Barren land turned a source of livelihood for farmers
Sudhanshu Sharma and his wife Susmita Roy were working in the national capital. He was in the strategy and marketing sector, while she was in public health. What astonished them was a high-rising “mountain” that they would often pass on their way to work. But on this fateful day, they realised it wasn’t a mountain, but […]
37 Tamil Nadu panchayats to have ‘cost-cutting’ solar power generation model
While uninterrupted power supply has been a challenge amid rising costs in the country, a panchayat in Kerala’s Thrissur district has set a model for implementing an alternative power generation and distribution model. On Wednesday, a team of 45 officials, including panchayat presidents and local body authorities, from Tamil Nadu visited the panchayat to study […]
A butterfly garden made on a wasteland!
Swapnali Dabke was overwhelmed with emotions when she turned 46 on September 30. Her husband Dr Suneet asked her to accompany him for a tree plantation drive in Manjusar village. But Swapnali reached there, a fluttering gift was awaiting her – a butterfly garden made on a wasteland!. Suneet, 51, an environmentalist thought of doing something that can […]
IIM dropout helps more than 1000 women in Bihar to grow their businesses
Years back, Manjari Sharma spent 15 days in the remote villages of Bihar as part of volunteer work. It was then that she witnessed the skills of the women there. Apart from managing all the household chores, they found time to start a small-scale food business of pickles, papads, chutneys and more. Manjari, an IIM graduate and […]
Ecovibe’s journey from cycle to eco-cycle
Pedalling is a popular fitness activity across age groups these days. For some cycling enthusiasts, it’s about recreation, relaxation of a different kind. For Kozhikode’s Ecovibe Pedallers, however, cycling is more of a mission. The 21-member cycling community based in Nadapuram is on a mission to eliminate the plastic menace. Cruising through different parts of Kozhikode […]
ASHA: Hope to find water scarcity
For over two decades, Asha S of Karnataka-based NGO Arohana has worked tirelessly to conserve water in her region. In Kolar district, where water scarcity is rampant, she has helped 1,350 households divert waste water to agricultural fields, rejuvenated two lakes, and enabled rainwater harvesting in three government schools. “It is everyone’s duty to protect […]
A waste free and water surplus village in Himachal
Poor sanitation and waste management in rural areas are leading to large-scale migration to urban towns and cities. Pappla Gram Panchayat in the heart of Himachal Pradesh was no exception. The households of Pappla faced issues in managing their solid-liquid waste. The collection of unsegregated waste was especially a problem. The waste and wastewater from […]
An inspiring 90-years old grandma feeds 120 dogs everyday!
She wakes up and heads straight to the kitchen — not to cook for her family, but for 120 dogs. The 90-year-old hasn’t let health problems like osteoporosis, fractures, or major operations come in her way. She wasn’t always a dog lover, but when her granddaughter Sana brought their dog Coco home, everything changed. “I was […]
Meet the man behind world’s largest beach cleanup projects
In October 2015, Afroz and his neighbour Harbansh Mathur, an 84-year-old, were frustrated with the piles of decomposing waste that had washed up and completely overwhelmed Versova beach. Determined to do something about it, the pair started cleaning up the beach themselves, one piece of trash at a time. For the first six to eight […]
Econiture: Turning plastic waste into eco-friendly furniture
It’s a story of a startup by four friends who thought of exploring the ways to change the mindset and uprise the ways to tackle plastic waste in our daily lives. In 2017, these youngsters from Amravati, Maharashtra, pitched in Rs 5 lakh each to build a venture that aimed to minimise the amount of […]
