Nature is their teacher, the forest their home and the natural world, their guide. This International Women’s Day, witness how tribal women of Aarey forest -the heart and the lungs of Mumbai City- are leading climate action in their own meaningful ways.

From preserving indigenous forest knowledge to adopting smokeless cookstoves for cleaner cooking, these women are blending traditional wisdom with sustainable technology to protect their health, their forests, and their future. 

Watch this video to discover how tribal women in Aarey are driving grassroots climate solutions, proving that real climate leadership often begins in everyday lives and communities, and cannot be achieved by excluding indigenous tribes and their knowledge.

At Green Pistachio, we believe sustainability should feel approachable rather than overwhelming. Through storytelling, we spotlight people and communities quietly shaping a more sustainable world. The tribal women of Aarey are one such example — showing how tradition, resilience, and thoughtful adoption of cleaner technologies can lead to meaningful climate action.

The Smokeless Cookstove Foundation, started by Nitisha Agrawal, works closely with tribal communities and supports healthier homes, new income streams, reduced fuel needs, and encourages sustainable, community-led, people-centric change. This firsthand experience showed us how tribal women are climate leaders in their own inspiring way and shouldn’t be considered merely beneficiaries of CSR interventions. 

This is our reminder that climate action and women empowerment don’t just live in boardrooms.

Huge thank you to Nitisha Agrawal, founder of the Smokeless Cookstove Foundation, who gave us invaluable insights into these tribal communities. Her efforts to promote cleaner energy are helping create healthier homes and empowering women.

Follow Green Pistachio for more inspiring stories like this. If you’d like to support tribal women and upcoming projects in Aarey, get in touch. Subscribe to our channels and keep watching to see how you can be part of these initiatives.

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