Piyush Sethia creates forests, preserves lakes and opposes commercial mining

Piyush Sethia pauses beside what looks like a mound of dirt, plunges his hand right in and pulls out something. “These are the gems of our earth,” he says, holding out his hand. A mass of earthworms wriggles frenetically on his palm.

It is the compost generated by these worms that has helped create the green space on which we are standing. Constant experimentation with landscaping and water harvesting techniques has coaxed this dry and arid land in Tamil Nadu’s Dharmapuri district into going green.

The 39-year-old environmentalist (who refers to himself as Piyush Manush; “Sethia only appears in my police and court records,” he grins) calls this space the “Coop” forest. “I bought 1.5 acres and started planting trees here in 2009,” he says.................Read more

Source: livemint