Earth Archives

The Tribal Teacher Who Changed the Destinies of Odisha’s Adivasi Children

Tulasi Appa was only 13 years old when she decided to devote all her time toward educating children from the Munda tribe that she belongs to. She’d spent her formative years working in a stone quarry, but that did not deter her from starting her first school in 1966 in Odisha's Serenda village under a Mahua tree on a borrowed plot of land on the village’s periphery.

Ankush Vengurlekar July 26, 2016

Earth

Delhi Ki Sardi: Breathing in an Open-Air Kingdom of Poison

In Delhi, winter is now the time of difficult breathing. The throat itches, the eyes water, the nostrils hurt. A city that lends itself so well to the outdoors forces everyone to stay indoors with windows shut tight.

Priyansh July 25, 2016

Earth

Meet Ridhima Pandey, the 11-year-old Indian Fighting Climate Change With Greta Thunberg

Most of us have probably heard Greta Thunberg’s viral appeal to stop climate change. But few know that she’s not alone in this fight. Joining Greta at the UN climate summit is young Uttarakhand girl Ridhima Pandey, who has been fighting for the environment since she was nine.

Mavis D'Silva July 25, 2016

Earth

Of Summertime, Sunshine and Forests that Catch Fire

A writer from Uttarakhand travels through his beloved hills and tells us how kaafal berries and wildfires have always signalled summer. What changed this year?

Rudy Singh July 23, 2016

Earth

Why You Can’t Ban Single-Use Plastic Overnight

A ban on single-use plastic is not something that can be achieved simply by carrying a reusable cloth bag to do your sabzi shopping. The ban will be successful only when a few basics are taken care of: Public awareness campaigns, investing in alternatives, creating an efficient recycling process, and then, systematically, creating economic incentives to switch from plastics.

Deepak Gopalakrishnan July 16, 2016

Earth

How Your Fast Fashion is Slowly Killing the Earth

Our clothes now hardly last us for a year, and yet each piece of machine-made denim sold takes about a hundred litres of water to make. Once the denim loses its grip, it finds a way into our landfills. And that polyester in your jacket takes about 200 years to decompose.

Riddhi K July 16, 2016

Earth

Delhi’s Privileged Flee the City to Escape Pollution. But What About the Rest?

As Delhi’s pollution levels escalated post Diwali, I took a bus to the mountains. There are many who’ve left the city permanently to escape its toxic air. But what about the millions who cannot afford this luxury, who live on the roads?

Tauseef Shahidi July 15, 2016

Earth

Greta Thunberg is Proof that No One is Too Small to Make a Difference

In 2018, Greta Thunberg was a lone 15-year-old sitting outside the Swedish parliament, with a “School Strike for Climate” placard. Today she is one of the world's most influential and fearless activists. How has this teen managed to do so much in such little time?

Manik Sharma July 15, 2016

Earth

Indian Mom: The OG Enthusiast of Recycling and Sustainable Living

When I was growing up, milk packets would be washed and stuck on kitchen tiles for drying – for rotis to be packed in for lunch. After a little wear and tear, mom would fold the plastic packets and use them as a trivet. Long before recycling became hip, every middle-class household practiced it.

Ramjaane July 14, 2016

Earth

Murder: The Price of Your Hill Station Holiday

The shooting and murder of Shail Bala Sharma, the Kasauli corporator, has exposed the rotten heart of the mountains. And we – who retreat to the hills every chance we get – are responsible for the corruption hill towns are steeped in. The problem is that our relationship with these pieces of paradise, is all take and no give.

Manik Sharma July 12, 2016