My name is Shreya Chaudhuri (she/her). I’m a recent graduate from UC Berkeley, where I double majored in Environmental Science and Geography, with minors in Data Science and Global Poverty & Practice. I currently run a nonprofit called Project Planet, which focuses on decolonial climate education. I also work at the American Cultures Center as the Environmental Justice Coordinator, and I’m developing my Stronach Project, Chai for Change, which centers on building a farmer-to-consumer ethical tea brand rooted in Assam, India.
What originally motivated or inspired you to start your research project?
My family. I come from a lineage of tea farmers in Assam, India, and I realized that much of what I was studying academically — extractive economies, climate injustice, colonial legacies — was unfolding on my own family’s land. I was spending my time researching issues across the world when I could instead use research as a tool to connect more deeply with my family and community, and to leverage the resources and privilege I have at Berkeley to help close the resource gap with frontline communities.
What were the most meaningful moments or key takeaways from your research?
The most meaningful takeaway has been recognizing the cycles and patterns that weave into our lives — understanding that my love for this land lives in my blood, even though I did not grow up on it. This work has helped me remember who I am and what I am meant to do. One especially profound moment was learning about my ancestor Harish Bagchi, who became one of the first Indian tea farmers after the First War of Independence (Sepoy Mutiny) of 1857. He abolished indentured servitude on his land and practiced a form of physical land decolonization from the British through economic sovereignty. To work in this lineage — to carry his legacy forward through ethical enterprise and reinvestment in local communities — has been deeply grounding. Seeing how this project has resonated with my family, and witnessing what it means for their histories, labor, and dignity to be uplifted and centered, is beyond words. It feels less like starting something new and more like remembering something ancient — continuing a story that was always meant to be carried forward.
What advice would you give to students considering applying for the Stronach Prize?
Work with a community you are personally connected to, and take time to sit with your own positionality. Be honest about what you carry, what you have access to, and what you don’t. Listen deeply, and let the work be shaped by the people whose lives are at its center. The intention of a Stronach Project is not to fix or save, but to attempt the work in relationship. Don’t worry too much about being attached to a specific project idea — what matters far more is that you are grounded, accountable, and deeply involved with your community. You will grow into your project alongside the people you are working with.
How has your family’s history influenced your project?
My family’s history is the entire reason I’m doing this work. I spent a lot of time talking about decolonial environmentalism through the course I taught at Berkeley and in various education projects, but I felt a bit frustrated by how my work started to feel overly theoretical. At some point I had to ask myself: if I can’t support my own family and community, then what is all this for? Theory alone isn’t enough — the often unglamorous, on-the-ground work is what matters and is what leads to climate solutions. This project is my attempt to close the knowledge and resource gaps that my family and so many others on the margins of the global supply chain face.
What do you hope Chai for Change will accomplish for farming communities in Assam?
I hope it offers dignity and respect to communities on the peripheries, bearing the weight of colonial legacies of extraction and standing on the frontlines of climate change. I hope it reinvests in the autonomy and agency of these communities, restoring wealth for true development and self-determination. I hope it incentivizes farmers to return to ancestral practices and helps secure a future for tea workers so their lives and labor aren’t discarded by corporations or governments when the industry inevitably shifts or fails.
How are ecological justice and economic justice intertwined in your project?
Ecological justice and economic justice are inseparable since economic injustice is the foundation of climate injustice. Without addressing inequities in resources, power, and opportunity, meaningful climate solutions cannot exist, because the backbone of climate change is rooted in economic extraction and theft. That’s why this project aims to pair research with action: supporting communities through mutual aid, organizing, and showing up on the ground. True climate justice means standing alongside those most impacted and ensuring that ecological solutions also reinforce economic security, community resilience, and self-determination. Addressing poverty is not separate from the climate conversation, it is central to it.
In what ways have your experiences at Berkeley prepared you for this project?
My experiences at Berkeley have prepared me for this project in countless ways. I taught the Decolonizing Environmentalism DeCal for over two years, helped create the Decolonial Environmental Network (DEN), worked as a Climate Action Fellow at SERC, served as a council member at SCEC, and was a land coordinator at Berkeley Student Farms. Each of these spaces was rooted in grassroots action, and it’s where I met incredible friends, peers, and mentors who have shaped how I understand the world and influenced my politics and approach to action. At the same time, my coursework in Environmental Science, Geography, Global Poverty & Practice, and Data Science has converged with these experiences, giving me the interdisciplinary tools and perspective to carry this project forward.
How did your project reflect the values of the Stronach Prize?
Stronach is about centering social impact, community accountability, and interdisciplinary work. My project put these values into practice by listening to and working alongside Assam’s tea‐growing communities, connecting history, economic justice, and decolonial practice in ways that were directly meaningful to them. It wasn’t about imposing solutions, but about grounding research and action in real relationships and community priorities.