In India, six women from a fishing community are collecting water hyacinth, an invasive plant species, from Deepor Beel Lake and turning them into yoga mats. They hope the industry will help save the livelihoods of those who rely on the Assam lake, as well as protect migratory birds who have difficulty finding fish amid the hyacinth-choked lake waters. (…) The process involves collecting and drying the hyacinth, which is then woven with cotton threads to make mats. Natural dyes are added during the process. (…)

Source: Rebecca Coons, Biofuels Digest