In the village of Bela, sarpanch Sharada Gaydhane has led a community-driven transformation that helped the village achieve net zero carbon emissions through tree planting, solar energy adoption, LPG use and systematic waste segregation.
The effort emerged after women in the village raised concerns about smoke-filled kitchens, recurring headaches and declining crop productivity. Responding to these everyday realities, Gaydhane worked with residents to introduce practical solutions that gradually became part of daily life from planting over 90,000 trees and installing solar panels across homes and public buildings to phasing out traditional chulhas and reducing single-use plastic.
Over time, these collective efforts helped Bela gain recognition as India’s first net zero village. The initiative also earned the village the Rashtriya Panchayat Puraskar 2024 and was showcased at Mumbai Climate Week 2026 on 19 February, highlighting how grassroots leadership and community participation can turn global climate goals into everyday action.
Saplings to Solar Journey
The transformation in Bela began not with climate jargon or policy directives, but with conversations. As the village’s sarpanch, Gaydhane often heard women speak about the difficulties they faced in their daily lives. Their kitchens were filled with smoke from traditional wood-fired chulhas, which caused headaches and breathing problems.
Farmers spoke about crops that no longer responded to irrigation the way they once had, hinting at deeper environmental changes affecting the village. Rather than dismiss these concerns as routine hardships, Gaydhane began connecting them as signs of a larger challenge and worked with residents to find practical ways to respond.
One of the earliest steps involved tree planting. What initially started as a simple environmental initiative soon evolved into a cultural practice. Weddings, festivals and other celebrations became occasions to plant saplings alongside traditional rituals.
Gradually, the number of trees grew, reshaping the village landscape and increasing the green cover. Over the years, Bela planted around 90,000 trees, which not only enhanced biodiversity but also contributed to absorbing carbon emissions and improving local climatic conditions.
At the same time, attention turned to household energy use. For generations, smoky chulhas had been a fixture of rural kitchens, but they were a major source of indoor air pollution and health problems. With support from government schemes and community awareness efforts, many households began shifting to LPG connections and solar-powered cooking options. This transition significantly reduced smoke in kitchens and made daily cooking more manageable for women who had long endured its health impacts.
Renewable energy also began appearing across the village in visible ways. Solar panels were installed on rooftops of homes as well as in public spaces such as anganwadis and the panchayat office. These installations gradually changed how electricity was generated and consumed in the village, reducing dependence on conventional energy sources.
Another critical component of Bela’s climate journey was waste management. Previously, waste disposal remained an overlooked issue in many rural areas. However, under Gaydhane’s leadership, the village introduced door-to-door waste segregation, encouraging households to separate biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste.
Over time, this shift also led to the disappearance of single-use plastics from everyday use. “We also promoted waste segregation at doorsteps and achieved the vanishing of single-use plastics,” Gaydhane said, describing a process that unfolded gradually rather than through a single campaign.
The Idea of Net Zero, Made Local
The concept of “net zero” is often associated with international climate agreements and large-scale policy commitments. In Bela, however, the idea has taken a far more tangible and local form. It can be seen in the shade of growing trees that now line village paths, in kitchens that no longer fill with smoke, and in waste that is sorted rather than discarded indiscriminately.
Each of these changes may seem small on its own, but together they have created a broader shift in how the community interacts with its environment. Tree planting absorbs carbon dioxide, solar panels reduce reliance on fossil fuel-based electricity, and improved waste management prevents pollution and resource loss. Over time, these actions collectively contributed to Bela’s recognition as India’s first net zero village.
This journey has also brought wider attention to the role that local governance can play in addressing climate challenges. Bela received the Rashtriya Panchayat Puraskar in 2024 for its achievements in sustainable development and community-led governance. The village’s story gained further visibility when it was highlighted at Mumbai Climate Week 2026, where experts and policymakers discussed grassroots solutions to climate change.
At the centre of this transformation is Gaydhane’s approach to leadership. Rather than relying on technical terminology or waiting for external interventions, she focused on observing everyday realities and encouraging practical solutions that residents could adopt themselves.
Her philosophy reflects a belief that sustainability is not merely about large projects but about rethinking existing resources and habits. “Waste can be converted into wealth if thought properly,” she said, emphasising the importance of resourcefulness in community development.
Her re-election as sarpanch ensured continuity in the village’s efforts, allowing initiatives to develop gradually over several years rather than remaining short-term campaigns. This sustained leadership helped the changes become embedded in daily routines and community culture.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Bela’s story is a powerful reminder that climate action does not always begin in international summits or policy documents; it can start in village meetings, kitchens and farmlands where people experience environmental changes first-hand. By listening to community concerns and linking environmental solutions with everyday life, Bela demonstrates how local leadership and collective participation can produce meaningful change.
What makes this initiative particularly significant is its emphasis on continuity and community ownership. Instead of relying on one-time projects, Bela’s residents integrated sustainability into their cultural practices from planting trees during celebrations to managing waste responsibly. These efforts show that climate action can be both practical and inclusive, especially when communities themselves become the drivers of change.
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