diff --git a/src/builtins/globals.pir b/src/builtins/globals.pir
index 09310241f7a..776311f1c11 100644
--- a/src/builtins/globals.pir
+++ b/src/builtins/globals.pir
@@ -18,10 +18,8 @@ src/builtins/globals.pir - initialize miscellaneous global variables
     p6meta = get_hll_global ['Perl6Object'], '$!P6META'
 
     ##  set up %*ENV
-    $P0 = get_hll_global 'Hash'
-    p6meta.'register'('Env', 'parent'=>$P0, 'protoobject'=>$P0)
     .local pmc env
-    env = root_new ['parrot';'Env']
+    env = '!env_to_hash'()
     set_hll_global ['PROCESS'], '%ENV', env
 
     ##  set up @*INC
@@ -127,6 +125,52 @@ src/builtins/globals.pir - initialize miscellaneous global variables
 .end
 
 
+.sub '!env_to_hash'
+    .local pmc env, hash
+    env = root_new ['parrot';'Env']
+    hash = new ['Perl6Hash']
+    $P0 = iter env
+  env_loop:
+    unless $P0 goto env_done
+    $S0 = shift $P0
+    $S1 = env[$S0]
+    hash[$S0] = $S1
+    goto env_loop
+  env_done:
+    .return (hash)
+.end
+
+
+.sub '!hash_to_env'
+    .param pmc hash            :optional
+    .param int has_hash        :opt_flag
+
+    if has_hash goto have_hash
+    hash = '!find_contextual'('%*ENV')
+  have_hash:
+
+    .local pmc env
+    env = root_new ['parrot';'Env']
+    $P0 = iter env
+  env_loop:
+    unless $P0 goto env_done
+    $S0 = shift $P0
+    $I0 = exists hash[$S0]
+    if $I0 goto env_loop
+    delete env[$S0]
+    goto env_loop
+  env_done:
+
+    $P0 = iter hash
+  hash_loop:
+    unless $P0 goto hash_done
+    $S0 = shift $P0
+    $S1 = hash[$S0]
+    env[$S0] = $S1
+    goto hash_loop
+  hash_done:
+.end
+
 # Local Variables:
 #   mode: pir
 #   fill-column: 100
diff --git a/src/builtins/io.pir b/src/builtins/io.pir
index b0e726ea3f6..b816877602f 100644
--- a/src/builtins/io.pir
+++ b/src/builtins/io.pir
@@ -129,6 +129,7 @@ It is an error to use bare C<unlink> without arguments.
 .sub '!qx'
     .param string cmd
     .local pmc pio
+    '!hash_to_env'()
     pio = open cmd, 'rp'
     unless pio goto err_qx
     pio.'encoding'('utf8')
diff --git a/src/builtins/system.pir b/src/builtins/system.pir
index 3a0d1705c6e..7657a11dd2e 100644
--- a/src/builtins/system.pir
+++ b/src/builtins/system.pir
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ return the status code from the C<spawnw> opcode.
     .param string cmd
     .local int retval
 
+    '!hash_to_env'()
     spawnw retval, cmd
     .return (retval)
 .end
@@ -39,6 +40,7 @@ return the status code from the C<spawnw> opcode.
     .local int retval
 
     unshift args, path
+    '!hash_to_env'()
     spawnw retval, args
     .return (retval)
 .end
@@ -47,6 +49,7 @@ return the status code from the C<spawnw> opcode.
     .param pmc path_and_args
     .local int retval
 
+    '!hash_to_env'()
     spawnw retval, path_and_args
     .return (retval)
 .end
diff --git a/src/parser/actions.pm b/src/parser/actions.pm
index 22081307731..5d457bdf9c5 100644
--- a/src/parser/actions.pm
+++ b/src/parser/actions.pm
@@ -2136,7 +2136,6 @@ method variable($/, $key) {
             $vardecl.name($varname);
             $vardecl.namespace(@ns);
             $vardecl.scope('package');
-            $vardecl.viviself( container_itype($sigil) );
             $var<vardecl> := $vardecl;
             $twigil := '';
         }