Success stories Kevin Kung’s project Takachar turns unmanaged organic waste into charcoal briquettes as a replacement for domestic or industrial demand for coal, thereby managing waste more effectively, saving forests, creating local jobs, and reducing greenhouse emissions. After some circuitous explorations and iterative pilot projects, Takachar has hired two people and established key partnerships in Kenya in setting up the first franchise, as well as engaged stakeholders in India in a preliminary market study. In the next few months, Takachar will focus on scaling up from its current model, at the same time as designing a more commercial charcoal technology with the support of the MIT/TATA Center for Technology and Design. Kevin Kung Takachar www.takachar.blogspot.com 34 InnovationSpace: Young Innovators