Shilpi is an Environmental Justice advocate specializing in impact production and strategic communications. She leverages her expertise in plastic pollution, climate change, and environmental health to drive her mission.
Meet Shilpi (she/her)
Photo: Smeeta Mahanti
Hi there! I'm a seasoned communications professional and plastic pollution expert on a mission to change the future of Environmental Justice storytelling. I'm proud to be the Co-Founder and President at Counterstream Media (formerly People over Plastic), a groundbreaking multi-cultural media hub centered on Environmental Justice. We unite leaders, activists, journalists, artists, and community members to foster thought-provoking and accessible dialogues that shift narratives and create impactful conversations that matter.
I'm also the Executive Producer and host of our flagship podcast, "People over Plastic," which ranks in Spotify's Top 10 Society and Culture podcasts and is listened to in 58 countries.
I previously served as Break Free From Plastic's (BFFP) Global Communications Lead, where I honed my skills in challenging and shifting the pro-industry narrative on plastic pollution and developing counter-narratives with grassroots organizations around the world. During my tenure, I played a foundational role in movement-building, cross-regional narrative strategy, and advised on local, federal, and multi-national legislation aimed at plastic reduction. I've also worked for a number of environmental-focused organizations, including Mission Blue/Sylvia Earle Alliance, where I guest-authored for National Geographic.
I live in Oakland, California on Ohlone Land with my husband and two sons.
In the Media
“The US has been shipping its waste overseas for decades," she says. Shilpi shows a video of a place in Indonesia that she says used to be a pristine agricultural area, but is now essentially a “toxic dump site”.
— BBC
“There are a lot of different corporate commitments,” says Shilpi Chhotray, a leader of the Break Free From Plastic movement. While some show promise, others “are just greenwashing,” she insists, with the intent of giving the industry cover for its true aim: “growth.”
“If you're anyone living on this planet right now that cares about climate change, a big piece of this is our plastic footprint.”
— NPR
Opinion Editorial with Khafre Jay, Founder of Hip Hop for Change
— Newsweek
On air with KQED, Al Jazeera, A Matter of Degrees, and The Nuance - Medicine Explained
New to PLASTIC?
Here Are Three Things You Should Know
For consumers: We cannot "clean up" our way out of this mess. Less than 8.8% of plastic has actually been recycled since the 1950's and the US alone sends 1m tons of plastic waste overseas every year. Cleaning up the ocean won't solve the plastic pollution crisis but turning off the tap focused on corporate accountability and impacted communities will.
For entrepreneurs: stop upcycling plastic into yoga pants and bottles! At the end of the day, the material is still plastic and will likely end up landfilled, burned, or shipped overseas and continue shedding microplastics into our soil, waterways, and air. Innovation with an emphasis on source reduction and accessibility is urgently needed, including systems of refill and reuse.
For climate activists: 99% of plastic comes from a fossil fuel based source. Since plastics production is is a major part of the fossil fuels supply chain, many fossil fuel companies own plastics producers and many plastics companies own fossil fuel operations. We need to continue pressuring industry polluters take responsibility for the full life-cycle costs and better connect pipelines, petrochemical plants, and plastic.
Shilpi specializes in narrative strategy, multi-media production, and training the next generation of climate justice advocates.
Let’s connect!
Get in touch about collaborations & speaking opportunities.