The best sustainable living organisations, courses and workshops

Switching over to a sustainable way of life can do wonders but it is not something that should feel out of reach. Meet the people who will help you take the leap by keeping it simple

Let's face it—with climate change threatening our very survival on the planet, we can no longer stay oblivious to the impact of our daily choices. Though reversing the damage is a large-scale effort, small measures targeted towards sustainable living and a more sustainable lifestyle can make a significant difference to our personal well-being and our environment.

Want to know how to begin? Meet the people who will help you make the leap to a more eco-friendly lifestyle by keeping it simple.

Sustainable Living At The Solitude Farm, Auroville, Puducherry

Auroville has long been known for its eco-friendly lifestyle practices as put in place by a community who delved into all aspects of sustainable living years before eco-activism started to trend. If you are keen to make room for healthier, ecologically sensitive choices, then the Solitude Farming Workshops are a particularly good place to start.

Run by a community of farmers, Solitude Farm was founded in 1996 by a group of young locals. One such local, Krishna McKenzie, was inspired by Masanobu Fukuoka, the Japanese eco-warrior who championed natural farming and permaculture. You can learn about how bioresources – i.e., leaves, weeds and branches—when returned to the soil, increase the soil fertility and eliminate the need for chemical fertilisers and pesticides. In addition, the community's 130 different plants are used as ingredients in the dishes served in their café, the Solitude Farm Cafe.

·    Write to: krishnamckenzie@auroville.org.in
·    Call: (984)3319260

Eco-friendly Lifestyle Internships At Permaculture Patashala, Hyderabad

This preeminent Indian permaculture initiative as helmed by Narsanna Koppula, is the pioneer of permaculture in the country. The Permaculture Patshala three-month internship programme draws sustainable living enthusiasts from across the world.

The programme is all about hands-on learning, with the 'school' being a 1,000-square-metre food forest in suburban Hyderabad, which is part of the environmental organisation, ARANYA Agricultural Alternatives. Students are taught the science of growing food without major human intervention—from mulching leaves and growing produce on drylands, to building biodiversity, facilitating microbial growth, composting, sowing seeds and learning about the interconnectedness of insects, plants and weeds.

·    Write to: permanent.agriculture@gmail.com

·    Call: Narsanna Koppula on 09440826722

·    Visit: permacultureindia.org