India at the top of Greendex

The National Geographic conducted a transnational survey for over six years from 2008 to 2014 that computed something called the ‘Greendex’ - a measure of the environmental impact of a person’s consumption patterns.

The survey found that India, with a score of 61.4, topped the world rankings. The study said, “Indians’ Greendex score has increased considerably since 2012, and they remain in first place overall. Their Housing score has increased greatly, and their Food score has also increased. Their Transportation score has also seen a modest increase.”

In the crucial area of food consumption, the six-year study revealed the following:

- Indians are among the least frequent consumers of imported foods, and consumption of such foods has decreased since 2009. They are among the highest consumers of self-grown food.

- They are less likely to consume beef or pork than consumers in other countries that were surveyed.

- Indians are among the most frequent consumers of fruits and vegetables.

It is the values of restraint inherent in Indian culture that has led to these eco-friendly food habits. One should note that it is not rigid, dogmatic vegetarianism but the intrinsic culture-based controls in meat consumption of non-vegetarians that makes the system green-friendly. This, in turn, relates to the core yoga values that have shaped the cultural and social life in India, namely moderation in consumption and self-reliance rather than the squandering of external sources.

In other areas of life, too, like indigenous building technologies or water management systems, these core values come into focus. What’s interesting to note is that these values have evolved indigenously over time rather than imposed through scripture or State.



Sri Aurobindo and his spiritual collaborator, The Mother’s (born Mirra Alfassa) movement with its roots in ‘Integral Yoga’ and emphasis on futuristic humanity made some of the boldest experiments in blending Indic knowledge systems with the science of ecology.

The ‘Auroville charter’, drafted by The Mother, speaks of ‘taking advantage of all discoveries from without and from within’, in order to ‘boldly spring towards future realisations’. Today, Auroville is at the heart of the largest solar power installation in India. It is one of the foremost hubs in disseminating innovative renewable energy technology. It is this inner-outer connection that Modi spoke about at the UN.