Villages To Classrooms: Community Initiatives Driving Sustainability In India

Sustainable development and the idea of sustainability have always been a national priority for India. Right from Article 21 of the Constitution, which underlines the right to a healthy environment and lays the legal framework for sustainable development, and the integration of environmental concerns in five-year plans, to signing and actively participating in global agreements and coalitions, respectively, the country has always strived to balance growth with ecological responsibility.

Recent developments are proof positive that this approach is finally bearing fruit. India reached the global top 100 for the first time in the recently released 2025 Sustainable Development Report. We also improved our scores across a wide range of categories in the SDG India Index 2023–24, our own tracker of progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Policy decisions definitely have a role to play in reaping these results...but are they alone to be credited for this headway we have made? One can argue that it is the efforts of local populations and their adoption of sustainable practices that have been most impactful. Sustainability is not new to Indians; for long, we have been observing traditions of conserving water, reusing resources, prioritising "needs" over "wants" and relying on seasonal, local produce. Today, evolved variations of these age-old practices, driven by local change makers often in partnership with purpose-driven organisations, are central to advancing climate adaptation, ecosystem restoration, and the protection of public health.

Lake restoration and community management to “save” water
In India, around 600 million people live under high to extreme water stress, and several major cities are projected to face serious groundwater depletion in the coming years. Against this bleak background, villages and neighbourhoods are taking charge of water conservation. Reviving tanks, planting trees along catchments, adopting crop choices suited to water availability and regulating withdrawals are signs of local efforts making a difference.

Village institutions, along with the help of non-profits in Rajasthan, have constructed thousands of traditional johads and check-dams, which are slowly helping recharge aquifers and even restore the flow of seasonal rivers. In the suburbs of Chennai, residents have organised clean-up drives, desilting efforts, and bund strengthening to revive the Chitlapakkam Lake, which now supports not only local water supply but also biodiversity. In various other parts of the country, farmer-led water user groups and pani panchayats are coming together to oversee fair irrigation practices and the protection of water sources. These localised efforts form a network of community-led practices that aim to strengthen water security.

Grassroots solutions in waste management
India's annual production of municipal solid waste is very high, around 62 to 65 million tonnes. What is quite alarming is that most of it ends up in landfills or open fires, and is are major environmental risk. To make matters worse, they also contribute to serious health issues like asthma and chronic skin diseases. To combat this problem, local communities have taken ownership of segregation and local treatment. Indore is a case in point. Every household is covered by door-to-door collection, waste is segregated at source, and organic matter is converted into compost and biogas. The result has been the removal of open dumps and cleaner air across the city.

In Pune, the SWaCH cooperative has shown how informal workers can be central to effective waste systems. The group now serves most households, recovering hundreds of tonnes of recyclables daily and ensuring livelihoods for thousands of waste-pickers. Pune also has many established civil society organisations (CSOs) that are instrumental in running comprehensive waste management programs that also educate citizens on waste segregation. In the South, Mysuru has achieved exemplary results through steady collection of waste, and neighbourhood composting. Gram panchayats in other rural districts are managing village-level pits and recovery centres.

Across the country, self-help groups and farmer collectives are helping turn kitchen waste into compost or biogas and sending plastics and paper to recovery units. This helps save on transport costs, generate employment opportunities, and there is also the added benefit of nutrients that can be returned to farmland...resulting in both environmental and economic benefits.

School nutrition and community wellness
Sustainability is not limited to discussions about the environment; it also has strong social and human development dimensions, including health and nutrition. India’s Mid-Day Meal Scheme, the largest school feeding programme in the world, is a good example of a community-backed government scheme. It owes its success much to community oversight, with parents and school committees monitoring meal quality, contributing produce, and ensuring that children are consistently fed.

Several states have transformed the scheme into a more locally relevant and nutritionally diverse endeavour to suit local palates. Tamil Nadu and Odisha have added millets, fruits, and greens to menus, while many schools, with help from NGOs and villagers, now grow vegetables on their premises.

Regional non-governmental organisations are also helping turn public attention to the importance of good nutrition. Many women’s self-help groups are now running cooking demonstrations on balanced meals, while farmer collectives are promoting the consumption of organic produce and healthier food choices in neighbourhood markets. Other impact-driven organisations are bringing together thought leaders, industry experts, nutritionists and health enthusiasts to drive awareness about mindful consumption, the benefits of local produce, and transparent food systems via digital initiatives to reach a larger audience. The result is a stronger culture of wellness formed by healthier children, mindful families, and most importantly, communities that take responsibility for collective health.

Change begins in the community
The stories of water, waste, and wellness show that India’s progress depends most on the strength of its collective agency. What once looked like compliance-driven projects is steadily turning into deeper local ownership, where people have transformed from mere participants to leaders. The truth that is emerging from these case studies is that development only lasts when it is rooted in daily life.

When people and local institutions are trusted to lead, the work they begin often carries on well beyond the life of a single programme. These activities cannot be counted as mere token gestures. This is a proactive, practical response model to challenges involving people and the environment, like depleting groundwater levels, waste piling up to form huge 'garbage mountains', and children having poor access to nutrition. Supporting and strengthening such efforts is essential if our country has to gear up to face climate change while also safeguarding public health. The truth is that lasting answers come when those who live with these everyday problems are tasked with shaping solutions.

Views are personal

The author is Co-founder & CEO, Akshayakalpa Organic