Environment

When the world’s largest flower bloomed in Sumatra after 13 years, it reminded many of the patience and wonder behind rare blooms. Across India too, fragile hills, forests and meadows cradle extraordinary flowers that appear briefly and vanish again. Here are some you can still find.

Kota in Rajasthan has removed every traffic signal and redesigned its roads — cutting travel time, fuel waste, and pollution. Here’s how Kota set a new model for urban design.

Ajit Singh, a software engineer, was moved by the news of the drought in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan. His concept of ‘oxygen parks’, areas of concentrated tree plantation, is an attempt to help the land heal.

Chandrashekhar Bhadsavle's award-winning Saguna Rice Technique (SRT) eliminates tillage and stubble burning, offering a viable solution to the NCR's severe air pollution.

Guided by her father’s example, 14-year-old Jannat Patloo has spent nearly a decade cleaning Dal Lake — proving that even the smallest hands can make the biggest difference to Kashmir’s fragile ecology.

Rhizophora mangroves shield India’s shores, but face growing threats. Here’s how these coastal guardians sustain life and why their survival is critical.

In the quiet hills of Uttarakhand, villagers — often led by women — guard their forests through the van panchayat system. What began as a collective effort to manage local resources has become a lifeline for both people and nature.

At The Better India Showcase 2025 in New Delhi, experts from CEEW, Enviu, and The Better India highlighted India’s potential to lead the global green economy by creating jobs through renewable energy, circular systems, and bioeconomy sectors. Supported by Rainmatter Foundation, the discussion stressed how the right policies, capital, and collaboration can turn waste into wealth and drive inclusive growth, with entrepreneurs already shaping a fairer, resilient future.

Amidst Rajasthan’s water scarcity and harsh terrain, Sundaram Verma discovered a technique to grow trees with just a litre of water each. Today, more than 60,000 trees stand as proof — showing farmers nationwide that transformation begins at the roots.

When Dr Ruby Makhija became RWA secretary, she set out to fix one problem in her Delhi colony. Eight years later, not a single bag of waste has reached the landfill — and the numbers will surprise you.