In the Sundarbans, things have turned upside down with women planting trees instead of cutting mangroves and sundari trees. Now they know the importance of their ecosystem, says Saadia Azim

Indian scientists have developed coloured cotton with spinnable fibre quality and fairly good yield. But releasing it for commercial cultivation will take some more time, reports Aparna Pallavi

By expanding the scope and reach of traditional healthcare system through networking and training, Rashtriya Guni Mission has restored people’s faith in herbal medicines, says Ravleen Kaur

Sikkim is all set to achieve a ‘complete organic agriculture status’ by 2015. Madhusree Chatterjee found proof of it at the Sikkim International Flower Show, 2013, held at the Saramsa Gardens

For Ishita Khanna, ecology and economy are two sides of the same coin. Wowed by the Himalayas, she has been helping the rural people of Spiti in Himachal find a livelihood even as they protect the fragile ecosystem, says Kavita Kanan Chandra

Mumbai’s lifeline, the railway tracks, is lined with farms. Kate Chaillat and Samrat Mukherjee check out the green tracts, whose produce is good, and they also help keeping encroachers at bay

R Jeganathan’s organic farm in Pakkam, a village near Chennai, is drawing youth, who wish to take up farming even if it means giving up careers. Farming can be profitable if it is integrated with dairy and poultry, he tells P C Vinoj Kumar

A hospital in Ahmedabad cheers up its cardiac patients with natural light. Anupam Chakravartty checks out with the architect, Surya Kakani, whose eco-sensitive design has also reduced costs

Kerala has developed a range of coir based products from coir bouquets (Rs.75-100) to necklaces and earrings (Rs.750 -1000). The items are displayed at the ongoing Coir Expo in Alappuzha

Essentially a pitcher–shaped shallow well, Beri is a traditional rain water harvesting structure. By reviving it, people in drought-hit villages of Thar even cultivate crops now, says Shehfar

The government is pressing for an increased generation of renewable energy, but electricity distributing companies are worried about hiking the power tariff for consumers, says Gaurav Sharma

A youth, holding degrees in engineering and management from foreign universities, committing to agriculture may sound incredible. But Ashmeet Kapoor has done just that, changing the lives of many farmers in a positive way, says Akash Bisht

By reviving the use of natural dyes, Rashmi Bharti enabled communities like Bora Kuthalia and Shauka in Uttarakhand hills to not just conserve a traditional art form but also triggered a local economic revolution, says Kavita Kanan Chandra

Research has helped identify new species of butterflies in India and one of them is ‘Nilgiri Grass Yellow’, says Smetacek, who has brought out a book ‘Butterflies: On the Roof Of the World’

A pond in Lakholaav in Rajasthan not just provides clean water to villagers throughout the year but also binds the local community. Manu Moudgil traces its past and finds its relevance today