EGC began with a project to restore Vellore hills and ran into several other interconnected issues. To restore the topsoil, a project to compost organic waste was started. To generate cattle dung for composting, a project to protect the cattle wealth was initiated. To stop people from depending on the hills for firewood, renewable energy units and several alternative income generation activities were introduced. And so on.

As much as possible, the projects employ ecofriendly and labour-intensive processes, use renewable sources of energy and local and biodegradable materials, and avoid the use of machinery.

The strength of the Vellore team is their focus on demonstrating simple and replicable solutions to long-standing environmental problems in the society.