Till about a year ago, Smita Shirodkar had never watered a rose plant. Her life revolved around assisting her father in his consumer electronic business and travelling to Goa in her Mercedes Benz to oversee operations at his factory. But after the Dadar resident saw a plot of land lying barren near her factory and thought of cultivating it, life has never been the same. Today, the 28 year-old is the proprietor of Earthoholics, a non-government organisation set up in November 2011, which creates awareness about organic agriculture, waste management, rain harvesting, solar products and carbon footprints.

Smita Shirodkar with the fresh produce of brinjals, capsicums and tomatoes on the terrace of her Dadar residence.u00a0Pic/Datta Kumbhar