About Mool
Mool means “root.” We exist to help youth and communities reconnect with their roots and co-create regenerative futures. Born in Kashmir, Mool is a research and training centre dedicated to participatory, inclusive transformation. Through Participatory Action Research, collaboration, and capacity building, we empower young people to pursue careers of service and ecological entrepreneurship.
Our work is guided by a holistic view of sustainability — where ecology holds society, and society in turn holds economy. By rooting knowledge in culture, nature, and lived experience, Mool nurtures pathways for collective wellbeing and prosperity.
Formally established as a not-for-profit trust in 2012, Mool is registered with the Income Tax Department u/s 12AA (2016) and u/s 80G (2017). Our administrative office is located in Ganderbal, Kashmir.
Background
Mool was born out of Kashmir’s most difficult years of conflict. Growing up amidst violence and political turmoil, our generation was compelled to search for meaning and solutions. Education gave us tools to understand these challenges, yet studying away from our homeland also distanced us from our roots. This disorientation revealed a deeper truth — the urgent need to reconnect with community, culture, and ecology.
From this recognition, Mool Sustainability Research and Training Centre emerged as a space for participatory action, collective inquiry, and regenerative change. Since 2009, we have engaged youth and communities through participatory research, capacity building, internships, fellowships, training, and relief programmes.
Mool’s journey also gave birth to SAGG Eco Village, a living social enterprise experiment that extends our vision into practice by building regenerative lifestyles. In this way, Mool’s action research and SAGG’s enterprise continuously learn from each other.
Over the years, many people have joined this journey, each contributing in their own way and strengthening a movement of regeneration and rooted living.
Our Essence
At its heart, Mool seeks to empower youth and communities to co-create sustainable ways of living.
Through participatory research, collaboration, and capacity building, we guide young people towards meaningful careers in service and ecological entrepreneurship.
Grounded in the principle that ecology holds society, and society holds economy, Mool nurtures pathways for collective wellbeing and prosperity.
Vision
To inspire youth to lead a shift towards regenerative, locally-rooted, and
environmentally-conscious living. Mool envisions a society where participatory,
inclusive transformation leads to collective wellbeing and prosperity
Mission
Mool catalyses regenerative transformation by equipping youth and
communities through participatory action research and training — to co-create
sustainable ways of living.
Strategy
Engage Supporters
Attract New Donors
Advance Your Mission
Methodology Mool’s methodology weaves Participatory Action Research (PAR), collaboration, and capacity building to empower youth in shaping regenerative futures. PAR is a hands-on, inclusive approach where communities actively participate in identifying challenges and co-creating solutions. By grounding research in lived experience, we ensure outcomes that are locally rooted and ecologically sound. Our approach guides young people to adapt careers of service and ecological entrepreneurship — building livelihoods that restore wellbeing, culture, and the environment.
Sustainability At Mool, sustainability means creating systems that nurture people, culture, and nature in harmony. We see it as a balance of three interwoven dimensions:
Ecological Sustainability Protecting and regenerating our natural ecosystems — soil, water, forests, and biodiversity. We work to heal the land and cultivate ways of living that honour ecological limits. Social Sustainability Building inclusive, participatory communities rooted in equity, culture, and shared responsibility. We foster spaces where youth and communities can thrive together with dignity and purpose.
Economic Sustainability Designing livelihoods and enterprises that generate prosperity without exploitation. By promoting service-oriented careers and ecological entrepreneurship, we ensure long-term resilience and wellbeing for all. Together, these dimensions form the foundation for regenerative transformation — creating a future that is rooted, resilient, and life-giving.