Climate change is impacting the world. It is the poorest who suffer the most. Yet often rural Indians are leading the way in sustainable advances and trialling schemes that – if rolled out on a macro scale – can create real change in the environment.
Environment
Cultivating an ecological consciousness
Shunya, a permaculture farm that started over a decade ago, in Himachal’s Bir village embodies the vision of regenerative farming. Transitioning through many hands, it is now being cared for by farmer Jeewika Bhat and her initiative ‘Seeds and Deeds’, which aims to take it a step further.
UP environmentalist walks the talk to save river, trees
Sundaram Tiwari from Uttar Pradesh’s Pratapgarh district has worked to restore the Sai river by planting about 2 lakh trees, inspiring lakhs of people by walking thousands of kilometres across the country.
She’s a lifeline for Meghalaya’s endangered western hoolock gibbons
Betsida Marak, an educator in her late 30s, works to save the western hoolock gibbons, a primate that is found in the north eastern states of India. Her efforts, including teaching wildlife conservation to kids through stories rooted in Garo folklore, are making a difference.
Coming up, a food forest in Himachal’s Kangra
Picture a food forest-cum-botanical garden where you can buy seeds of native plants as well as taste the produce. This is what Attune, an upcoming project in Himachal’s Kangra, seeks to offer.
Uttarakhand priest blends faith and foliage to reforest Himalayas
Beyond his spiritual duties 33-year-old priest Ankit Dhyani of Devprayag is on a mission to reforest the Himalayan mountains and foothills ravaged by deforestation and fires through his grassroots initiative, GoGreenIndia.
Herbal healer leads biodiversity revival in Odisha’s Koraput district
In the green hills of Deomali, Hari Pangi’s mission to plant healing trees shows that with a deep connection to the past and a commitment to the future, one person can inspire change on a grand scale.
Guarding Garuda: Man Who Saved Greater Adjutant Stork in Bihar
Led by conservationist Arvind Mishra, community-driven efforts in Bhagalpur have revived the population of the critically endangered greater adjutant stork, locally called garuda, increasing their numbers from 78 birds in 2007 to over 600 today.
Manyachiwadi becomes Maharashtra’s first solar-powered village
With over 100 rooftop solar panels, Manyachiwadi village in Maharashtra’s Satara district has become the state's first to run entirely on solar power, enjoying uninterrupted electricity and standing as a shining example of clean energy transformation.
Howrah’s fight for its wilderness
A passionate group of environmentalists come together to save the biodiversity of Howrah district in West Bengal.