Across Asia, many nonprofits are harnessing climate technology to tackle environmental challenges, yet few manage to scale beyond the pilot stage. With support from Google.org and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), AVPN’s APAC Sustainability Solutions Lab (SSL) is helping to bridge that gap. By providing technical mentorship, data analytics support, and digital capacity building, SSL enables organisations who received support from AVPN’s APAC Sustainability Seed Fund to strengthen their systems, refine their platforms, and collaborate through open-source tools and technical exchange, turning promising grassroots initiatives into scalable, data-driven models for climate action.
Intelligent Reforesting: ASRI’s AI-Driven Conservation in Indonesia
In the heart of Borneo, Indonesian non-profit Alam Sehat Lestari (ASRI) has been redefining conservation since 2007. Around Gunung Palung National Park in West Kalimantan, communities once relied on logging to meet basic needs due to limited access to healthcare and livelihoods. Founded on the belief that human and planetary health are inseparable, ASRI works with local communities on healthcare, organic farming, and reforestation initiatives.
To date, ASRI has planted more than 700,000 seedlings over 400 hectares of deforested lands with plans to expand restoration efforts in the future. To track progress, they monitor ecological health through camera traps, soil and water testing, and wildlife tracking. ASRI, in collaboration with its sister organisation Health in Harmony, uses the Forest Loss Monitoring System (FLMS) that analyses data to help them spot priority forest areas that urgently need protection and conservation.
Through SSL, technical workshops and one-on-one support gave the team valuable insights into developing data protection strategies and long-term implementation roadmaps. Tailored guidance, as well as the onboarding of ASRI’s new communications coordinator, has also equipped the team to improve storytelling, branding, and data-driven content creation. Together, these efforts strengthened ASRI’s organisational systems and refined its communications architecture, amplifying its mission to create a healthier planet for both people and forests.
Clearing the Air: AIT’s Cross-Border AI Haze Reduction System in Southeast Asia
For decades, agricultural burning across Southeast Asia has blanketed the region in seasonal haze, causing serious health and climate impacts. Tackling this challenge requires not only stronger policies but also shared, consistent, and transparent environmental data across borders.
The Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) in Thailand is addressing this complexity with an AI-driven haze monitoring system that uses satellite sensor data to detect fires, monitor air pollution and short-lived climate pollutants, and calculate greenhouse gas emissions across the Lower Mekong Subregion. Its open-access data portal helps governments and researchers identify pollution patterns, guide policy and regulatory decisions, pinpoint areas where interventions are most needed, track the effectiveness of mitigation efforts, and share best practices to improve both health and climate outcomes.
With support from SSL, AIT strengthened both its technical and communications foundations. Field experts helped the team refine data validation methods for detecting fire hotspots, addressing a major accuracy gap in satellite monitoring. Capacity-building workshops further equipped them with practical knowledge on responsible data sharing, ethical AI, and incident response. Meanwhile, a communications assessment guided AIT to clarify its message and extend its audience beyond academia and government agencies to include NGOs and communities directly affected by haze.
This has led to more accurate and verifiable environmental data, stronger communication strategies, and greater capacity to co-design solutions with users on the ground. With these foundations in place, AIT is laying the groundwork for a regional, data-driven response to one of Southeast Asia’s most persistent environmental threats.
Closing the Loop: Gringgo’s Smart Waste Management for a Circular Indonesia
Indonesia’s growing waste management problem has long outpaced traditional disposal methods like landfills and incineration, leading to environmental pollution and health risks for local communities. Gringgo addresses this with an AI waste mapping platform that uses image recognition to help people identify, sort, and price recyclables. It also enables cities to map waste hotspots, track performance, and use insights to improve waste-to-energy processes.
Through SSL, Gringgo received technical guidance that strengthened both its innovation and capacity. This support enabled the team to establish a renewable energy mini-lab to test and refine briquette prototypes, as well as invest in online training to enhance technical expertise. Engagement activities supported under SSL also helped Gringgo forge valuable partnerships, including one with Forkalim, a wastewater association that provided access to raw materials and sector insights.
Gringgo’s experience under SSL also laid a strong foundation for its future plans, such as integrating IoT into its monitoring systems, enhancing user experience of its AI waste mapping platform, piloting projects in other key regions of Indonesia, training local stakeholders on their technology and waste management best practices, and rolling out awareness and educational campaigns.
APAC SSL helps grantees strengthen their technical and organisational capacity to sustain momentum beyond the pilot phase. Through mentorship, collaboration, and capacity building, SSL empowers organisations across Asia-Pacific to develop sustainable tech solutions that are practical, scalable, and grounded in local realities. Learn more about SSL here.
