Today we’d like to introduce you to Gayatri Roshan
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
At the age of seven, I watched my stepfather produce one of the first films about climate change, sparking a passion in me that grew to fuel every subsequent step of my life’s journey. I started working in film as a teenager, eventually writing and producing climate-related documentaries, including Harmony, which highlighted the work of King Charles (at that time, the Prince of Wales).
My career as a filmmaker went on to include writing, producing, and directing a variety of TV specials and feature-length documentaries focused on deep ecology, climate change, and the natural world, taking me to twenty countries across four continents.
Years later, my midlife crisis brought with it the sobering realization that filmmaking wasn’t going to save us from the climate crisis. Through deep reflection, I confronted the hard truth: simply raising awareness wasn’t enough to change the system. The solutions to adapt to our changing climate already existed, with billions of dollars allocated for them, but the missing link was the direction and incentive needed to drive individual action. I kept returning to one undeniable fact: in our modern world, technology—and, let’s face it, money—are powerful catalysts for change.
From this realization, Dashboard.Earth was born. By offering incentives such as prizes and direct payments for climate action, we encourage users to track their habits through our app. With technology to verify, measure, and value every climate-positive action, we have the power to scale climate adaptation quickly and effectively.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Starting a new business always comes with challenges, but as a woman, it can be even more difficult—less than 4% of funding goes to women CEOs. When I founded Dashboard.Earth, I connected with 350 investors, and of those, only six invested.
I’ve also faced challenges stemming from misconceptions about working mothers. While having children does limit the number of hours I can work in a day, I find that, overall, I’m maintain a productive balance. This is partly because I’m committed to not being stressed around my kids; I’ve worked hard to set boundaries that prevent stress from spilling into my home life. I’m as dedicated as ever, but I no longer treat my work as a sprint—it’s a marathon.
This shift has reduced the potential for stress, which I find invaluable both as a CEO and as a human, overall. I’m also incredibly proud to be a role model for my daughters, instilling in them the core belief that anything is possible – including changing the world for the better.
We’ve been impressed with Dashboard.Earth, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Climate chaos affects everyone, everywhere—hotter hots, drier drys, wetter wets, colder colds. Extreme weather events have become the new normal. In 2022 alone, more than three million people in the U.S. were displaced due to climate-related disasters. But just as climate chaos surrounds us, climate solutions are also within reach. Dashboard.Earth was created to tap into these existing solutions, leverage billions of dollars for meaningful action, and meet the growing public demand for change.
While 75% of Americans want to address climate change, more than half don’t know where to begin. Our free mobile app bridges this gap by guiding individuals to take simple, yet impactful local climate actions. Through gamified rewards, impact tracking, and a resource library, our users are empowered to drive community resilience and environmental impact.
Every climate-positive choice has real financial value. We measure, verify, and value the impact of each action, and aggregate them into our Verified Climate Outcomes™ (VCOs), purchased by foundations, corporations, and government agencies with environmental objectives. Unlike other markets that focus solely on carbon emissions, we track a broader range of actions— from installing low-flow water systems, to composting food scraps, eating plant-based meals, taking public transportation and beyond. In turn, these actions have a broader range of tangible impacts and co-benefits, such as water saved, waste diverted, and emissions reduced, creating measurable value.
By incentivizing individual climate actions, we’re reframing the narrative around climate change—from one of fear and distant consequences to one of empowerment and daily participation. We make it clear that the crisis isn’t happening “somewhere, someday”—it’s happening now, and we all have a role to play in addressing it.
What sets us apart is our hyperlocal approach. While climate change is a global problem, adapting to climate change requires action on the local level. Initially, we’re supporting LA County’s ambitious climate action plan, and we’ll launch in San Diego later this fall, with plans to expand to more regions across California by early 2025.
My proudest feel-good moment is when I hear directly from our community of users. They’ve shared that Dashboard.Earth not only gives them a tool to track their actions, but, critically, it helps them deal with their climate anxiety and ease their concerns. And that’s what we set out to do from the start. We’re a tool to motivate climate action, but we’re also helping to build a community of like-minded individuals eager to support each other as we all adapt to living with climate change.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Make sure you’re pursuing something you’re deeply passionate about, something that will carry you through the inevitable disappointments and failures that come with bringing an idea to life. It may sound cliché, but that level of commitment has to be felt deep in your bones.
It’s also important to keep focusing on your personal growth and developing your capacities. What you’re learning and how you’re evolving are crucial, because success isn’t just about the idea itself—it’s about you as the person bringing that idea to life. How you handle that journey is just as important as the idea you’re working on.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dashboard.earth
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dashboard.earth
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dashboard.earth/
- Other: Direct app download link: https://dashboardearth.onelink.me/8YtP/voyagela
Image Credits
For file Youth Summit: Photo by Adam Corey Thomas
For file Trace 2.0 HEX01305 VSCO.jpg: Photo by @moonchildfabian
