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The Hindu
3 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Connecting the dots in the circular economy
Sometimes, one discovers with amused wonder that someone integral to one's landscape and therefore inconspicuous, is pitted in the same battlefield as an ally by default. And the discovery extends to the fact that what they do can be a helpful tie-in to one's own work. Kavitha Sivakumar, a resident of a gated community in Pallikaranai, recently added this truth to her worldview, thanks to a casual conversation with a neighbourhood kabadiwallah, Suryagandhi Kumar. She found out he welcomes sirattai — coconut shell — into his storing house in Pallikaranai, and when a substantial amount of it is aggregated, sells the pile. Kavitha works with Namma Ooru Foundation (NOF), and she realised straightaway that Suryagandhi and his ilk could further a NOF initiative. Ever since the team at NOF realised coconut shells go into the making of activated charcoal, useful in water purification, and that there are entities looking for sirattai for the same purpose, Sustainable Sirattai Campaign was born, its details spelt out by NOF founder Natarajan. Recently, NOF notched up 150 kg of coconut shells, having aggregated it for a while, notes Kavitha. The source of coconut shells is currently restaurants. Kavitha now advocates empowering local scrap dealers as aggregators of coconut shells, educating residents on cleaning and storing the shells, and tapping into apartments for them. 'The biggest hurdle is connecting the dots between households, collectors and buyers. Without proper segregation, most shells end up in dumping grounds.' Hygiene concerns such as mould and pests also deter scrap dealers from collecting shells, she adds. Collecting sirattai, Suryagandhi comes across as an outlier. He buys them at Rs 10 per kilogram and selling at a small profit. 'Sirattai is used to make activated charcoal, which helps in melting gold,' he explains. Though only a few households contribute regularly, the numbers are growing. Every piece of fabric matters A massive part of humanity would give the thumbs up to this observation. College education of the first water and a remarkable career need not put one on the path to finding what they are born to do. The boat might have to change tack to find suitable moorings. Vijayalakshmi is a trained economist, landing a prestigious job early on, one that allowed her to operate in the foreign exchange department of a respected company. It requires some prodding to get her to talk about her stellar education and an enviable early career, but none at all about her current work profile — maker of multifarious artisanal items, including fabric jewellery. Following marriage, she decided to give up on her career only to find it in an unlikely field. Her leisure consumed by self-learning, she would soon announce her arrival as a self-taught artisan, one adept in beaded jewellery, paper quilling, crochet, and finally fabric accessories, particularly fabric jewellery. People who know Vijayalakshi would use an epithet to describe her — 'creative'. Fabric jewellery is closer to her heart as it is the ne plus ultra of creativity. Truth to tell, but for a piece of small talk, she would not have taken up fabric jewellery-making the way she did. Enter Ganga Sridhar, a resident of Mandaveli, a sustainability campaigner and a connoisseur of upcycling-based fashion. An aficionada of Vijayalakshmi's delicate fabric accessories, Ganga gave Vijayalakshmi small-sized fabric pieces, leftovers of cloth that became her kurtis and urged her, 'Can you turn these into earrings or bangles?' That small conversation sparked a creative chain reaction. During COVID, matching masks became the norm, and Ganga took it a notch hight. She would keep sending fabric to Vijayalakshmi to create accessories that perfectly matched her outfits (and of course, masks too). The idea quickly blossomed into a full accessory line — earrings, necklaces, bangles — all lightweight, affordable, and eco-friendly. 'It is exciting to get exactly what you want by recycling fabric instead of settling for store-bought accessories,' Ganga says. 'I have recommended Viji's work to many. It is a simple idea with a big impact.' After years into it, Vijayalakshmi passes her verdict on fabric jewellery: 'easy to make, profitable and loved by customers.'
The Hindu
17-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- The Hindu
Witnessing sustainability from the cradle
Dev Chigurupati Prince is 1.5 years old or thereabouts. With some more passage of time, when he is old enough to demand bedtime stories, his mother Chigurupati Anjani would indulge him with one rare bedtime story, a story that has not emerged from a fertile pen, is real and continues to be lived, with many sequels to follow. It is a story where none other than little Dev himself 'plays' the central role. This story in fact began before Dev was born and it featured him even then. When Anjani was carrying Dev, she had a green baby shower on October 15, 2023, organised at St. Mark's Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Chromepet. Ever since he was born, Dev has taken pitter-patter steps across a sustainability landscape, travelling alongside his mother and father, Blessing Samuel Prince. 'The swing that he used for four months is a hand-me-down,' says Anjani. For the first one year since Dev's birth, the parents celebrated a monthly milestone, planting at least one tree on the day he would turn a month older. The diaper being used is a Super Bottom cloth diaper. The sight of used diapers on roads disturbs Anjani. One of her early decisions for Dev was to avoid disposable diapers. 'We see diapers scattered on roads, sometimes torn apart by stray dogs. I did not want to be part of that. It became a priority not to contribute to that kind of waste.' While cloth diapers require extra effort, especially while travelling, Anjani found the added work worth it. 'You need to clean, pack and wash them — even at restaurant stops — but it is a choice I made for the environment and animals. In the first year and a half, it is mostly about diapers. That is the main area where I tried to be mindful.' Anjani and her husband are also careful about the toys and clothes they buy for Dev. The play gym was purchased from a second-hand store called @shoptwicetreasured on Instagram. 'We prefer wooden toys, especially locally sourced ones, and avoid shopping online where possible.' She adds, 'We try not to buy plastic toys. Thankfully, he is more into books, so we focus on buying books and only a few toys.' For clothing, she turned to traditional practices. 'For his clothing, during the first year, we stitched his clothes using leftover blouse fabric from saris.' She also made jhablas and other small clothes using soft cotton fabric available at home. Even travel is planned with intention. Anjani carries her son's cutlery and food, including sathu maavu powder. Resorts have become easier to manage now, but she was very particular about what Dev ate during the early months. There are also certain baby products Anjani chooses not to buy. 'We avoid moisturisers, body washes, and commercial laundry liquids.' For washing his clothes, she uses a bioenzyme-based liquid called Sukizyme, recommended by Kavitha Sivakumar from Namma Ooru Foundation. 'It has a mild fragrance to mask strong odours.' She has begun introducing sustainability concepts to Dev. 'He has learned to segregate waste using blue and green bins.' She notes he already knows which waste goes where and is comfortable participating in the process. Anjani talks to Dev about the 3Rs concept (Reduce; Recycle; Reuse). 'We don't use any special methods to teach him — we just sit and talk.' In fact, she has been talking to him about these concepts since he was just a few months old. 'He sees the visible changes, especially with segregation and recycling.'
The Hindu
17-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- The Hindu
Green beginnings
A green wedding is not different from a regular wedding; it does the regular things differently. The idioms of the ritual continue but in rephrased forms. Here is how Amrutha Pragasam ensured hers read different and green. Souvenirs to attendees: jute bags free of wording to enable their resuse. Invitations: seed paper extending the welcome to invitees, while also carrying seeds planted within it. Bridal attire: no fast fashion; an easy-on-the-earth handwoven Chanderi sari and rented jewellery. The rest of the green wedding read: no flexes, foam boards, plastic flowers or bottled water; a bouquet handmade using bast fabric; steel cups; bagasse for plates Amrutha's wedding was going to be green by default. Sustainability-minded, Amrutha had thought of such a wedding for herself long before 'green weddings' became trendy hashtags. A fashion designer currently pursuing a PhD on sustainable fashion from National Institute of Fashion Technology, she runs a non-profit, Rhapsodeed that sells second hand items, sustainably made, and handmade lifestyle products. With the profits and fundraisers, Rhapsodeed gives a leg-up to the unprivileged to start small ventures of their own. Amrutha had a vision of an eco-friendly wedding, but had to successfuly impress that mental picture upon those travelling alongside her — her family, her fiancee and his own — so they owned that vision too, at least respected it. She received a nod, a whole-hearted one, from Ashwin Pratap, then fiancee now husband. 'His values just naturally synced with mine. I did not have to convince him.' The convincing part entered the equation when the families were in the picture. 'Initially, they thought it was unnecessary, but they came around eventually.' In the early days of wedding preparation, when the nod was yet to come forth, she strung seed-paper invites by hand at home, hidden from sceptical eyes. 'I sat for a whole week, crafting them one by one. My products had to be moved into another room so I could work in secret.' And the two families found themselves being congratulatory about Amrutha's efforts. There was however a challenge and it came from an unexpected quarter: given the logistical difficulties, the marriage hall management panicked, and it took a whisper of reassurance from Namma Ooru Foundation, which handled the organic waste, to bring them back on board. A takeaway: in Amrutha's words, 'It is funny — even when you reduce décor, the prices do not drop. You have to negotiate every detail.' It might cost more, but is worth it, as it would cost the planet a little less. 'Better late than landfill' Uma Ram picked up the green baton late in the day, but ran her feet off to complete the run on time and with impact. Only the day before the reception did she manage to sign on a service provider — Connect To Bhoomi (an organisation focused on promoting and practising sustainability by educating clients on the responsible use of natural resources) — that could deal with the waste generated from the wedding. But better late than landfill, quips Uma, a digital content creator. Waste management: Water bottles had already been ordered, and the caterers were asked to work with Connect To Bhoomi to ensure their proper disposal. Banana leaves replaced plates; leftover fruits were fed to cows after a vet's approval; and flowers were composted carefully. 'Not all flowers are eco-friendly — some are dyed and can harm the soil. It was a real eye-opener,' she admits. Invitation: seed-paper invites came from Iniyawai. Bridal attire: Uma chose to wear her grandmother's 50-year-old sari instead of buying new. 'Why buy new when heritage fits like a glove?' Uma asks. Truth be told, her first choice was a 90-year-old silver Banarasi sari; as it could not be restored, she went in for the less-aged alternative. Transportation: two buses booked to bring relatives together. 'Less carbon footprint, more family footprint,' she smiles. If Uma had had her way in the first place, the process could have been easier than it was. 'Ever since college, I have noticed how weddings waste so much — especially water and food. It always left a bad taste,' she says. Uma's dream was a no-frills wedding at a quiet temple or at the marriage registrar's office. But, the bride and the groom being firstborns, both families wanted a grand wedding. Persuading vendors and the staff at the marriage hall to toe the sustainability line took some doing. 'Some argued, 'Why separate waste? It is easier to throw everything in one bin.' It took patience and a lot of explaining,' Uma recalls. Her husband Srinivas was in the dark about the wedding's green focus until after the wedding when he saw the segregated waste. 'He told me, 'I'm so proud of you. You have pulled off something incredible,'' Uma beams. A Takeaway: 'Sustainable weddings are not about spending more; they are about spending smart,' Uma remarks. And guests being inspired to follow in her footsteps is the reward.
