Across India, people are finding thoughtful ways to care for the places they call home. It can begin with a question raised in a classroom, a wedding planned with intention, or a dry pond slowly coming back to life. Sometimes, it starts with a sapling placed in the soil, carrying faith in tomorrow. This week, we’ve brought together four such stories of people choosing sustainability as part of daily life. Each one carries warmth, effort, and belief, showing how mindful actions can grow into greener communities and leave the world a little better for those who follow. How 4 Teen Girls Turned a Lunch-Break Idea Into a Startup Fighting Plastic Waste At a school entrepreneurship camp in Ghaziabad, four friends began questioning the plastic piling up around them. That conversation grew into Pahal, a student-led startup creating simple alternatives. Starting within their own campus, the girls persuaded peers to swap single-use items and soon took their products beyond school gates. Between exams and community outreach, they are quietly building a youth-led movement. See how four classmates turned curiosity into a movement against plastic waste. Pahal started at school—where encouragement and guidance turned an idea into real action against plastic. Photograph: (Akshita Joshi) Bhopal Wedding Diverts 45 Kg of Plastic, Empowers 50 Women & Inspires 300 Guests to Celebrate Sustainably Weddings are known for excess, but this Bhopal couple scripted a different kind of celebration. From décor to dining, every detail was planned to keep plastic out and people at the centre. Local women were engaged to craft eco-friendly arrangements, and guests went home with seed balls instead of flashy gifts. The event diverted 45 kg of plastic and sparked conversations on how joy need not cost the earth. Take a look at how one wedding turned into a lesson in planet-friendly love. Ashish and Neha's wedding avoided all plastic and waste, inspiring guests toward sustainable celebrations. Photograph: (Ashish Garg) This Couple & 400 Villagers Revived 11 Dead Water Bodies in Drought-Prone Anantapur In one of Andhra Pradesh’s driest districts, a couple refused to accept empty tanks as destiny. Working with 400 villagers, they cleared silt, repaired channels and patiently brought 11 water bodies back to life. The return of water has revived farms, birds, and livelihoods, proving that restoration is possible even in the harshest geographies. See how ordinary citizens helped a thirsty land breathe again. With the help of forest department and villagers, Vineet Kumar IFS and Rupak Yadav managed to revive water bodies in drought prone region. Photograph: (Rupak Yadav) One Woman Sarpanch Rebuilt a Maharashtra Village With 1,16,000 Trees and Solar Power When Pratibha Shinde became sarpanch of drought-hit Dawa village in Maharashtra, she imagined a future the next generation could live in. Over the years, she rallied residents to plant more than a lakh trees, revive common lands, and gradually switch homes to solar power. The once-parched landscape now breathes easier, with better incomes and cooler summers. Read how Pratibha Shinde grew a forest of hope from the ground up. Seeing Dawwa’s soil degrade, crops fail, and youth leave, Yogeshwari knew the village needed strong local leadership. Photograph: (The Better India)