diff --git a/src/core.c/Env.pm6 b/src/core.c/Env.pm6
index 01d14c85675..e7aff58239e 100644
--- a/src/core.c/Env.pm6
+++ b/src/core.c/Env.pm6
@@ -1,3 +1,23 @@
+class Env is Hash {
+    multi method new(Env:) {
+        nqp::p6bindattrinvres(
+          nqp::create(self),Map,'$!storage',nqp::clone(nqp::getenvhash)
+        )
+    }
+    method AT-KEY(Env:D: Str:D $key) {
+        nqp::existskey(nqp::getattr(self,Map,'$!storage'),$key)
+          ?? val(nqp::atkey(nqp::getattr(self,Map,'$!storage'),$key))
+          !! nextsame
+    }
+    method ASSIGN-KEY(Env:D: Str:D $key, \value) {
+        nqp::bindkey(
+          nqp::getattr(self,Map,'$!storage'),
+          $key,
+          nqp::unbox_s(value.Str)
+        )
+    }
+}
+
 Rakudo::Internals.REGISTER-DYNAMIC: '$*CWD', {
 #    PROCESS::<$CWD> = nqp::p6box_s(nqp::cwd());
     my $CWD := nqp::p6box_s(nqp::cwd());
diff --git a/src/core.c/Exception.pm6 b/src/core.c/Exception.pm6
index 52f639f4ef1..1b7b3a3cf5f 100644
--- a/src/core.c/Exception.pm6
+++ b/src/core.c/Exception.pm6
@@ -383,7 +383,8 @@ do {
                 :what("PERL6_EXCEPTIONS_HANDLER env var");
             my $class := ::("Exceptions::$handler");
             unless nqp::istype($class,Failure) {
-                temp %*ENV<PERL6_EXCEPTIONS_HANDLER> = ""; # prevent looping
+                temp %*ENV;
+                %*ENV<PERL6_EXCEPTIONS_HANDLER> = ""; # prevent looping
                 unless $class.process($e) {
                     nqp::getcurhllsym('&THE_END')();
                     return
@@ -393,7 +394,8 @@ do {
         if %*ENV<RAKU_EXCEPTIONS_HANDLER> -> $handler {
             my $class := ::("Exceptions::$handler");
             unless nqp::istype($class,Failure) {
-                temp %*ENV<RAKU_EXCEPTIONS_HANDLER> = ""; # prevent looping
+                temp %*ENV;
+                %*ENV<RAKU_EXCEPTIONS_HANDLER> = ""; # prevent looping
                 unless $class.process($e) {
                     nqp::getcurhllsym('&THE_END')();
                     return
diff --git a/src/core.c/Rakudo/Internals.pm6 b/src/core.c/Rakudo/Internals.pm6
index 6d06625e245..017adc674b9 100644
--- a/src/core.c/Rakudo/Internals.pm6
+++ b/src/core.c/Rakudo/Internals.pm6
@@ -154,25 +154,6 @@ my class Rakudo::Internals {
         0;
     }
 
-    method createENV() {
-        nqp::stmts(
-          (my $hash := nqp::hash),
-          (my $iter := nqp::iterator(nqp::getenvhash)),
-          nqp::while(
-            $iter,
-            nqp::bindkey(
-              $hash,
-              nqp::iterkey_s(nqp::shift($iter)),
-              nqp::assign(
-                nqp::p6scalarfromdesc(nqp::null),
-                val(nqp::iterval($iter))
-              )
-            )
-          ),
-          $hash
-        )
-    }
-
     # Helper method for prefix:<let>/prefix:<temp>, which really do the same
     # thing apart from where they store data.  Takes the IterationBuffer in
     # which to save data, the container to be inspected, and the type of op
diff --git a/src/core.c/control.pm6 b/src/core.c/control.pm6
index 213e2ddb03e..0982651afb4 100644
--- a/src/core.c/control.pm6
+++ b/src/core.c/control.pm6
@@ -211,7 +211,11 @@ sub CLONE-HASH-DECONTAINERIZED(\hash) {
           nqp::iterkey_s(nqp::shift(iter)),
           nqp::if(
             nqp::defined(nqp::iterval(iter)),
-            nqp::decont(nqp::iterval(iter)).Str,
+            nqp::if(
+              nqp::iseq_s(nqp::iterval(iter).^name,'BOOTStr'),
+              nqp::iterval(iter),
+              nqp::unbox_s(nqp::decont(nqp::iterval(iter)).Str)
+            ),
             ''
           )
         )
diff --git a/src/core.c/core_prologue.pm6 b/src/core.c/core_prologue.pm6
index b26418591d2..8cfcadc64ed 100644
--- a/src/core.c/core_prologue.pm6
+++ b/src/core.c/core_prologue.pm6
@@ -56,7 +56,8 @@ my class Rakudo::Internals::IterationSet is repr('VMHash') { }
 my constant $?NL = "\x0A";
 
 # Make sure we have an environment
-PROCESS::<%ENV> := Rakudo::Internals.createENV;
+my class Env { ... }
+PROCESS::<%ENV> := Env.new;
 
 # This thread pool scheduler will be the default one.
 #?if !js
diff --git a/t/02-rakudo/03-corekeys-6c.t b/t/02-rakudo/03-corekeys-6c.t
index 76219b79513..a35a1322b77 100644
--- a/t/02-rakudo/03-corekeys-6c.t
+++ b/t/02-rakudo/03-corekeys-6c.t
@@ -529,6 +529,7 @@ my @expected = (
   Q{Encoding},
   Q{Endian},
   Q{Enumeration},
+  Q{Env},
   Q{Exception},
   Q{Exceptions},
   Q{Failure},
diff --git a/t/02-rakudo/03-corekeys-6d.t b/t/02-rakudo/03-corekeys-6d.t
index 2136da352b3..ddcbf431f2d 100644
--- a/t/02-rakudo/03-corekeys-6d.t
+++ b/t/02-rakudo/03-corekeys-6d.t
@@ -529,6 +529,7 @@ my @expected = (
     Q{Encoding},
     Q{Endian},
     Q{Enumeration},
+    Q{Env},
     Q{Exception},
     Q{Exceptions},
     Q{Failure},
diff --git a/t/02-rakudo/03-corekeys-6e.t b/t/02-rakudo/03-corekeys-6e.t
index f8dba68def7..eb31f391349 100644
--- a/t/02-rakudo/03-corekeys-6e.t
+++ b/t/02-rakudo/03-corekeys-6e.t
@@ -530,6 +530,7 @@ my @expected = (
     Q{Encoding},
     Q{Endian},
     Q{Enumeration},
+    Q{Env},
     Q{Exception},
     Q{Exceptions},
     Q{Failure},
diff --git a/t/02-rakudo/03-corekeys.t b/t/02-rakudo/03-corekeys.t
index 78278c749f7..64a152fd9cc 100644
--- a/t/02-rakudo/03-corekeys.t
+++ b/t/02-rakudo/03-corekeys.t
@@ -531,6 +531,7 @@ my @allowed =
       Q{Encoding},
       Q{Endian},
       Q{Enumeration},
+      Q{Env},
       Q{Exception},
       Q{Exceptions},
       Q{Failure},
diff --git a/t/02-rakudo/04-settingkeys-6c.t b/t/02-rakudo/04-settingkeys-6c.t
index 7b5f4c3580e..2725d7eb2bb 100644
--- a/t/02-rakudo/04-settingkeys-6c.t
+++ b/t/02-rakudo/04-settingkeys-6c.t
@@ -529,6 +529,7 @@ my %allowed = (
     Q{Encoding},
     Q{Endian},
     Q{Enumeration},
+    Q{Env},
     Q{Exception},
     Q{Exceptions},
     Q{Failure},
diff --git a/t/02-rakudo/04-settingkeys-6e.t b/t/02-rakudo/04-settingkeys-6e.t
index 15180ca5148..c8ab92ff178 100644
--- a/t/02-rakudo/04-settingkeys-6e.t
+++ b/t/02-rakudo/04-settingkeys-6e.t
@@ -528,6 +528,7 @@ my %allowed = (
     Q{Encoding},
     Q{Endian},
     Q{Enumeration},
+    Q{Env},
     Q{Exception},
     Q{Exceptions},
     Q{Failure},