When Almitra Patel’s red car drove into our gated community, she and Myriam Shankar Kraftt did more than grace the opening of our compost mill: they quietly stirred our community into action. Their presence meant more than words on a page can carry.

Almitra is 90. Her 20-year fight in the Supreme Court gave India the solid waste management rules we follow today. Myriam is the founder of EcoGram and of the Solid Waste Management Round Table (SWMRT), and has spent years helping communities across Bangalore manage their waste.