On International Mountains Day, Ecosphere — one of India’s most recognised social enterprises working at the intersection of responsible travel, community development, and conservation — unveiled its first ever Impact Footprint, highlighting its expanding footprint across the high-altitude landscapes of the Himalayas and the North East.

Ecosphere’s longstanding initiatives—now recognised globally—have delivered tangible improvements in access to food, water, clean energy, healthcare, and resilient livelihoods. These interventions are now serving as blueprints for community-led development in neighbouring high-altitude geographies. Some of the impact highlights are:

• 80+ women-led homestays continued to strengthen rural incomes, expand entrepreneurship, and ensure that tourism benefits flow directly to local families.
• 150+ climate-resilient greenhouses enabled year-round vegetable production, improving household nutrition and generating surplus income.
• Solar water pumps in seven villages, supported by artificial glaciers and 22,000+ cubic feet of contour trenches and percolation ponds, restored springs, revived groundwater, and improved access to clean drinking water across seasons.
• 550+ solar rooms, fuel-efficient stoves, solar cookers, and village-level solar lighting reduced fuelwood use, cut emissions, and significantly improved winter living conditions in high-altitude settlements.
• The “I Love Spiti” campaign diverted more than two tons of plastic waste and set up five water-refill stations, reducing single-use bottle consumption among travellers and protecting fragile mountain ecosystems.
• Healthcare initiatives included dental, eye and oral-care camps benefiting over 8,500 people, menstrual-health programmes, and support for the elderly and specially abled — further strengthened by charitable dental clinics established in Spiti and Delhi to ensure affordable care for underserved communities.
• Ecosphere also ensured community–animal harmony by feeding 300+ stray dogs annually, fostering safer coexistence within local villages.

Ishita Khanna, Founder, Ecosphere & MUSE said “For over two decades, Ecosphere has worked to empower remote Himalayan communities with solutions that strengthen livelihoods while protecting fragile ecosystems. What began in Spiti is now being replicated in Ladakh, Zanskar, and parts of the Northeast — regions that face the same climate and infrastructure challenges. We operate through a largely self-sustaining model that allows communities to take ownership of their development, and of course, grants help us expedite our work, innovate further, and explore new frontiers. This expansion reflects the power of community-led innovation and our commitment to ensuring that those most vulnerable to climate change are also the first to access sustainable opportunities.”

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