richer green cover and biodiversity, talking about how environmental degradation has affected clean air and water. "Clean air and clean water are not luxuries. These are actually a birthright," she said, adding that humans are "the only species making it difficult for other species to survive."Calling for greater public participation in sustainability efforts, Chadha said meaningful change often begins with small individual actions. She urged people to reduce their dependence on single-use plastics, adopt biodegradable alternatives and draw inspiration from traditional practices that respected nature. Further talking about how she does it herself, she said, "I do a lot of gardening. I grow some of my own food," she said, adding that Indian culture has long recognised the importance of protecting nature through traditions and beliefs centred around trees, rivers and other natural resources.Speaking about green entrepreneurship, Chadha said India is making significant progress through innovations such as bio-based materials and wider adoption of renewable energy. She encouraged businesses to integrate sustainability into their long-term strategies, saying nature itself offers lessons in resilience and adaptation.Expressing optimism about the younger generation, Chadha said, "Have grief that your city doesn't have breathable air. Grieve on it and then take action." She added that she has "a lot of hope from Gen Z" and urged people to "do what you can and do it now."The second fireside chat featured Harish Duhan, chairman-cum-managing director of South Eastern Coalfields Ltd, who outlined how the mining sector is incorporating sustainability into its operations while contributing to India's energy security.Speaking on the country's vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047, Duhan said sustainable mining begins with planning and continues through mine closure, environmental restoration and community rehabilitation.He said SECL adopts eco-friendly technologies throughout the mining lifecycle and undertakes plantation and land restoration alongside mining operations. Last year, the company carried out plantation across around 571 hectares, planting nearly 14-15 lakh saplings, he said.Duhan said the objective is to ensure that once mining operations conclude, reclaimed land is restored and repurposed in ways that continue generating livelihoods for surrounding communities.""The objective of sustainable mining is that when a mine closes, we hand the land back to the community in a greener condition," he said, adding that repurposing former mining sites helps ensure communities do not lose economic opportunities after mine closure.Responding to a question on global geopolitical uncertainties and energy security, Duhan said recent conflicts have reinforced the importance of domestic energy production, and it being a "wake up call", adding that SECL supplied around 14-15% additional coal to thermal power plants during the period to support the country's energy requirements.Duhan also highlighted ongoing efforts to convert coal into cleaner forms of energy through technologies such as coal gasification, saying government incentives are encouraging cleaner utilisation of the resource. ""We're converting coal into cleaner energy," he said. He maintained that coal would continue to play an important role in India's energy mix while cleaner mining practices and technological innovation improve sustainability.