75-Year-Old Padma Shri Awardee Builds Zero-Waste Home That Powers 50 Neighbouring Houses

At 75, Padma Shri awardee Janak Palta McGilligan has turned her home in Sanawadia village near Indore into an example of sustainable and self-sufficient living. Powered by renewable energy and designed around zero-waste principles, the house produces enough electricity to meet her own needs and supply nearly 50 neighbouring households.

McGilligan’s commitment to environmental conservation began much earlier in her life. At the age of 17, she survived a near-death experience and underwent open-heart surgery. The experience changed her outlook and strengthened her appreciation for life and nature. Her environmental commitment deepened after she attended the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, which exposed her to the scale of global ecological challenges.

A major transformation took place in 2011 after the death of her husband, Jimmy McGilligan. She moved into their home in Sanawadia and began developing it into a sustainable living space. A windmill installed on the property now generates electricity for her house and around 50 neighbouring homes, leaving her with no conventional electricity bill.

Her approach to sustainability extends beyond renewable power. McGilligan grows vegetables, pulses, rice, wheat and spices on her property, which contains about 160 trees and 13 different crops. She prepares food using solar cookers and uses old newspapers as fuel when sunlight is unavailable. Kitchen waste is composted, while products such as soaps, shampoos, detergents and jams are also prepared using natural and locally available ingredients.

Her environmental work has also reached thousands of people. Through the Jimmy McGilligan Centre for Sustainable Development and her earlier work with the Barli Development Institute for Rural Women, she has trained more than 150,000 young people and over 6,000 rural and tribal women from more than 1,000 villages in solar cooking and sustainable practices.

McGilligan received the Padma Shri in 2015 for her contribution to social work and environmental conservation. Even decades after beginning her sustainability journey, she continues to welcome students, farmers and visitors to her home. Her Sanawadia residence demonstrates how renewable energy, organic farming, waste reduction and locally produced goods can be combined into a practical lifestyle. Her work has consequently emerged as a model for communities seeking more sustainable ways of living.