Last December, Don’t Look Up premiered on Netflix as 2021’s parting gift.

While it didn’t break the Internet (it is a climate change movie after all), it smashed Netflix’s records to become the most-watched English movie on the platform - clocking 150+ million streaming hours in the very first week.

Now when you see Leo DiCaprio star in an apocalyptic disaster movie about climate change, you’ll understand that the whole environment situation must be dire.

Eco-anxiety can be understood as a chronic fear of environmental doom, and it’s experienced at a level more extensive and closer to home than we might think. In a survey led by Carol Hickman from the University of Bath that assessed the extent of stress caused by climate change, India ranked second. Around 35% of Indian respondents reported that they experienced extremely high levels of worry and anxiety about climate change & the future.

So here we are, offsetting that impending sense of doom with light bites of uplifting news in The Better World, a pocket-sized newsletter delivered to you every week.

The Indi-genius Khasi Community in Meghalaya

This tiny community in one of India’s wettest regions got a pat on the back from the UN for its sustainable agricultural practices. The indigenous Khasi community lives in a village called Nongtraw and practices what they call ‘jhum’ or shifting cultivation, relying on it as their primary food production system.

The jhum agricultural system gives the community an incredibly nutrient-rich crop yield of 12 potato varieties, 7 cocoyam varieties and 7 sweet potato varieties. Researchers hope to mainstream the Khasi’s biodiverse ways of agriculture after the UN’s nod of approval. Read more in Scroll’s report here.

Life in Plastic, Not So Fantastic

Aqua’s cult hit Barbie Girl might sound off-key in 2022. To cut the use of single-use plastic (sorry Ken!) ITC & Invest India collaborate to crowdsource innovations that aim to substitute single-use plastic & automate waste segregation.

Called the ITC Sustainability Innovation Challenge, it’s targeted at start-ups. The CEO of Invest India said he hoped to showcase made-in-India solutions to enable a more circular economy in the country. Read the full report here.

And If You Had to Read One Thing This Week...

Let it be cartoonist Rohan Chakravarthy's message of wildlife conservation. His new book Green Humour for a Greying Planet delivers a tongue-in-cheek, hyper-topical take on the planet & its creatures, making it a read that you will keep coming back to.
Want a preview before you commit? Take a look @green_humour on Instagram.

That’s it, folks!
Don't forget to reuse, recycle & reduce until the next time.