Sustainability

In a 400-sq-ft flat in Dombivli, 38-year-old Asmita Purohit has turned her small balcony into a thriving ecosystem of over 70 plants, sparrows, and butterflies. What began as a way to cope with personal loss has grown into a model of sustainable urban living, showing how even low-light apartments can nurture nature with compost, bioenzymes, and patience.

In Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, 111 gram panchayats joined hands to revive the Tamsa River through desilting, clean-up drives and plantation. What changed along its banks?

How clean-tech startup Recompose Recycling, in partnership with the Tamil Nadu Forest Department in Vellingiri Hills, Coimbatore, is transforming multi-layered plastic pilgrimage waste into furniture and public infrastructure.

Once dependent on water tankers and divided by frequent fights over scarce supply, Bansawargaon in Maharashtra’s Latur district chose a different path. Led by its sarpanch and powered by collective effort, villagers rebuilt canals, recharged groundwater, and adopted conservation practices — transforming themselves into a tanker-free, water-secure community.

Rooted in a quiet Goan village, Mulgao Verde blends science, sustainability, and community to rethink coconut as a nourishing superfood — while creating dignified livelihoods and inviting people to experience the journey from tree to oil.

In Varanasi, parts of Maharashtra, and Anantapur, residents worked through rooftop recharge, johads and pond revival to steady their water supply before the dry months set in.

With rooftop rainwater tanks, greywater reuse, and patented filtration, Bengaluru scientist AR Shivakumar created a home that has run without water bills for nearly three decades.

If you lived in Jeliakhali, a village in the Sundarbans, water would decide your year. After seasons of watching rain disappear, soil wash away, and wells run low, farmers here dug ponds on their own land with support from Gram Samriddhi Foundation.

When students and faculty from Azim Premji University stepped beyond campus, they worked with a panchayat near Bengaluru to rethink waste, composting, and shared responsibility through ‘Zero Waste Centre’.

From solar-powered pathways to compost-fed lawns, Miranda House quietly practices sustainability across its campus. Here’s a closer look at how this DU women’s college turned everyday routines into lasting environmental change.