Most people would walk past a tray of leftover bread without thinking twice.
Shaan Guru couldn’t.
Sitting outside a local Panera Bread in Orlando, Florida, he noticed bags of unsold baked goods being thrown away at the end of the day. The 17-year-old knew that people in his community were struggling with food insecurity. Instead of moving on, he wondered what could be done differently.
“Is there a way we can actually get this bread redistributed?” he asked himself.
That question became the foundation of the Green Guru Project, a youth-led nonprofit that started as a local food redistribution effort and has since expanded into community partnerships, financial literacy workshops, and sustainability initiatives serving people across multiple communities.
He started by connecting with a neighborhood community fridge and partnered with a local Panera Bread to arrange weekly drop-offs, helping surplus baked goods reach people who needed them instead of being thrown away.
Green Guru has continued its weekly food redistribution efforts while expanding into new projects. Shaan and a friend are currently developing the Green STEAM app, which is intended to connect more volunteers with food redistribution opportunities.
For Shaan, however, the project was never just about bread. It was about learning to look more closely at the world around him and asking how its systems could work better.
A Mindset Rooted in Service
Shaan credits much of that perspective to his upbringing.
Growing up in an Indian American family, service was never viewed as something separate from success.
Shaan said his parents, both physicians, taught him that professional success should be accompanied by service and a responsibility to create greater equity.
Those values stayed with him throughout school and shaped the work he does today.
Shaan was encouraged to work hard in his academics and pursue meaningful goals. He also developed an awareness that not everyone has equal access to education and opportunity.
That sense of responsibility eventually became more practical: finding problems he could address within his own community.
Looking Beyond the Environment
When people hear the word sustainability, they often think about recycling bins, reusable water bottles, or planting trees.
Shaan believes the conversation should be much broader. His understanding of sustainability began to shift during an economics class, where it was introduced as a key concept.
Rather than viewing it solely as a climate issue, Shaan became fascinated by the systems behind it, including how communities create long-term well-being and opportunity.
“When you look at GDP, it doesn’t account for inequalities; it doesn’t account for poverty or environmental issues,” he said.
That idea became one of the guiding principles behind Green Guru—whether he is organizing food redistribution efforts or financial literacy workshops.
“In order to create a lasting tomorrow, it needs immediate action,” he said.
He believes that meaningful change requires more than awareness campaigns or good intentions.
“Actions speak louder than words, especially in today’s generation, where you have so many people that are performative or just doing things to say they did them,” he said.
That belief is reflected in Green Guru’s motto: “Invest in Real Impact.”
Building Bridges Through Community
One of Green Guru’s more recent initiatives focuses on financial literacy workshops for migrant communities in Orlando.
The workshops are offered in Spanish and Portuguese and help participants navigate topics such as budgeting and taxes.
The idea grew out of Shaan’s experience growing up in a multicultural city, with many Brazilian friends and colleagues.
Those relationships helped him recognize challenges that many immigrant families face when navigating unfamiliar financial systems, including taxes and budgeting.
The workshops aim to make that transition easier while honoring the cultures these communities bring with them.
“It’s very beautiful,” he said. “They’re bringing their culture, and we’re trying to help them adjust.”
Redefining Success
Shaan’s long-term goal is to become a policymaker but he’s focusing on what he can do now.
“How can I make an impact today?” he said. “Then wake up the next day and ask, how can I make an impact tomorrow?”
It is a philosophy that has helped him balance ambitious goals with practical action.
For young South Asians, especially those navigating expectations around achievement and success, Shaan believes it is important to define success for themselves.
“For me, it’s about making an impact over prestige,” he said.
The Next Generation
Shaan says that young South Asians who want to make a difference but feel too young to start do not need to wait until they are older, more experienced, or perfectly qualified to begin creating change.
“I don’t think you should ever let your age or structural barriers define what you do,” he said.
After all, the Green Guru Project did not begin with major funding, a large team, or years of experience. It began with a student noticing a problem outside a Panera Bread and deciding not to ignore it.
Watch the full interview with Shaan Guru:
