Karthika Sreekumar is a social designer who firmly believes in the power of nature and her design is rooted in one mission: to reconnect people with nature through thoughtful design, community engagement, and ecological action. Her growing concern for the future and love for green made her come across the concept of Miyawaki forests. This interest later shaped her as a designer committed to ecological resilience.

Her thesis, “Green Lungs: Redefining Green Within Cities,” reflects a deep dive into urban forestry, afforestation, and rewilding concepts tailored for modern cities. This commitment blossomed into action when she spearheaded the development of the “Urban Wild Toolkit”, a co-design guide grounded in Miyawaki forestation principles, empowering communities to reclaim urban spaces with native micro-forests. The toolkit, along with her coordination of Ritual for Earth, a nature festival in Milan co-hosted with Isola Pepe Verde, speaks to her ability to translate ecological ideals into immersive, community-led experiences.

Her work and growing expertise in the Miyawaki Technique were further recognized on an international scale when she joined the UNCCD International Miyawaki Symposium in Yokohama, Japan, as a volunteer. There, she acted as a cultural and linguistic bridge between global delegates and local participants, while also assisting with content creation for broader outreach.

Holding a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering, Karthika began her professional path as a Junior Engineer at FRBL in Kochi where she became a strong advocate for sustainable construction, optimizing material use and promoting GFRG panels made from fertilizer industry byproducts as alternatives to traditional building materials.

She did her Master's in Social Design at Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti (NABA), Milan.

Now, she continues this journey as an intern at the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), contributing to efforts aimed at reversing land degradation and promoting sustainable land use practices across the globe. Her role at the UNCCD allows her to combine her technical background, design thinking, and passion for reforestation into policy-aligned actions.