Walk through any Indian city today, and you’ll see the signs of green living everywhere. From glossy eco-homes with vertical gardens to solar rooftops on premium apartments, sustainability has become a status symbol. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: when eco-friendly solutions carry a heavy price tag, they exclude the very people who need them most. For millions in low-income neighborhoods, affordable green living isn’t about luxury; it’s about survival. They face the harshest effects of climate change and environmental neglect. To them, these solutions should be practical lifelines, not inaccessible luxuries.

Lessons from the Villages: Authentic Sustainable Living India

India holds centuries of ecological wisdom. Visit a village, and you’ll see what true Sustainable living looks like, even if no one calls it that. Courtyards cradle a Tulsi plant, roofs are thatched with coconut fronds, walls plastered with cow dung keep homes cool, and every bit of kitchen waste returns to the soil as compost. Bamboo baskets replace plastic, wells supply water, and evenings under the Katte (village platform) teach us the value of community cooling.

This quiet, frugal way of life proves that affordable eco-solutions don’t have to be expensive or elitist. It can be humble, local, and affordable.

Innovation for Urban Sustainability Projects

Urban India has drifted from this traditional wisdom, but at Alliance University’s Centre of Excellence in Nature-Based Solutions, we are bridging the gap. We are piloting urban sustainability projects designed to bring low-cost urban gardening and other affordable sustainability innovations to communities. Our initiatives include:

• Edible Green Roofs: We’re turning concrete rooftops into productive, edible rooftop gardens that cool buildings and provide a food source. We cultivate climate-resilient plants like purslane, making this a practical and affordable climate resilience solution.
• ReSoil Technology: We’ve engineered a reusable soil mix from paper waste, coconut husk, food scraps, and even certain plastics. This waste to soil innovation gives urban gardens a second chance while keeping waste out of landfills.
• Slum Greening Projects: A project close to our hearts, “SlumBloom” is about greening slums India by transforming tin roofs and cramped courtyards into mini-gardens. These micro-oases improve nutrition, public health, and restore dignity to neglected communities.

What ties these environmental solutions India projects together is their affordability. A ₹200 garden kit or a ₹50 bag of ReSoil is small enough to spread, but powerful enough to reshape a city when scaled.

The Path to a Resilient India: Shared Responsibility

The real challenge lies in building a resilient India through collective effort. We need policymakers to support affordable green infrastructure, industries to innovate for the many, and academic institutions to push forward community-driven sustainability.

Nature has never charged us for shade or fertile soil. It is we who have turned sustainability into a premium commodity. A truly

sustainable India isn’t one where only a few live in eco-friendly enclaves; it’s one where every household can live lightly on the earth without paying a premium for it.

Green living must become our shared way of life.

– By Dr. Mithun Hanumesh, Assistant Professor & Assistant Director, Centre of Excellence in Nature-Based Solutions, Alliance University