After reading a LinkedIn Post about the "Price of Happiness" I began thinking this through.
What is happiness?
According to the Merriam Webster's Dictionary:
Happiness is an emotional and mental state of well-being, characterized by positive emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy.
More analytically happiness has its foundation in emotional state, life satisfaction and a sense of purpose. Thus intrinsically tied to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 3 - Good Health and Well Being.
The post about the Remitly report "Global Cost of Happiness" and a 2018 Purdue University study point to a price point per country for well-being. I had strong recall of the poignant and en point Mastercard commercials of the late 1900s ;) I feel no one before AI and social media algorithms could assess the pulse of the masses (read consumers) like ad agencies.
There were many resonances in other indices.
Hierarchy of Needs
Source: Bite-sized Learning
I fell down the rabbit hole of looking up the Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs as well as looking into the well-known World Happiness Report 2026 by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network and its echoes and resonances in the Corruption Perceptions Index 2026 of Transparency International (TI) as well as the progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs Report 2026 - SDG Indicators).
But I kept coming back to the succinct summaries of the Mastercard Ads.
Mastercard Ad "Priceless" - Parents (India)
Happiness Echoes in Other Indices
The UN Sustainable Development Goals Report 2026 and more TI's Corruption Perceptions Index echo a lot of what is deduced from Remitly's Global Cost of Happiness and the World Happiness Report.
Emergencies notwithstanding having "FU Money" reserves gives people options, time an power. In a way the financial cushion paved the way for happiness not desperation. The power to walk away is very empowering to the human psyche. Money flows within the community instead of austerity and outflows also improve quality of life and livelihoods thus making people happy.
Mastercard Ad. 1997 - Baseball (USA)
Friendship, Community, Social Safety Nets
Research over the years has lined happiness to not just the self but also the community.
Friendships and family, community - the village it took to raise a child - is now needed to counter the creeping loneliness epidemic.
This has been clinically researched and chronicled in the 2023 paper by Korean researchers "The
relative importance of friendship to happiness increases with age."
Female friendships have repeatedly shown to improve the state of mind and health of girls and women of all ages. In a world where suppressed feminine rage results in increased instances of autoimmune conditions in women and girls friendships are life saving beyond and because of the joy they give.
Benjamin
Radcliff a professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame way back in 2013 in his book The Political Economy of Human Happinessemphasized the importance of the social safety net in the pursuit of happiness.
The third space as well as a vibrant community free of austerity and money outflows make for happy people and places. IMF and World Bank mandated austerity make for poorer and unhappy communities concentrating wealth in the wrong places where it doesn't empower people, places and communities. The Great Good Place by Ray Oldenburg, a seminal book from 1999 centering "cafes, coffee shops, bookstores, bars, hair salons and other hangouts at the heart of the community" emphasize the connection between well-being and the third space. The 2009 blog piece "Happy Places, Third Places" from Psychology Today, emphasizes and summarizes the takeaways from the book.
Green spaces, blue spaces - a connection with nature help to make people happier and healthier.
Places of faith and community festivals add to happiness as much as they add to invisible labor but remain deeply connected to a sense of community and well-being.
What do you think makes you happy?
What do you think will make your community happier?
What will it take to make your country happier?
Food for thought on this the day of the God who is the remover of obstacles (Maha Sankathara Chaturthi - celebrating the Hindu elephant headed god of knowledge, beginnings and solutions), As we think about the road to happiness here's hoping he and our guardian angels remove the hurdles on this path!
30 July 2026 is Earth Overshoot Day for this year. As mentioned in the post during the COVID19 pandemic when earth overshoot day was pushed to 22 August 2020 due to the restrictions of lockdown:
Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity has
exhausted nature's budget for the year. For the rest of the year, we are
maintaining our ecological deficit by drawing down local resource stocks and
accumulating carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
The result of overconsumption, extractive policies, overexploitation of resources, use-and-throw lifestyles, linear instead of circular economies and of course unsustainable development.
Perhaps there is a message that Earth Overshoot has been falling in July, a month observed as "Plastic Free July" centering a RE-Plastic (REplacing, REducing, REcycling & REusing Plastic) Lifestyle. Eschewing the throwaway (single-use/disposable/wasteful) culture will go a long way in extending natural resources longer into the year - thus delaying our dependence on resources of future years and generations.
Illustration Credit: Global Footprint Network 2026,
www.overshootday.org and www.footprintnetwork.org
With wars in multiple parts of the world literally burning through resources explosively, it seems counterintuitive that earth overshoot day is nearly a week later this year. While we would tend to pat ourselves in the back that last year's earth overshoot day fell on July 24th 2025 and in the Fire Horse Year 2026 it has been pushed back almost a week to July 30th 2026, it must be noted this is just an accounting correction due to "upward data revision in the Ocean Carbon Absorption" rather than significantly improved resource conservation and ecological restoration (see image below for AI summary of why this stretch happened):
See more at: https://overshoot.footprintnetwork.org/newsroom/country-overshoot-days/
If the whole world lived like Indians , we won't overshoot the earth's budget of annual ecological resources, see this DWTV's coverage of Earth Overshoot Day 2025:
Data Revisions: Upward adjustments to ocean
carbon-absorption metrics and minor account updates shifted the baseline
calculation 8 days later.
Real-World Change: Actual rising human consumption
widened the ecological deficit, pushing the date 2 days earlier.
Net Effect:
Combining the +8 day data correction and -2 day consumption acceleration
resulted in the net 6-day calendar delay.
True Trajectory: Despite the later
calendar date, resource consumption pressure worsened, making 2026 the highest
state of ecological overshoot to date.
As mentioned in the DWTV report, less waste, more recycling, reducing food waste, overconsumption and shifting to green energy all will help push back Earth Overshoot Day.
Thus centering a Circular Economy model, slow fashion, zero-waste, Net-Zero eco-conscious lifestyles - Sustainable Development - will make us live within our planetary resource budget. This way of life itself is Climate Action - SDG 13 as the ecological footprint and carbon footprint of our lives shrink. This is much needed in a world bearing the brunt of climate change.
It's easier said than done as there are entrenched systems that pushback on changes in consumption patterns. This video by creator AliMcForever "Burning Carbon" explains it succinctly:
Here's to hoping that we can shift to a more ecologically conscious and environmentally freindly way of life thus living within our planetary resource budgets!
We are more than midway through the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030), a global call for action led by the UN Environment Program (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) that aims to
"prevent, halt, and reverse the degradation of ecosystems
worldwide, aiming to revive 1 billion hectares of land and protect marine
environments."
It's a good time to access our progress and check out the main threats to ecosystems and the innovations and innovators tackling it.
Overwhelmingly environmental threats include the climate crisis, deforestation, soil degradation, air pollution, water pollution and plastic pollution. In nearly all cases innovators leading the charge have overwhelmingly been young people.
Threats to ecosystems are directly and indirectly risks to human security and innovations - be they recognized, award winning and community level life-changing - have come from young people who have seen a problem and found solutions for it.
The search engine Ecosia's planting of over 250 million trees in key ecosystems thus restoring vital natural resources has been a major win fr Ecosystem Restoration.
Young Innovators nationally and internationally, individually and through innovative community intervention have played a vital role in improving ecosystems as well as lives and livelihoods.
The focus of this post will be young Indian Innovators whose innovations have led to climate action (SDG 13), environmental cleanup as well as improved lives.
Source: Ideal City 2026: Nature Research Intelligence/Springer Nature
SDG 9: Industry Innovation and Infrastructure
Young Indian Innovators boosting SDGs
Three 16-year-olds Indians from Delhi-NCR, Vivaan Chhawchharia, Ariana Agarwal, and Avyana Mehta, won the $100,000 Grand Prize of Earth Prize 2026 after becoming Regional Winners from India with their innovation Plas-Stick. Seeing the problem of microplastic pollution in water resources everywhere they came up with a low-cost innovation to ensure clean water for all, especially in rural India where access to safe drinking water and affordable tech to clean were both challenges. Their innovative use of ubiquitous tamarind seed powder to bind and remove microplastics rightfully earned then the Earth Prize 2026.
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Mahek Parvez then a student pupil leader of a leading school in Chennai (Tamil Nadu, India), Chettinad Vidyashram as a teenager designed a "refrigerator" that functioned without electricity or a coolant. This innovation that won the Lexus Design Award India improved lives and livelihoods as well as cutting down food wastage (SDG 12, SDG 2) and carbon footprint (SDG 13) of food produce.
The "SunHarvested CoolRooms" which triples shelf-life of fruits and vegetables was a response to the young lady witnessing the problem of spoiling produce and the challenges of access to electricity and affordable cooling solutions and solved the problem by applying basic physics innovatively.
This led Mehak to a Research internship at IIT-Madras' Prof. KS Reddy Sustainable Cooling Heat Transfer & Thermal Properties lab (2023-2024), the Lexus Eco Award and graduate studies in the United States.
Seeing local dobhis (laundry persons) handle coal under the scorching sun - polluting the air and adding to greenhouse gases led to Vinisha, the Earthshot Prize's youngest ever nominee to design Iron Max - the Solar Ironing Cart even before she was a teenager after months of researching and innovating a solution.
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These innovations all improved ecosystems as well as lives and livelihoods.
SDG10 - Reduced Inequalities
Nearly 15 years ago, then 12 year old Shalini Kumari from Patna, Bihar saw her her grandfather using a walker because of limited mobility struggle with steps and designed the adjustable walker that can be used to climb steps as well as walk on flat surfaces. By improving the access of people with limited mobility, Shalini's retractable walker improved mobility and lives of people with limited mobility. To date it remains a cost-effective and life-changing innovation in the lives of many. Improved mobility in many ways is empowerment.
Just a student of Class 8, her life-changing innovation won her the Ignite Award 2011.
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More recently WALK by Lifespark Technologies - a smart gait support system for Parkinson's Patients was also an innovative solution Amey Desai designed in response to his grandfather's struggles with Parkinsons Disease that has gone on to empower and improve the life, gait and safety of many suffering from the sudden fall/freeze inducing neurological condition as well as similar conditions.
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Avishyant Panda, IAS, of the 2017 batch through his innovative community-level intervention across Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra ("Lungs of Maharashtra") has reduced inequalities and built a climate-resilient, water-secure community. His efforts at watershed management, tree-planting and water bodies restoration boosts multiple SDGs: SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities through community empowerment, SDG6 - Access to Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG 11 - Sustainable Communities, SDG 13 - Climate Action, SDG 14 - Life Below Water, SDG 15 - Life on Land.
July brings monsoon to a large part of India and heavy rains in many parts of the world. While a welcome break from extreme heat and heatwaves, monsoon brings its own kind of mayhem.
And considering India is a water-stressed country that has overdrawn its groundwater as well as having large parts of the country in drought and drought-like conditions saving water is always a priority. This is the situation in most regions of the world. Even in flood-prone weather communities and governments need to remember to 'Catch the Rain'.
Catch the Rain Pledge of Government of India
The Government of India during the period of March 22 to November 30 has called for efforts to enhance rainwater harvesting and 'Catch the Rain'. The Jal Shakti Abhiyan's Catch the Rain (JSA:CTR) campaign calls for
Water Conservation at the household level
Rainwater Harvesting from the household and community levels all the way to the state and national levels
Mapping and Geo-tagging Existing Water Bodies Across the Nation
Reviving and Restoring water bodies and wetlands
Afforestation (Especially in watershed regions)
Water Security and Conservation Education
Jal Shakti Kendras - district level centers for water management information
EcoBloc & Rainwater Harvesting
The above The Better India reel shows the "smart drain" EcoBloc made using recycled plastic that harvests storm water. A solution by Chennai's R.R. Sivaram implemented in thousands of locations across Tamil Nadu and India harvesting millions of liters of rainwater from surface runoff. - a win-win for SDG 12 and SDG 6 - responsible consumption and production of plastics and water - ensuring clean water and sanitation in drier non-monsoon periods.
Sponge City Model
The Sponge City model of flood mitigation and rain and storm water harvesting is mentioned in the last post of May 2026 (28 May 2026), "Ecomodernism in the lead up to Environment Day."
Sponge cities are prime example of nature-based solution. Tested by Chinese Landscape Architect Kongjian Yu (who passed away in September 2025) in 30 cities in China with plans for over 500 more. It includes harnessing
porous pavements,
green rooftops,
rain gardens
wetlands
to manage water, support biodiversity and improve air quality.
Reviving Water bodies and Wetlands
A major reason for both Heat Island Effect and increased instances of floods in urban areas is the encroachment and mismanagement of water bodies and wetlands. Thus whether in Summer or in Monsoon weather-proofing requires healthy wetlands and water bodies. The bonus of healthy water bodies and wetlands is the boost to biodiversity - a boost to Life Below Water (SDG 14) and Life on Land (SDG 15).
Enhancing Watershed Areas
Water security is holistic and involves securing water resources, forests, wetlands, soil and biodiversity from overexploitation. Watershed management is vital to water security. Especially ensuring natural resources in rain-fed and rain-collecting areas that replenish both surface and ground freshwater resources is vital to ensure human security and sustainable development - especially SDG 6 and SDGs 13, 14 & 15.
A Climate Resilient & Water Secure Future
While being inundated by news of floods, landslides and infrastructure destroyed by heavy rains, cloudbursts and thunderstorms one is always reminded of the power and fury of nature and the man-made disasters we create by destroying natural protection against such monsoon mayhem.
Revived and restored floodplains, wetlands that function fully as the sponges to storm water that they are and, forests and grasslands that anchor soil and prevent landslides are vital to survive the monsoon. Most especially in the watershed regions but also in urban areas where man-made flooding has become the norm rather than the exception from Millennium City (Gurugram) to Maximum City (Mumbai) to our Software and Startup Hub (Bengaluru).
Reviving Shola grasslands in Nilgiris and the Western Ghats, protecting and restoring rainforests and forests in hill and mountain regions as well as checking unsustainable urbanization in sensitive ecosystems by fostering Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11) instead would ensure a climate resilient and water secure future for us all.
Big Apple First
The news of a planned Urban Forest in New York is a step in the right direction. In a city with such a high real estate value per square feet the declaration to prioritize greening to make the Big Apple climate resilient is a signal to the rest of the world. If New York and its NYC Urban Forest Plan can afford t make space for 30% tree canopy by 2040 then any other urban center can do it too.
In the midst of news about the heatwaves in Europe I read about what a privilege it is to be able to see three trees out of your home, school and workplace. A globally recognized pillar of urban planning and healthy living: the 3-30-300 rule put forth by forestry expert Cecil Konijinendjik. The core of which includes
3 trees in view
30% Canopy Cover
300 meters to a Park
This metric is failed by most global urban centers according to a Nature journal research.
I realize how privileged my life is that my part of the world checks off this 3-30-300 metric. Perhaps if more places met this criteria there would be less news of monsoon mayhem, wildfires or heatwaves.
As mentioned in previous Juneposts in this blog, this month is about celebrating ecosystems and the solstice.
June 21st is the Solstice - Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere with the longest day and Winter Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere with the shortest day. More recently June 21st has also been observed as International Day of Yoga. The sun salutation or Surya Namaskar being central to yogic practices thus apt to coincide with the Solstice.
Meanwhile June 17th is observed as the International Day to Combat Desertification and Drought with the 2026 theme being "Rangelands: Recognize, Respect, Restore" which dovetails well with the Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) declaration of 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists.
The Icelandic practice of Rettir - the annual sheep roundup is especially vital to the nation's horses, horse-riding traditions as well as the delicate ecosystems of that Land of Fire and Ice. The sheep and the horses in the pastures help maintain the highlands in spring as well as the flocks and herds health through the year. This traditional cherishing of the wild spirit - the roaming - of the horses and flocks feels especially right in 2026, the Year of the Fire Horse.
In the context of reversing desertification and grasslands and pastures, it becomes vital to talk of the solarization and use of solar sheep to fight the creeping desert in Talatan in China's Qinghai Province. As this Facebook reel puts it, the construction of the Talatan Solar Park -the size of Singapore at the edge of the desert has helped create a microclimate that sustains green cover - so much so sheep needed to be brought in to control the grass and weeds (Solar Sheep!) thus generating power, pasture and profits in the region.
Rangelands such as the Rakhals in the Salt Desert, Kutch district of Gujarat in India and the Gujjars and Bakkerwals - nomadic pastoralists of Jammu and Kashmir provide vital oases and ecosystem services respectively.
SDGs at Play
Healthy ecosystems and practices and people who consolidate them automatically boost the sustainable development goals (SDGs) as a whole as well as directly and indirectly.
The ecosystem services of nomadic pastoralists such as the Gujjars and Bakkerwals in Jammu helo with watershed management (SDG 6 - Clean Water and Sanitation) as much as SDG 15 - Life on Land.
The sensitive Rakhal rangelands and traditional knowledge that maintains them is vital in the harsh environs of the Salt Desert which is nevertheless home to a vast interdependent biodiversity thus healthy rakhals boosts SDG 15.
The introduction of the Solar Park at the edge of the desert in China ensured SDG 7 - Access to Affordable and Clean Energy as well as combating Drought and Desertification thus boosting SDG 15 as well as tackling the region's health and nutrition requirements (SDG 2 - Zero Hunger, SDG 3 - Good Health and Wellbeing).
Rainforests
The theme for Rainforests Day 2026, observed annually on June 22nd, the day after the June Solstice, is "The Forest Within You." Rainforests in addition to being the lungs of the planet and massive carbon sinks are also vital biodiversity and traditional medicine hotspots. They are also the source of our water security as many mighty rivers emerge from the rainforests that sustain life and livelihoods. Nothing heals like forests and forest products and this is exponentially more relevant with regard to rainforests.
In 2026, the search engine Ecosia reached and exceeded its goal of planting 250 million trees through its searches. Most of this was done through empowering local communities and restoring forests, watersheds and reviving biodiversity not just increasing green cover.
Rainforests also protect and support many indigenous and tribal communities that are imperiled by modern way of life. Thus it is heartening to hear news of the Amazon healing (RE-green - Earthshot Prize 2026 - Restore Earth) and Southeast Asian conservationists and environmental activists such as Theonila Roka Matbob in 2026, who halt its encroachment, like in Papua New Ginea's rainforests by the devastation of Rio Tinto the mining company, being honored with the Green Nobel - Goldman Environmental Prize 2026 as well as Whitley Award for Indonesia's Leuser Rainforest.
The $10 million XPrize for Rainforests is more tech focused but also focused on monitoring rainforests and enable local indigenous communities' stewardship of them, e.g., Limelight Rainforest.
Thus the restoration of ecosystems is helping slowly and locally and globally improving people, planet and prosperity - slowly but surely.
The month of June while observed as Orca Awareness Month (All About Killer Whales) otherwise has an enhanced focus on the ecosystems that support the biodiversity that's celebrated through May.
Between World Bicycle Day (June 3rd, "Cycling into a Greener Future," 2026 theme), Environment Day (June 5th), Ocean Day (June 8th), International Day to Combat Desertification and Drought (June 17th), the Summer Solstice (also observed as Yoga Day, where Surya Namaskar a.k.a. Sun Salutations from India in the Northern Hemisphere is vital to the ancient practice and the sun too reaches its exaltation over the Tropic of Cancer running through the heart of India with two Sun Temples in the East and West along the latitude), and Rainforests Day (June 22nd), the focus is firmly on the ecosystems and environment that supports life and livelihoods.
The time is now. Action is necessary urgently as security risks abound in India, South Asia and beyond due to climate change and the heating planet supercharging weather phenomena such as the El Nino. The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres himself took time out to mention the impending climate disasters likely triggered by the Super El Nino as warned by the World Meteorological Organization:
While our Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are environment coded, protecting our planet in the quest to truly progress is all about putting people, planet, progress and profits in the same page of the plan of action.
Inclusive plans of action and an intersectional lens are vital features of true environmentalism. The effects of the climate crisis are gendered and classist hence the process of protecting our environment needs to voices of women, girls, minorities and the marginalized, with a responsive ground up, grassroots grown approach.
For Our Future
Nations are institutions are doing quite a bit to protect our environment "for our future," but a lot more needs to be done.
The pace of destructive activity and our crude oil addiction outpaces conservation and restoration efforts and the mainstreaming of renewable energy sources.
Ecofeminism is needed as the growth model now more than ever. Gender Equality (SDG5), Reduced Inequality (SDG10) and Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (SDG16) are all vital to Climate Action (SDG13) and the path to Just Transition and robust environmentalism.
Meanwhile, as an individual, this environment day and beyond you can track your personal carbon footprint (Check out OnlyPlanet.in) and find means to shrink it to reduce your impact on the environment in order to protect it ... for our future. For, to quote the immortal Jane Goodall,
"Every single one of us makes an impact on our planet every single day and we can choose what kind of impact we make."
After a May focused on celebrating biodiversity in its many forms, the main focus in June will be Environment Day, observed on 5 June 2026.
The theme for World Environment Day 2026 (WED2026) is
"Inspired by Nature. For Climate. For Our Future."
WED2026 is hosted by Azerbaijan.
Personally I have found the environmental philosophies of Ecomodernism, Ecofeminism and a future reimagined as "Solar Punk" most in-line with the theme of #WorldEnvironmentDay2026. The theme of Environment Day as well as the ecology-centric worldviews of Ecomodernism and Ecofeminism put the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Circularity at their hearts. An ecology-first approach with an intersectionalist lens is central to reimagining a regenerative world.
What is Insersectnality?
(See explainer video below)
Ecomodernism
"Ecomodernism
is an environmental philosophy arguing that human technological development and
economic growth can—and should—be harnessed to protect nature and improve human
wellbeing. At its core, ecomodernism focuses on 'decoupling', a
process meant to separate growing economic prosperity from environmental
damage. This is primarily achieved through 'land
sparing'—intensifying human activities like food and energy production on
less land, which leaves more space for natural ecosystems to thrive."
If I have reservations about ecomodernism its the approval of nuclear power, synthetic fertilizers, genetically modified crops and urbanization in the quest to concentrate civilization and let ecology thrive in silos. See the YouTube Shorts summary (10 Cool Facts!) below:
Ecofeminism
Ecofeminism was introduced in Carolyn Merchant's 1980 book The Death of Nature: Women, Ecology, and the Scientific Revolution. It calls for knowledge with an ecological ethic of care instead of dominance. A return to a mode of development in partnership with nature, respecting it as living systems instead of machines to be controlled and dominated. See the explainer YouTube shorts below:
Solarpunk
"Solarpunk a
literary, artistic, and social movement that envisions a sustainable,
optimistic future where humanity lives in harmony with nature. It blends
advanced renewable technology (the tech, SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy) with
ecological awareness, actively rejecting climate doomerism in favor of
community-driven, post-capitalist solutions (punk resistance to neocapitalism,
neocolonialism & neoliberalism, et al. a.k.a. “Empire,” as Arundhati Roy
puts it)"
Electric Bus launched in Indian Metros & Solar Ferry in Kochi's (Keralam) backwaters.
One of the facilitators from my South Asia fellowship with Climate Tracker a decade ago (2016), Renee Karunungan from The Philippines, now based in United Kingdom shared how she has solarized her home and electrified her transport with UK government subsidies.
Beyond Environment Day: For Our Future
Meanwhile my classmate, Venkatesh R. highlighted the plans for going 100% Off-Grid in India in his post on Medium as the Ground Truth Architect.
With the heating Pacific Ocean and predictions of a Super El Nino bound to mess with my city, Chennai's monsoon season (Northeast Monsoon), Venkatesh 'the Ground Truth Architect' also highlighted low-cost retrofits of the city's existing storm drains and rainwater harvesting systems as well as the introduction of porous roads in low-traffic areas and parking as well as bioswales in place of medians on highways. Thus reimaging the Greater Chennai Metropolis as a sponge city.
Inspired by Nature: Biomimicry & Beyond
Video: Sponge City: Chinese Style
Inspiration from nature is a way of working in partnership with it for people, planet and profits. This can be as simple as growing your kitchen garden to encourage symbiosis or can go up to inspiration for tech to clean up the messes of over-consumption, capitalism, neocolonialism and neoliberalism.
— Raakhee Suryaprakash (@10sunshinegal) May 26, 2026
For Climate: For Our Future
Beyond consumption for consumption's sake, living under the cloud of planned obsolescence as we are, we need to embrace the tenets of the circular economy models and sustainable development to live in harmony with nature.
My dad handed me two clothespins. “This,” he said, “is the story of everything.”
In one hand: a clothespin from the 1960s. Solid hardwood, smooth from decades of use. It still works perfectly, some 60 years later.
And however we design solutions, we must remember to hold an intersectional lens up to the problem to solve it holistically and regeneratively!
Uncut grass keeps the ground at around 19.5°C Grass cut to 10 cm raises the ground temperature to about 24.5°C Bare ground in the middle of summer rises to over 40°C It's important to raise awareness #NoMowMaypic.twitter.com/IQJviy48Ko
— Dr Elaine Cox 🍃 💚 🍃🌽🥬🐦⬛🐌🇬🇧 (@ElaineCox11) May 25, 2026
Both National Panchayati Raj Day and National Women's Political Empowerment Day are observed on April 24th.
In 2026 it is the 33rd edition of both celebrations of the 73rd and 74th Amendments to the Constitution of India and created legal space for local governance of Gram Panchayats and Nagar Palikas (Urban Local Governments) as well as a third reservation for Elected Women Representatives (EWRs) in this third sphere of democracy - both types of local government bodies.
Interacting with EWRs from panchayats across India in New Delhi, April 25, 2011
The theme of the Panchayati Raj Diwas 2026 is "Sashakt
Panchayat, Sarvangeen Vikas" (Empowered Panchayats, Holistic Development) with focus on centering sustainable development goals (SDGs) from the grassroots by "strengthening local bodies through
digital governance, such as e-GramSwaraj, to ensure inclusive growth and
contribute to Viksit Bharat (Developed India) by 2047 vision. The 2026 celebration emphasizes that
"Strong Panchayats build strong villages, and strong villages build a
strong nation."
Women Farmers in Villages and As EWRs
Of course building strong villages and encouraging holistic development centers Women Farmers the mainstay of rural agriculture. When women farmers are given voice and a seat at the decision-making table, agriculture, communities and villages transform. When the local government, CSR, SDGs, and ESG initiatives center the needs of a farming woman in all her avatars it turbo charges agricultural and rural development.
Source: Seema Kulkarni, Asian College of Journalism's Climate Hub's online series
Many UNDP and ADB (Asian Development Bank) programs to make villages and agriculture climate resilient have met targets faster when they worked with local women farmer organizations and self-help groups (SHGs). This is not just in India but a fact across the world especially throughout the Asia-Pacific. Making solar power accessible to prevent food waste and increase income streams in rural ecosystems beyond just solar irrigation is a great program of climate adaptation funded by the UNDP in India.
From breaking caste barriers and patriarchy to building solar-powered, self-sustaining villages, these women sarpanches are redefining what leadership looks like in rural India.
This isn’t just governance. It’s courage in action.
The Panchayati Raj Day celebrations on April 24, 2026 and the many award -winning panchayats and their leaders demonstrate the power of local self governance especially those that have EWRs and women leaders shaping implementation of policy on the ground.
Women Leading Panchayats from the Front
Across #GrameenBharat, #women elected to Panchayati Raj Institutions are increasingly exercising their roles with confidence and responsibility, moving beyond proxy representation to active leadership. By participating directly in… pic.twitter.com/euJbJhVmvA
— Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Government of India (@mopr_goi) April 24, 2026
April 22nd has been observed as Earth Day since 1970 the first time through American efforts to channel student anti-war efforts into an environmental movement. Fifty-seven years on Earth Day is observed across the planet and has encompassed many activities to protect the planet.
Source: Photo of the earth as a Pale Blue Dot suspended on a sunbeam captured by the Voyager 1 space probe from 6 million kilometers away and sent on Valentine's Day 1990 after multiple requests by American Astronomer and Planetary Scientist Carl Sagan.
Our Power, Our Planet
The theme for Earth Day 2026 is "Our Power, Our Planet" which can be interpreted in multiple ways.
While the main focus is Energy Security through boosting SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy - a Just Transition to Renewable Energy, vital in these times of an Energy Shock due to the choking of the Strait of Hormuz, another aspect is a call for all of us to use our power for the planet - individually or collectively. The Environmentalist Foundation of India's (EFI) call for a #BlueGreenCleanVote in the Legislative Assembly Elections is a great demonstration of this.
EFI Founder Arun Krishnamurthy of Tambaram, Chennai, Calls for a Blue Green Clean Vote in Tamil Nadu State Elections 2026.
This involves building Sustainable Communities and Sustainable Cities (SDG 11). Literally on Earth Day in the International Year of the Woman Farmer (IYWF2026) and the International Year of the Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP2026) both championed by the UN's Food And Agriculture Organization (FAO) it makes sense that the focus is on "Saving the Soil." Overuse of soil, GMO seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and antibiotics as well as the all pervasive plastic and microplastics pollution has degraded soil fertility and soil quality across the planet. The possible fertilizer crisis due to the disruption of the supply of crude oil from the unstable Middle East could be an opportunity to train and transition justly to organic farming.
This could be a great time to empower women farmers and smallholding farmers to become organic farmers, natural farmers and friends of the soils. Training and in-the-field, 24-hour big data--mapped support could transform the lives of farmers already pushed to the brink by various factors including price rise all around except seemingly for their hard-grown products. CSR, ESG, local governments, panchayats, NGOs and PPP programs could all be tailored to empowering farmers to transition to organic or natural farming as well as solar powered irrigation systems.
For Farmers and Soil Health: For the Planet
To use power for the planet - literal clean energy or that of people is vital in these troubled times of climate crises, environmental crises, economic crises and conflicts. In order to achieve human security we need to ensure self-reliance, sustainability and self-sufficiency - food security, water security, energy security. By empowering those who grow our food and the very earth than nourishes it we can definitely improve lives of not just farmers but our whole population.
A ground up, hands on strategy to transition to organic and natural farming while empowering and training women farmers and smallholders is a step in the right direction and is much needed on Earth Day and beyond.
It's our home.
This Earth Day, see our planet as our Artemis II astronauts saw it with these new images from the mission. pic.twitter.com/ne0ZwqtqOc
