Sustainability in My House

Sustain (Good Earth) – the luxurious version of sustainability

2012-03-05T11:55:00.007+05:30

I had been wondering for quite a while what Good Earth, the luxury interior store, meant by naming its apparel line “Sustain”. The brand’s slogan, also written on the clothes’ labels, is “Sustaining ecology and tradition”. Willing to know more about the veracity of this statement as well as the brand’s background, I decided to ask a couple of questions to one of Good Earth’s directors, who is based in the company’s flagship store in Lower Parel, Bombay.

According to her, “Sustaining ecology and tradition” is the philosophy behind the apparel line, but it is not a formalized policy or an obligation. Sustain’s collection is composed of various mini-collections and for these, Good Earth either asks a designer to work with them, or they interact with NGOs, or they directly engage with the producers themselves. Although ecological benefits are sought after in the designers or artisans' products, style and design remain the brand's priority.

Sustain primarily aims to promote hand-made, traditional crafts and designs, and to indirectly support the communities that create and manufacture the garments. All of the mini-collections of Sustain have this in common.

As for the ecological part of the brand, Good Earth’s director was honest and said that the mini-collections were not ‘eco-friendly’ to the same extent. She said that all of them were made of natural fabric (generally cotton), which is a positive point in itself, but not all garments are made with natural dyes or organic cotton, for example. She highlighted the “Tilla” (the white dress in the picture) and “Colors of Nature” ranges as being those with the most environmental features, in the sense that both brands only use natural dyes, such as indigo. The “Khadis”, produced in partnership with the NGO Wardha Khadi (see picture), are also made with natural dyes and seem to contain organic cotton, although Good Earth said that there was no certification to prove this.

Good Earth’s director told me that the one underlying principle behind the Sustain line was to promote sustainable fashion – i.e. not trend-based, mass-produced, “fast-fashion” garments, but clothes that can be worn forever, because of their quality and design. And she is right that this is an essential component of sustainability in the retail industry. Buying a pack of new trendy clothes every month, even if they are fair trade, organic, and natural, will have more negative impacts on the environment than if we buy conventional clothes, but only once in a while. We tend to ‘forget’ that today’s social and environmental challenges require that we not only consume alternatively...but also less.

Anyways, my last point concerning Good Earth’s Sustain line is that, even if you wanted to buy more of their products, you’d be quite limited in doing so: the price tags are quite incredibly high! But I guess that is the main characteristic of any luxury brand, and Good Earth certainly is one. I hope that the high prices are coupled with better wages and working conditions along the supply chain, as well as better raw materials. Sustainability in the Indian retail industry needs to become more mainstream, in the same way that H&M in Europe is now systematically offering a range of organic cotton clothes in their shops. Sustain is clearly reserving its eco-friendly clothes to the Indian elite; however, being a luxury store, that is just logical. At least they have taken the lead – when so many other brands do not bother - and shown their customers that environmental features can mix very well with luxury and design.

Our Lil Bit

2012-02-17T17:15:00.005+05:30

There are a handful of entrepreneurs in Bombay who have decided to promote Indian traditions and crafts, environmental conservation and sustainable livelihoods of artisans, all at the same time. Urvashi had written about Eco-Corner a while ago, describing how its founder travelled across India to find eco-friendly products from rural artisans. This week, I met with Meenakshi and Smita, founders and partners of Our Lil Bit. Although their product portfolio is quite different, Eco-Corner and Our Lil Bit seem to share the same concept and ambition: to run a business that inherently promote all four pillars of sustainable development (social, economic, environmental and cultural).

In its small shop in Versova, Our Lil Bit offers a wide range of products, from sarees and papier mâché, to silver jewelry and pottery. The products are either sourced from NGOs and crafts groups or directly from artisans, which Meenakshi and Smita have carefully selected across the country. Most products have environmentally-friendly features: some are made of recycled materials, some have required less resources to produce, some are organic (No Nasties t-shirts). Plastic is also banned.

I was particularly impressed by Our Lil Bit’s range of garments, which include sarees, kurtas, salwar-kameez and t-shirts. The reason is simple...I want to wear them. Not only because they are handloom sarees or because they were produced using vegetable dyes*, but also because they are beautifully designed. I am often disappointed when I find a brand that offers organic cotton or, more generally, eco-friendly clothes (using only natural fibres, for example), and see that not an ounce of design skills were used to make them. I really DO want to promote these products... but refuse to wear yellowish-greenish, shapeless shirts with ugly flowers and birds (i guess that because it’s natural, I have to wander around with prints of animals and plants on my back?), just because I’m supposed to be a bit concerned about the environmental impacts of the textile industry. So, congratulations to Our Lil Bit for that. Organic cotton, vegetable dyes, resource-efficient processes...all these features must be integrated into mainstream (i.e. designed) products, and not only focus on a niche of consumers who are ready to overlook aesthetics to support their environmental convictions – else, it’ll never take up.

There was also one interesting issue that we discussed about, and that I wish to talk about in this blog. I was asking Meenakshi and Smita about the obstacles that they faced to sell their products. They answered that many people tend to compare the price of natural, eco-friendly products with that of their conventional counterparts (typically, a “No Nasties” t-shirt vs. a branded t-shirt vs. a Rs.100-shirt bought in the street), and not understand why the former is more expensive. Truly, some organic producers add very high premiums to their price tags, just because they know that they’ll sell to upper-class consumers. However, most of the times, the price premiums are due to a higher manufacturing cost, for example because:

- Craftsmen manufacture products at a small scale, and do not benefit from economies of scale

- Fair trade means that producers will get decent wages and working conditions, so labor is more expensive

- Using natural raw materials instead of chemicals often lead to longer or more difficult work (for example a chemical dye applies to fabric more easily than a natural dye)

- Growing organic cotton or food eliminates the cost of buying pesticides and chemical fertilizers, but requires more human labor for the manual removal of weeds and control of pests

Unfortunately, our production system has quite disconnected us consumers from the source of the products we buy. We often fail to make the link between child labor – that we all agree should be banned from the country’s fields and factories – and the purchase of a Rs.100 shirt. If the shirt is so cheap...it just means that the workers who have produced it have been very very poorly paid (and/or are kids). Or that the factory is producing the garment, regardless of any type of environmental norm – see the example of China’s “indigo” river, where blue jean factories are located, here. We are also being encouraged to purchase more and more, as cheaply as possible, whatever the quality, without realizing the consequences of that, upstream in the production process. Therefore, buying a more socially responsible and environmentally sustainable product does come at a higher cost – but the positive implications along the supply chain are many. It means that with the same budget, we will be able to buy less...but much better. In short, we should be proud of purchasing a 'sustainable' product instead of a conventional one!

So don't hesitate to drop by OLB's shop in Versova and to talk about it to your friends.

For more information on Our Lil Bit, see their facebook page here.

*Vegetable dyes are derived from plants sources, whereas synthetic dyes are chemical-based. Although synthetic dyes are generally cheaper, brighter and easy to apply to fabrics, the chemical used are often highly toxic, carcinogenic and dangerous to work with. Choosing vegetable dyes over synethetic dyes should therefore be better for your skin and health (the dyes are in direct contact with your skin!), and should also reduce the total amount of chemicals that are released into the air, water and soil during production – all of which also have an indirect impact on our health. However, using natural/vegetable dyes does not mean that the entire garment production process is natural...Indeed, textile manufacturing requires chemicals at numerous stages of the process, and even natural dyes may need chemicals to bind the dye with the fibres.

Tips for a greener home – part 1

2012-02-08T16:02:00.005+05:30

One of this blog’s objectives is to promote environmental protection by encouraging the purchase of “sustainable” products – such as fair trade clothes (see our post on Shop for Change) or organic food – and to explain where, how and why we should buy these products. Another of our objectives is to highlight those small, daily actions that can reduce our impact on the environment, but that do not induce a reduction in our quality of life, comfort or satisfaction.

This is the first part of a series entitled “Tips for a greener home”, which will hopefully provide our readers with examples of such daily, feasible, environmentally useful actions.

Packaging reuse

If you buy food directly from its producer, return the packaging to him/her so that he/she can reuse it. Last week, I bought strawberry jams and pesto sauces packed in glass jars to a woman at the Farmers’ Market. When I had finished with the jams a couple of weeks later, I washed the jars and gave them back to her. She was happy not to have to buy extra ones, we avoided a small but yet additional amount of glass from being produced ( 1 ton of glass = 700kg of sand + the equivalent of 2 months of electricity and 8 days of water consumption by a single person)…and I was rewarded with a discount on her other products.

Another example is the food that I sometimes order from a nearby restaurant. They deliver the food in tupperwares. Instead of throwing them away (it’s plastic, so not good for the environment – a plastic bag can take up to 400 years to biodegrade) or piling them up my small kitchen, I gave them back to the restaurant. It’s only a dozens of tupperwares each time, but it actually translates into a lot of fossil fuels and water that won’t need to be extracted and used.

Reducing plastic bags

We all know that we should take a reusable cloth bag to go food shopping, in order to avoid using plastic bags. However, we sometimes forget to carry it along with us. In that case, if you are buying several types of fruits or vegetables from the same person, tell him to put as much items as he can in the same bag. I know it sounds stupid, but I realized that the fruit and vegetable vendors at the market tended to automatically put each type of vegetable in a separate bag... when it actually does not make any difference if they don't! Similarly, if you continue shopping in other shops, make sure that you use the full capacity of your plastic bags before taking new ones. Don't hesitate to tell the shop owner that you already have a bag - most of the time, he's so accustomed to putting his products into a plastic bag that he won't even try to figure out whether you need it or not...and that's how we end up accumulating plastic unnecessarily.

Energy-saving tips for computers

Have you heard of Blackl? It is Google’s energy saving search engine. Google states that Blackl saves energy thanks to its black background and that any energy usage derived from it is offset by the purchase of renewable energy credits. It functions exactly the same way as the standard Google search engine. All you need to do is to set it as your homepage.

You can adjust the brightness of your computer screen. The brighter it is, the more power it needs. Of course, the point is not to make the screen go so dark that you need to buy yourself a pair of glasses next year… Simply set the brightness at a level that does not produce excessive light but still makes you comfortable.

Unused electronics

Sometimes, our electronic products – TVs, stereo systems, microwaves, printers… - are switched off but still have a light on that shows that they are actually on stand-by. That stand-by mode uses electricity, and you end up paying for it at the end of the month! Some studies say that electricity usage from products in stand-by mode can represent up to 15% of a home’s total electricity bill, depending of course on the total amount of electronic goods present in the house. Really switching off unused electronic products only takes an extra second, but makes a difference in terms of your house’s electricity usage and monthly bill.

Sustainability at the Kala Ghoda Festival!

2012-02-03T17:46:00.004+05:30

The Kala Ghoda Festival starts tomorrow! Although the Festival is famous for showcasing a variety of theatre, dance and music performances, it also gives the opportunity to environmental NGOs and associations to show their work or share their knowledge with Mumbai’s citizens. Here’s our pick:

A Workshop on… how to grow organic herbs and vegetables in the city! By Anusha Babbar, Founder of Green Grower India.

When: 9^th Feb., 10:30am-1pm

Where: Artisans shop

Environmental Magic show: an attempt to sensitize Mumbaikars and show them that waste can be reduced, recycled or reused in a ‘magical way’. By the Clean Mumbai Foundation, Dirty Business Group and… Magic Star Kruti Parekh.

When: 9^th Feb., 5:30-6pm

Where: Amphitheatre, Rampart Row

Our Lil Bit stand: Our Lil Bit is an association of NGOs that promotes indigenous crafts and environmental conservation. They say on their facebook page that their products are: organic, eco-friendly, low carbon, and sometimes made of recycled materials, while also being functional and aesthetic…phew! I don’t know this association but it’ll definitely be interesting to have a look at their products.

When: during the entire Festival

Where: the parking lot

“Speak with Paper” Kids’ Workshop: paper bag decoration with recycled paper, by Amruta Pathre (age 9-15).

When: 4^th Feb., 3:30-5:30pm

Where: Museum Gardens

“Waste Magic”, for kids: a demo to make recycled paper from tetra packs, “eco-craft” and games on recycling, by R.U.R (age 8-15)

When: 7^th Feb., 5:30-6:30pm

Where: Museum Gardens

Enjoy!

Organic food home delivery

2012-01-27T14:13:00.008+05:30

It is difficult to find organic food in Mumbai. Except if you live next to the Farmers’ Market in Bandra or to a dedicated organic food shop, getting a continuous supply of diverse organic food products is quite a bit of a struggle. I remember having roamed in my neighborhood, trying to find an organic shop that was indicated on the net, but which seemed to have disappeared since then. Buying organic food online and having it home delivered therefore sounded like a great idea.
Yet, I struggled even to do that. Transparency seems to be the last thing on the mind of the businesses selling organic food online. Few of them really explain how or why their products are organic. But what is the most disconcerting is that hardly any of them provide price lists. You’re supposed to make an order and just wait for the surprise when the guy comes to your door with the bill. I also tried asking for a price list to one of them by email - but never received an answer.

The only acceptable option I found was Satvika (the link to their website is: http://www.satvika.in/index.htm). I admit that they are as little transparent as the others regarding the organic nature of their products. No mention of what ‘organic’ means to them, whether the products are certified, etc. I guess that simply stating that they sell organic is enough to them. However, the good points are: most of the brands that they sell ARE organic and even certified to American, Indian and/or European organic standards. The majority of their staples, atta, pulses and spices are 24 Letter Mantra products – one of the only brands that really communicates on the geographical origin of the products, their certification process and labeling policy, and even their relationship with the farmers (http://www.24lettermantra.com/index.aspx). Plus, Satvika discloses the price of each product on one of its web pages, as well as in the order form, which comes as a downloadable Excel sheet. Only the fruit and vegetable order form does not seem to have any prices, so unless you want to shop price-blindedly, you will have to go to their shops, or elsewhere.

Satvika indeed has a couple of shops (Chembur and Vile Parle East) in which they sell fresh fruits and vegetables, in addition to the other rice, pulses, flour, spices, tea/coffee, etc. products listed on their website. Another good point here is that they sell the fruit and vegetable in bulk – not individually wrapped in plastic, as I have once seen in an organic shop in Bandra. I can’t remember the name of the shop, but I found the concept excellent – come and buy organic food (reminder: which is supposed to be less harmful to the soil, water and biodiversity), but please do it with excessively useless plastic!! The plastic was supposed to be biodegradable, or something like that, but in any case it results in a huge, useless consumption of resources.

One last comment on Satvika: the process to order products online is quite simple and quick. You only have to fill in the order form and send it to the email address written on the form. They generally deliver to you the next day.

Natural vs. Organic

2012-01-10T13:57:00.008+05:30

I had planned to write my first post on Auroville’s “Naturellement” brand and to praise their decision to produce organic jams and pickles. But then I took one of the jars I had at home and read the label. It said: “Naturellement’s range of gourmet products is made from natural/organic ingredients”. In another part of the label, a text box affirms that the product “contains no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives”. What’s with the slash between ‘natural’ and ‘organic’? Did they not know which word to choose and decided to put both? I realized that I had been once again fooled by manufacturers that do not produce organic goods, but know that the word appeals to the customer, and therefore simply decide to add it on their products’ labels. Since no one checks whether it is true or not, who cares?

Another example of this consciously-provoked confusion is FabIndia’s “Organics” food brand. It is called Organics but… labels only indicate that there are “no Class II preservatives, synthetic colours or added flavours”. Which means that FabIndia can claim that the products are natural – but not that they are organic.

By misusing the words ‘natural’, ‘organic’, ‘traditional’, ‘sustainable’, ‘eco-friendly’, etc., manufacturers confuse the minds of customers and at the same time ensure that their requirements are kept low. Although it is a positive step in itself to exclude artificial additives, making sure that ingredients are organic is a much more demanding process.

Here is an attempt to clarify the distinction between ‘natural’ and ‘organic’:

- ‘Natural’ means that the product only contains ingredients that can be found in nature. It excludes any use of artificial preservatives, flavors or colors – typically, the “E-“’s (E621 for MSG, for example). A good summary of 'what is natural', created by online store Natural Mantra, can be found here. Some labels also mention the use of “nature-identical” substances. These are not natural ingredients but substances that have been created through chemical processes to reproduce the same characteristics (flavor, odor…) as their natural counterpart.

Fresh produce such as fruit and vegetable is intrinsically natural, although unfortunately, today, many fruit and vegetable produced on an industrial scale are injected with artificial colors and preservatives to increase their attractiveness and shelf-life. The label ‘natural’ is however generally applied to manufactured and processed foods.

The growing trend in purchases of ‘natural’ products is mainly based on health concerns, since some additives such as aspartame are caught up in controversies relating to their safety for human beings. Let’s also not forget that the reason why additives are present in our processed foods is often that the ingredients used are so poor in nutrients and taste that manufacturers think it is best to ‘enhance’ their flavors.

While ‘natural’ products guarantee that no artificial substances were added during the manufacturing process, it does not mean that the ingredients used were grown organically in the farm.

- ‘Organic’ means that the produce or ingredients contained in a product were cultivated without using any chemical fertilizers and pesticides, plant growth regulators, antibiotics (in the case of livestock), etc. GMOs are also banned.

There are three main reasons to prefer organic products over conventional ones:
1) health – notably because an increasing number of scientific research studies highlight links between the use of certain pesticides and insecticides (which end up in the form of very small but accumulating residues in our plates), and cancer,
2) the environment, because chemical inputs are known to be harmful to fauna and flora (including those not targeted by the pesticides), to accelerate soil depletion and erosion, and therefore to reduce land fertility on the long term,
3) farmers’ health and livelihoods. We tend to forget that the first victims of pesticides’ use are the farmers’ themselves. In India, many of them are not equipped enough to protect themselves against inhaling or touching the chemical products. Synthetic pesticides and fertilizers are also very costly and, added to fluctuating crop prices, farmers tend to make very little profits.

Although there are rumors of false or bribed certifications in India, there is no better guarantee today that to have an organically certified product, for example by organisms such as Ecocert India.

Consumers have the power collectively to push for better standards. Do not hesitate to challenge shop owners or salesmen who market their products “natural/organic” without giving any additional information to prove their claims. Also, the more you decide to purchase organic and/or certified organic products, the more manufacturers will want to cater to this demand and eventually (and hopefully) competition will bring prices down.

A good place to start with is the weekly Farmers’ Market, which takes place either in Bandra or at the Mahalaxmi racecourse: http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/thefarmersmarket/

Young on Raw Food - Mimi Kirk

2012-01-09T11:32:00.000+05:30

It's been a while since I posted on my blog - ever since all the NRI's started visiting for December break in Mumbai. But it is time to get back onto the right track after all the indulgences of the family and parties. Happy New Year ! Let's hope that 2012 is fantastic.
Nothing can do that better to start the year than the story of Mimi Kirk - a 70 year old woman who looks like she is 40 and behaves like a 20 year old. She is a vegan who lives on raw foods. She was just voted the sexiest vegetarian over 50.

A link you must go to and read about !

http://youngonrawfood.com/

Shopping & Farmer Suicides - there is a link ! Shop for Change

2011-12-22T13:02:00.001+05:30

Who would think that we can link farmer suicides to designer wear?! Well, that is what the “Shop for Change” label does. This is the local Indian version of “Fair Trade”. I met with Seth Petchers, CEO, Shop for Change along with my friend Laurence (who will also be writing for this blog soon) to understand what these labels were and was amazed to realize the extent the work that is being done by this organization. I love this because it really is what my blog is all about – understanding the supply chain that brings us the products we consume.

Look for this Label on clothes

Shop for Change is an initiative that is working with the textile industry and cotton workers to bring the Fair Trade certification to India. The certification is given to those farmers and organizations that ensure that there is better training, improved working conditions, environmentally sustainability and sustainable livelihoods for the farmers (they currently work with over 7,000 farmers). Essentially it is making sure that the cotton that reaches us in retail stores is being bought from organizations that are ensuring best practice working conditions and prices to farmers. It creates a real link between the urban consumer and the rural farmer. There are a few brands that are ensuring that they have this certification for their clothes such as Anita Dongre’s AND & Grassroots and No Nasties. And you can find these in your mainstream stores such as Pantaloon and Lifestyle. Anita Dongre just did a line for Fashion Week that was also organic and fair trade(she sourced from Chetna Organic Agriculture Producer Company). Handicraft initiatives and NGO’s have for years sold us products from the rural market – I like this because it allows me to buy from modern brands that are conscientious without the guilt of buying products I have no use for.

While the initiative is great I know that to mainstream this as consumers we need to move away from a pure designer fixation (I just can’t wait till yuppie India gets over the yucky colored LV mini suitcases that all the women are buying!). Hopefully we will soon see a phase where we are seen swinging around Fair Trade and Shop for Change labeled bags as being the ultimate fashion statement. I know certifications often get a bad rap for just adding more paperwork but in reality they are really the market solution that is needed – if product owners are made accountable for their supply chain then the end result benefits all. Everything from the farmers(better prices and working conditions), consumers (better products), businesses (public accountability), and of course the environment (by encouraging organic farming).

To do your bit to popularize this:

- Look for the label in the stores that you go to – you might be surprised that a lot more brands are getting certified.

- If you are a clothes designer see if you can source your material from Shop for Change certified suppliers. For small scale designers working as a consortium to buy might be the solution.

- Question your favorite brands on where their cotton comes from- or ask the fashion conscious of your lot if their clothes are fair trade– who knows you might be at the tipping point of starting a trend!

Recycled Christmas Tree of Plastic Bottles in School

2011-12-22T12:38:00.000+05:30

Christmas Tree in JB Petit School made of Recycled Bottles

Just went for my niece's first christmas concert at her school (my old school too!) and saw a beautiful christmas tree that was made from green 1 litre 7-up bottles! Gives me great confidence that at least the teachings in school these days are on the right track !

Slow Food Day - Terre Madre Day - Dec 10th

2011-12-13T14:14:00.001+05:30

"Slow Food is a global, grassroots organization with supporters in 150 countries around the world who are linking the pleasure of good food with a commitment to their community and the environment."

To celebrate this movement they have designated December 10th as Terre Madre day to remind us of the importance of just slowing down, eating local and seasonal foods that we have grown up enjoying. It is also possibly one of the easiest way to bring sustainability into the house by understanding how and what we eat has a deep impact on the environment. Changing food patterns over the years has given us access to every imaginable food in any season - but I remember that there was a time that we used to look forward to our winter veges of mattar and lal gajar. Appreciating vegetables and recipes that are seasonal is slowly going to become a lost treasure.

I had the pleasure of attending a Mumbai Food Bloggers Potluck who share their passion for food and the enivronment and chose to celebrate this day. I thought of writing a detailed blog post on this but realized that I am now keeping company of veteran bloggers who have written articulate pieces on this that I cannot begin to compare with it.

So here is the best way to read about this:
Tongue Ticklers - by Harini (a vegan cook with some of the most fantastic recipes!)
http://tongueticklers.com/2011/12/going-slow-in-mumbai/

A Perfect Bite - by Rushina Munshaw
http://a-perfect-bite.blogspot.com/2011/12/slow-down-to-celebrate-terra-madre-day.html

And of course the Slow Food Website
http://www.slowfood.com/

A Liter of Light - Solar Water Bottle Lights

2011-12-08T10:55:00.000+05:30

A Liter of Light

The UNFCCC just added this project to their Momentum of Change campaign in Durban. It is a project from the Phillipenes that allows light into a home buy the simple use of a plastic water bottle and bleach. This contraption is the equivalent to a 60 Watt bulb ! It is worth spreading the message.

Maybe this is not something that will work in an urban home - but is a fantastic option for urban slums or holiday homes with spaces that are not used that much. I think with innovation in design a product designer can probably create a version of this which would be applicable for the urban household.

In any case - this is an initiative worth passing on !

http://unfccc.int/files/secretariat/momentum_for_change/application/pdf/7_solar_bottles.pdf

http://isanglitrongliwanag.org/

Watch it on You Tube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-Fpsw_yYPg

Desert in a Coconut, Parsi Bhonu on a palm leaf - Can this work for all 7 Billion?

2011-12-07T11:50:00.000+05:30

We recently had a meal at the Thai Pavillion and were served a yummy thai curry in mud matka pots. Since, I have just written about the Parsi Dairy Matkas being so fabulous and a conscious choice we can make while shopping– one could think that this too would be good? But I don’t know if the same logic extends to a restaurant – after all considering the number of meals a popular restaurant like Thai Pavillion the number of matkas they use must be phenomenal. And I know their best practice standards would never allow them to reuse the matkas. Even though the matkas are made of mud and will not end up in a landfill, chances are if you examine the whole life cycle of the matka – (from mining to firing the matka) using dishes and plates might just be more efficient overall. So to be fair – if you are looking at disposable packaging then the Parsi Dairy matkas are good, but if you are going to reuse something then it is much better to pick an option that will last a much longer time.

Desert in a Coconut

This also made me think about Parsi bhonu – you know those fabulous meals you get only when a Parsi friend has a navjote or gets married? They serve it on palm leaves which I think enhances the taste of the meal. But can you imagine 7 billion people eating three meals a day on a palm leaf? Just not a good idea – it is obvious that the challenge we have with use of natural resources requires a lot of thought – tradition cannot be blindly followed in an urban setting but neither is mass production the answer.

What I did like was the coconut the desert was served in. At least we know that the coconut is something that is on its second use – so it is a great way to reuse a natural resource.

Every Travellers Wish List - CNNs Six of the Best Environment Friendly Hotels

2011-12-05T21:04:00.000+05:30

http://www.cnntraveller.com/2009/11/13/six-of-the-best-environmentally-friendly-hotels/

1. BORANA RANCH
Samangua Valley, Laikipia, Kenya
Tel: (+254) 20 2115 453
www.borana.co.ke
Visitors to Borana (pictured above) can enjoy magnificent views of Mount Kenya and horseback safaris with an easy conscience. This exclusive retreat’s eight luxurious cottages are furnished with huge open fireplaces and scenic verandas, and located on a 13,000-hectare working cattle ranch that underwent a conversion to wildlife conservation and ecotourism in the early 1990s. Careful wildlife management has nurtured abundant herds of elephants and giraffe while its owners, the Dyers, use clients’ money to support local community initiatives. These include classroom building, a mobile clinic, as well as irrigation and reforestation projects. Borana was awarded Virgin Holiday’s Responsible Tourism Award for Poverty Reduction in 2007.
2. CHAA CREEK
Macal River, Belize
Tel: (+501) 824 2037
Fax: (+501) 824 2501
www.chaacreek.com
Chaa Creek was one of the pioneering eco-resorts back in the early 1980s and continues to collect eco-awards. It is set in a 147-hectare nature reserve in Belize’s Maya Mountains and guests awake to the roars of black howler monkeys outside palm-thatched cottages. Solar panels provide power, photovoltaic switches save energy, air-conditioning is environmentally friendly and cleaning products are biodegradable.  Chaa Creek has already bagged a prestigious Green Globe certification. The resort provides miles of forest trails for the adventurous to explore that weave past Mayan temples and provide opportunities for biking and bird-watching.
3. DAINTREE ECOLODGE & SPA
Daintree, Queensland, Australia
Tel: (+61) 7 4098 6100
Fax: (+61) 7 4098 6200
www.daintree-ecolodge.com.au
A nature spa retreat of 15 hideaway villas set in northern Queensland’s 100 million-year-old rainforest that sets high environmental standards in energy and waste management. The rustic lodges are cocooned by the natural hubbub of Daintree Rainforest, waterfalls and extravagantly coloured butterflies. The award-winning eco-lodge pays dutiful respect to local aboriginal culture with the lodge interiors adorned by works of art while aboriginal guides lead rainforest walks to explain the surrounding biodiversity. Its wellness spa draws upon aboriginal inspired massages to pamper guests.
4. THE FARM
Batangas, The Philippines
Tel: (+63) 2884 8073
Fax: (+63) 2889 1150
www.thefarm.com.ph
This is a luxurious wellness and health  resort set amid 48 hectares of coconut  palm forest, lagoons and gardens, on southern Luzon Island. The Farm’s five-star villas and suites are based upon traditional Philippine designs of rice barns and leaf-roofed houses. Its holistic philosophy of wellness through detoxifying the body is backed by locally reared produce. Its own organic garden produces much of  the exquisitely prepared vegan food on offer at its Alive! restaurant, while its modern Salus Per Aqua Spa utilises locally harvested coconut milk, oil and cocoa for its treatments. The Farm also employs and trains a significant proportion of local staff.
5. HUAORONI LODGE
Quehueri’ono, Ecuador
Tel: (+593) 2222 5907
Fax: (+593) 2256 0756
www.huaorani.com
This eco-lodge is the place to go native and is a bulwark against the diminishing lifestyle of an indigenous people. Deep in the Ecuadorian Amazon on the banks of the River Shiripuno, Huaorani Lodge consists of a collection of solar-powered thatched cabins built from sustainable harvested timber. Guests can take dugout canoe trips on Amazonian tributaries and even masterclasses in blowpipe use. All profits go to the Huaorani people’s community.
6. WHITEPOD
Villars, Switzerland
Tel: (+41) 24 4713 838
www.whitepod.com
Mongolian yurts meet Moonbase Alpha in the Swiss  Alps near Villars, offering an eco-friendly alternative for skiers and lovers of mountain sports. Whitepod’s geodesic shaped eco-domes are made from thick, insulated cotton stretched over tough steel frames and in wintertime blend harmoniously with the surrounding environment. Guests remain snug inside the stylish pods courtesy of log stoves and sheepskin rugs. Gourmet-style cuisine prepared from locally grown, organic food  is served in a restored 19th-century chalet nearby.  Energy conservation is important, so generators are turned on for just a few hours each morning and evening. It re-launches on 1 December this year  with 15 new pods.

Eco Corner - Literally...a corner shop with eco goodies in Palladium

2011-12-05T15:31:00.001+05:30

This is one of those real treasure shops that you come across once in a while. The fact that is located in the high end Palladium mall in that monstrous consumer mess of Phoenix mills just makes it even more special. Started as an offshoot to Ideas Inc the parent company that makes handmade paper out of used cotton rags, Eco Corner is your one stop shop to get you started on a sustainabile living - it can ease in anyone who is a shopoholic!   Urvashi Mody (my namesake of course!) was just fantastic - her grasp and understanding of market perceptions were accurate in that the average shopper does not want to go really out of their way to pick environmentally friendly products but if presented to them in an environment that they are comfortable with it (in this case a regular mall) then they are more likely to explore the options.
The store is well stocked with products that are sourced from around the country as well as products that are made by Eco Corner.   Eco Corner has a workshop in Mumbai and sources some of its products from rural artisans. But there are no plastic, glass, leather, wood or silk products in the store. Silk because worms die during the process, and even the ahimsa worm practice has not been very successful in producing silk that lasts (apparently the ahimsa silk worms become parasites which is also not good).    Urvashi said that the their focus is on using natural resources for their products - and care is taken to use only those resources that can easily multiply - like a bamboo, or the bananna plant (when it is cut at a certain point so it can grow more).   They also stock wood free paper (made from cotton rags and jute that is made at under the Ideas Inc label - the paper can be found at Landmark, Staples etc. A really nice addition to the store were the handmade recycled newspaper waste paper baskets - they looked durable and were washable so quite useful.

Apart from the regular lifestyle prodcuts that one would find, they have sourced a lot from Mereville Trust in Auroville and have an impressive line of their aromatherapy oils (the same ones you get in Good Earth but I think less expensive if I am not mistaken).   I found the "Mosqui" an ayurvedic mosquito repellent - it is a herbal coil - and although more expensive then your regular good night coils it smells really wonderful. I really think that if you are choking on something - which I usually am with the toxic mosquito coils - it really can't be good for you. Has anyone really enjoyed spraying any of that stuff in cans and really enjoyed it? If those canned sprays can kills cockroaches and mosquitos - I am sure that it is killing us slowly too !

Anyway, back to Eco Corner - there is a yummy food section stocked with peanut butters, honey, and natural masalas (somethimes it is ok to take what is the best in the market - this is as unadultered masala as you will ever get).   They even stock organic holi and rangoli colors.

And to end this post that I was supposed to write weeks ago - support Eco Corners initiatives.
- if you wash your tetrapaks and deliver it to the store then they will recycle the tetrapaks into some interesting recycled products
(they have tied in a number of hotels, restaurants and schools to help out with this)
- or call Urvashi over to give a workshop in your childrens schools.
The stores owners really believe in going beyond just selling their products and enjoy the community involvement so do reach out to them.

They hope to extend to the rest of India in the coming year and I wish them all the luck and hope it comes onto everyones must go to shopping places!

Swechha - Sustainable Shopping Basket Guide

2011-12-01T11:22:00.001+05:30

I good overall view on sustainable shopping in India by Swechha and GIZ

http://www.scp-knowledge.eu/sites/default/files/knowledge/attachments/GIZ%202010%20Sustainable%20Shopping%20Basket%20-%20a%20lifestyle%20and%20shopping%20guide.pdf

Possibly the amusing bit in it is how much LPG is saved by using a pressure cooker as opposed to conventional cooking system. It really is the small things that matter I guess.

Gourmet Raw Food - Chef Lisa Pitman

2011-11-30T16:52:00.002+05:30

Sharan (Sanctury for Health & Reconnection to Animals & Nature) is "a non profit that is working to spreading holistic health awareness and an ecologically sustainable compassionate lifestyle". They are doing an incredible job in promoting veganism and the healing power of plants as a way to reverse diabetes, and heal most diseases. They talk also about Dr. Neal Barnard who has been advocating a diet change as a healing tool in North America for quite a while. We all know that our diets and the foods we eat are intrinsic to our well being but the reasearch and work of Sharan and Dr. Barnard go beyond what our conventional thinking on this is. It is the success stories on the reversal and curing of cancers, and diabetes that amaze me and make one think that maybe this is the way to live. The obvious winners if this were true would obviously be health, and also the environment.

Sharan has been touring India with a Chef from Canada - Lisa Pitman for the last month. I had a chance to attend a "Raw Cooking" lesson by her. Raw cooking is the concept of going entirely back to the basics of just fruits and vegetable and advocates that cooking destroys most nutrients and therefore it is better to eat raw. Lisa demostrated some incredible gourmet recipes each with a distinct flavors and beautiful Masterchef type plating. All of this was done only with a food processor and a few frozen fruits. She showed us salads (a fantastic brocoli salad and pad thai salad); a fruit parfait (this I absolutely loved); smoothies (although mine are much better); and cheescake! All made without dairy products, animal products or turning on the stove. The idea is to used plant based dressings, sauces, oils etc. So you can make a cashew paste dressing, or use peanut butter, or use oat milk, soya - the choices are endless it is just a question of adapting your kitchen.

It was definitely an experience and a lesson that we can incorporate "whole foods" in to our diets with a little creativity. I have added the links to the academy she studied in; and also her blog that explains this food philosophy so much better than I can!

I really think even if we can change even just one or two of our meals to being either raw or vegan we will see significant changes in our health and environment.

Here are some resources to check them out:
Lisa Pitmans webpage: http://www.veganculinarycrusade.com/
Sharan's webpage: http://sharan-india.org/
Matthew Kenny Academy: www.kenneycuisine.com/matthew-kenney/

The Suicide Economy - Tad Hargrave - Marketing for Hippies

2011-11-22T14:42:00.000+05:30

Marketing for Hippies - Tad Hargrave. This is just a must read for anyone who is a social entrepreneur or who is thinking about this. Not only is it insightful in terms of numbers of the size of market but it just goes to show the depth of thought put in in this sector in the West and how much further we need to travel in India. Chapter two on The Suicide Economy vs the Conscious Economy is fantastic. We need to make the move to supporting local businesses to increase the circulation of money within a community - it makes for a wealthier and more sustainable community.
http://marketingforhippies.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/The-Way-of-the-Radical-Business.pdf

BlogAdda

2011-11-17T14:59:00.002+05:30

Millenium Development Goals (MDG's) & Sustainability

2011-11-17T12:02:00.000+05:30

"Environmental deterioration threatens to reverse recent progress in human development for the world’s poorest, warns a United Nations report released today, calling for urgent action to slow climate change, prevent further degradation and reduce inequalities."

UNDP, Nov 2nd, 2011

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=40285&Cr=human+development&Cr1=

The Millenium Development Goals are a set of goals for the world to acheive by 2015 to end poverty.

Here are the goals:

1. End Poverty and Hunger

2. Universal Education

3. Gender Equality

4. Child Health

5. Maternal Health

6. Compat HIV/AIDS

7. Environmental Sustainability

8. Global Partnership

I write about this not because of the environmental sustainability goal, but more because as I talk to entrepreneurs in this space, I realize that a number of them are also addressing the other goals. Most of them are interlinked - and as all reports will tell you that environment degradation affects the poorest of the poor first. A number of the entrepreneurs have spoken to me about innovating with different products and involved rural artisans and women workers to provide employment.

Understanding your choices for the environment can have a larger impact than we imagine.

Parsi Dairy's Yogurt Matkas - Packaging that works !

2011-11-17T10:44:00.000+05:30

Parsi Dairy Mud Yougurt Matkas

I was shopping at Nature's Basket yesterday when I stopped by their cold section to pick up some yogurt and came across Parsi Dairy's mud matkas ! This is fantastic - for all those people who are naysayers about using packaging that is environmentally friendly it goes to show that it is possible to avoid all the plastic containers and still access a mass consumer market. It’s obvious that when you are done eating the dahi these matkas made of mud can be easily disposed off with a minimal impact on the landfills.

Parsi Dairy Mud Yogurt Matkas

It also has the added health benefit that the yogurt is fresh without an excessively long shelf life so it is a far healthier option that the plastic options. A conscious shopper can make the right choices to support companies such as these!

Curd, Almonds, Walnuts - A Natural Hair Conditioner

2011-11-16T15:38:00.002+05:30

A short post to say how sometimes you don't always have to go out to buy products with the most labels on them but stick to simpler home remedies to solve most of our issues.
Recently, my hair has been really dry from cholorine in pool and the changing temperature. So I blended some curd, almonds and walnuts in the mixer and left it in my hair for about twenty minutes. Rinsed it off with water and it has worked like a charm.
A few months ago I would have gone and picked out a jar of the strongest commercial conditioner in the market! Chemicals, plastic, and who knows where those products have been tested !

The Navdanya Store - Organic Grains & Pulses

2011-11-15T13:12:00.001+05:30

Started by Dr. Vandana Shiva twenty-six years ago, Navdanya is an initiative to promote organic, non violent farming by encouraging seed conservation, biodiversity and chemical free farming. Navdanya literally stands for "nine seeds" or the nine crops that stand for India's food security. Not only does the movement promote a healthy living for those consume but also addresses a key issue in India on farmer sustainability. The link between the farmer and food is often lost in the urban environment and it is important to recognize that by choosing organic food it is also helping farmers to nourish their land and avoid getting into debt traps while buying excessive fertilizers.

On Friday, I went to visit the Navdanya store in Andheri and met with the owners - Reetha & Lata. Reetha, a former IT employee and her sister-in-law Lata started working with Navadanya products in 2006, starting small by taking stalls in exhibitions to finally opening their store in Andheri. They said they always tried to eat healthy before but after starting to work with Navdanya products their own understanding of healthy living drastically changed. Lata who spends a large part of her time with the farmers, said she often sees that the farmers grow patches of vegetables for their own family separately without the chemicals that are sprayed on commercial fields as they understand the damage caused by excessive chemical farming with genetically modified seeds.

The Navdanya store supplies all grains, pulses, spices, and oils for a regular Indian kitchen. They also have a section on “forgotten foods” or “boole bisre anaj” listing things like amaranth, ragi, bajra and jowar - essential to the Indian diet but forgotten in our urban fast food lifestyles. I asked about the “organic ghee” wondering what made ghee organic – these cows are only fed organic feed and there are no hormones pumped into them to increase their milk yield. It really makes me think – that we are probably ingesting so many growth hormones with realizing it through our everyday cooking.

This made me also question certifications – if we are choosing to buy organic products how can we be sure that we are buying products that are true to their word. In my research I am coming across so many products that are laughable – eggs with a label “almost organic” and soaps that are “semi-organic” – what crap really! So I asked about certifications in India. Unfortunately, this is one industry that is as corrupt as all others and it is really easy to buy an organic certification. There is a SGS certification one can look for but organic farmers often skip that as it is expensive foreign certification that has no real value. I guess we have to put our faith in organizations such as Navdanya that have been true to the cause for a long time and trust that the “Navdanya assurance” is a seal of trust and brand recognition that we are getting the right products. It really does help that the people behind the stores are so obviously passionate and knowledgeable about their subject. Having built their business up through word of mouth, rather than an aggressive sell it inspires enough faith to recognize that a loyal base of customers through the years is all the assurance that is needed.

I also enquired about prices – as often organic prices tend to be higher than regular commercial rates. While the organic movement is yet to reach such a scale that it is competitive with your baniya store the difference is not so significant to be a deterrent and often the difference to a monthly budget is just the price of a meal out. And considering you can have everything delivered home for a minimum order I genuinely wonder why we don’t have Navdanya stores across the city.

A genuinely inspiring visit to entrepreneurs who are making a difference to the health of the city!

On another note, Navdanya also recognizes climate change as a challenge for the agricultural industry and has worked on a number of studies related to this. It is worth a read.

http://www.navdanya.org/climate-change

Navdanya - MumbaiNo 10 Mayfair Housing Society
Oberoi - Raviraj Complex
Off Andheri Link Road
Andheri (West)
Mumbai 400 053
Phone : + 91-99204 18027
Email : navdanyamumbai@gmail.com

Naturopathy – An Eco Friendly Indulgence

2011-11-12T22:12:00.001+05:30

I got treated to a scrub at the Rudra Spa at Kemps Corner today. An hour of complete indulgence in a setting just inviting complete relaxation and solitude. Based on Himalayan and shaivite traditions, this spa offers beauty and holistic rejuvenation treatments that have been handed down through many generations. I had a coffee scrub which was made of coffee, rice paste and milk – not only does it feel incredible but I know that the ingredients are all natural – no chemical additives of manufactured cosmetics in plastic bottles– so definitely a relatively easy carbon footprint, and the water from washing off can easily be poured into plants – no chemical waste water! Other treatments are honey & almond scrubs, body wraps in aloe vera and potato, and massages with Himalayan herbs. The list is quite extensive and the results are fantastic. I am writing about this because often one thinks that if you want to live an environmental conscious life it requires deprivation but it can be incredibly in sync with nature and indulgent!

http://rudraspasalon.com/

In fact, treatments such as these are also encouraged by many naturopathy treatment centers around the country. The Kaivalyadham Yoga Institute in Lonavala is one such centre that has a massive naturopathy centre that uses mud packs, and mud body scrubs to stimulate blood flow and realign energy flows. Along with a traditional yoga classes it encourages use of the naturopathy centre to help regain health. The yoga teachers are genuinely some of the most knowledgeable about traditional yoga and enthusiastic teachers not only about yoga but about Pranayam as well.

http://kdham.com/departments/naturopathy/

While Rudra might be the more high end of luxury indulgence, and Kaivalyadham the more rudimentary traditional centre – it is obvious that working with natural ingredients has health benefits as well as is easy on the environment.

If they can live LOHAS in Shanghai why can't we in Mumbai ?

2011-11-11T16:34:00.004+05:30

A friend of mine sent me this link recently about living a "LOHAS" Life in Shanghai. LOHAS stands for Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability.
http://www.cnngo.com/shanghai/life/how-live-lohas-shanghai-540813

This article lists the compartive ease of living a sustainable life in Shanghai as opposed to living a similar life in Mumbai. The most obvious thing listed is organic food and getting a Farmers Basket of organic vegetables every week - we have our own version of this in Mumbai with the Hari Bhari Tokri by MOFCA (http://mofca.in/). We don't have any restaurants like Annamaya in Shanghai (it serves veggie, vegan, macrobiotic food) - the vegetarian bit is easy here but it is much harder to get vegan or macrobiotic food easily. The really interesting bit that I liked is the concept of the Jiashan Market - which are former factory buildings that have been redone to build a sustainable housing society. It is really possible to do something like this - there are enough decrepit old factory compounds (especially in Byculla, Reay Road area etc) that can be converted to spaces like this. I think there would be a lot of takers if a living space as this this was conceptulized and implemented here. Read the article !

CII Sustainability Solutions Summit - A corporate take on sustainability

2011-11-10T17:08:00.004+05:30

The concept of “Sustainability” can be stretched to different meanings and for the corporate sector it extends to looking at their triple bottom line – looking at the economic, social and environment impact of their activities. I clarify this as my blog is very specific about environmental sustainability and also because sometimes I even trip over myself in understanding the linkages in agendas at conferences as they cover sustainability in a much larger context.

The CII Sustainability Solutions Summit(http://www.sustainabledevelopment.in/events/upcoming_events_new_1.htm ) is coming up in a few weeks. Held every year in Delhi, it brings together some of the leading thought leaders in India to discuss this topic. Having attended quite a few of them over the years I am always curious to see if there has been any progress by the corporate sector in this field or is it just more sophisticated speech writers and PR guru’s in action?

Having looked at this years’ agenda - I have to say CII has pulled together a few speakers that would be worth listening who I only hope will go beyond the PR speak. I have heard Mr. Deveshwar, Chairman of ITC, speak quite candidly on the subject, keeping in mind that he runs a tobacco company-this is commendable. I would also want to listen to the Chief Guest - Dr. Veerappa Moily, Union Minister of Corporate Affairs. Recently, the government has been trying to implement a 2 % mandatory CSR spend – which I don’t think is the right thing to do – it will just lead to yet another law that has no implementation or accountability check – my hope is that at least with the government being more vocal about corporate responsibility the business community will start to work towards this – if only to look good. Another speaker to look out for is - Ms. Roopa Kudva, MD & CEO, CRISIL– for a long time I have heard through the grapevine that a Sustainability Index for Investing is set to come out in India (something along the lines of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index) – let’s hope we will hear an update. It is only when investors start demanding accountability through their investments will the corporate sector take serious notice of this issue – and maybe then I will get the products that I am finding increasingly hard to find in super malls!

Expect a lot of real corporate examples from S. Gopalakrishnan, CEO, Infosys – definitely one of the forward thinking companies that has been building eco-work places. Considering most of us spend 50-60 hours at work, the ripple effect of an employee taking home lessons learnt at work to the family is far reaching.

The session I would really hope to hear some sort of an interesting debate on would be the one on the “Speed Dating for the 4bn”. I often hear a lot of business strategists talk just about accessing the BOP (bottom of the pyramid) market as a mantra for sustainable and inclusive growth – however, it ends up being more about getting products to the really poor that they don’t really need but should want. This session really should be about the challenge the world faces – we really need to be innovative beyond normal to allow the BOP to increase their standard of living without further stripping the planet of resources. I really hope that CII brings on speakers who can think beyond their bottom line and challenge the current consumerist growth model.

If you do end up attending the conference – hold the conference organizers accountable for the sustainability of their own conference – are they giving out just loads of unnecessary printed materials, is there any natural light used in the conference rooms, are they giving out just cart loads of free plastic drinking water, are the badges re-usable, and of course, are the AC’s on at such a powerful level that you freeze?? Conferences like this are necessary and well received to see progress on an issue over the years, networking, and bringing to the forefront key issues but holding the organizers accountable for their actions is equally important!

Clean Planet Totes.......Designing Eco Consciousness

2011-11-07T15:00:00.004+05:30

Inspired by a documentary on the North Pole melting, Clean Planet Totes is an initiative to raise awareness of the use of plastic in our daily lives. It is a group of designers that have created a line of tote bags that are fashionable and yet encourage users to carry their own bags when shopping. The concept is that if you have your own cloth bag with you then you are less likely to take a shops plastic bag and thereby can reduce the amount of plastic you bring into your lives daily. Conceptually it is fantastic and I was excited to see a high end product that is fashionable and would be "cool" to carry.  On an initial glance through their website, I was quite curious to find out more about these tote bags and understand exactly what their impact can be on the environment.   However, on digging deeper I was a bit dissapointed to realize that the bags are not made of organic cotton, or recycled material - they were just really well designed cloth bags that had environment conscious message tacked on to them. This made me a bit angry - was this just another marketing gimmick to sell more under the eco label. Was this a greenwash aided by articulate website that gave minimum information? More products that we don't need but should want?
I decided to go meet the owner figuring that you cannot be a critic of just a website. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised and inspired by Savitha Rao the founder and designer of Clean Planet who genuinely understood the issue. It brought to light some of the real challenges that are faced by producers when they try to source sustainably.   My first question to her asked her to explain why they have not used organic cotton materials for their product line. Apparently, the challenge with this is that if you are using woven materials the issues is with the availability of the material and not the price which is a barrier to using organic materials. You need to order a minimum of atleast 3000-3500 mtrs of the same cloth and design - obviously if you are trying to create niche designer products I doubt that is an amount that is feasible. Savitha explained, that if you use a knit range then it is easier to source a lesser amount of material 100-200 mtrs which probably makes sense.

Even though these tote bags fail to be completely sustainable there are a few reasons why a product like this has some thought put into it and is worth supporting in the larger scheme of things. The designs chosen are contempory so can be used for a long time, it is not the latest fad which begs to be used and discarded every season; the messaging on some of the bags speak of the environment, and care has been taken to use the least amount of buttons, zips or accessories on the bags. It may not seem like much but it is about a mind set. If one business owner can force their team to think about wastage, about maximizing design without the extras it can go along way in changing mindsets in the fashion industry and obviously this then trickles down to the consumer.   Going forward Savitha and her team are also going to look for recycled materials, use waste wood to make hooks, and making handkerchiefs in place of tissue paper use.
Clean Planet totes are retailed in Mumbai in at OLB, Tuppo ki Dukkan, Eco Corner; the Taj, Prince of Wales Museum shop and a few online stores - Unwrap India.
I would also like to just applaud the thought process and activism of Savitha who is one of the few people who goes beyond and is a concerned citizen to watch out for. She has battled the Mumbai traffic cops to get a traffic signal at a busy junction (took her a year and a half), researched and made manhole covers for her street, street lights on a deserted road, fined her staff for bringing plastic into the office (100 Rs for every offence!), and she is also working with her supply chain to reduce plastic in retail packaging. Anyone who has tried to do anything in India to change things can appreciate her battle and applaud her strength to implement the changes.

Desiging to inspire sustainability, lets hope Clean Planet Totes is the tipping point to changing consumer sensibilities in India.
cleanplanet.in/

A Half of a Business Card

2011-10-21T16:43:00.002+05:30

Half a Business Card/A Conventional Business Card

I like this - A Half of a Business Card. I met a lovely lady this week who has been an environment journalist in Mumbai for the last forty years. She handed me a business card that was half the size of a regular card - what a bold statement. It had all the relevant information she needed to leave me with but the size of the paper was just right for the print. It leaves one to think that with that slip of a paper she told me a lot more about herself than just her name and phone number - she conveyed to me that she not only understands her subject, she cares about her impact too, and she is confident enough to make a statement with her business card. Now not only does she stick in my mind it makes me wonder about how much wastage is in convention that no one questions. I wonder if anyone has ever calculated the carbon footprint of a business card??!!!

Is the 12th Plan Sustainable? (A Mint Article) and my thoughts........

2011-10-21T13:14:00.001+05:30

A good article in the MINT from Oct 20th is an analysis of sustainability in India's 12th 5 Year Plan.
http://www.livemint.com/2011/10/19005816/Is-the-12th-Plan-Sustainable.html?h=B

Possibly one of the more astute observations of the article is the "wasteful consumerism of rich Indians" - even if you count that as just 5 % of India's population the numbers are equivalent to that of some of the smaller countries Western countries. This is a section of society that has increasingly more access to easy disposable income, credit cards and also such an easy access to information that we are no longer comparing ourselves to our Indian "Jones" but want to be comparable to our international peers. So we buy the latest gadgets, travel extensively, shop (what would we do without shopping!) and drive our individual cars across the city. I am certainly to blame as I am aware that I too am a big part of this problem but am constantly amazed at the lack of knowledge, awareness, or even desire to know anything about sustainability amongst my peers. It is still not "the cool" thing to know! This is surprising because in the West the knowledge about sustainability, the issues behind it, and the solutions is quite embedded in most people - atleast they know enough to eco wash themselves and be politically correct. I would, however, like to point out that it is just "knowledge" - it is still just a eco wash for most people and a fantastic marketing tool but not yet something that a lot of people can say that they have been able to integrate in to their lives.

On a recent trip to Paris, (to speak on climate change - which always amuses me - flying out for three days to talk for five minutes - but I could not resist the trip to Paris!), what really amazed me was the cycle racks all over the city - it really works ! You just pick up a bike from one area and then leave it at a cycle rack in another area at your destination. The cycle racks are linked to your credit card so you can't steal the bike, but pay a nominal rental charge for it. What was really good to know was that it was not considered as something only "poor" people do - everyone used it and found it so convinient. It has redefined public transport. However, I can't imagine a time when this can ever be implemented in a poor country like India. Even if the government tried this -I can't imagine any of India's elite "renting" a bike for public transport - 90 % of the people I know have never travelled by a bus or train. I have to laugh when I think about this - even if the government could pass a crazy scheme like this in Mumbai, I can be certain that within 24 hours there would be a cycle mafia that would somehow take over the whole rental system, and either run it more efficiently or would have the bikes sold to some remote village in India before our pandu's can take action. And where would we ride our bikes? Over our super Sea Link "an engineering marvel" (I once heard a civil engineer from a top firm call it this and I had to cringe - ugh!)??? Built again for the uber elite, our sea link caters only to those who can afford cars - no bike lane, no cycle lane, no forward thinking - a clean cut, copy, paste from the West - built only for car owners and putting down yet another aspirational goal for our growing population. Own a car or you can't zoom across our sexy sea link! It only took 15 years to build, and 1000's and 1000's of crores in taxes (probably paid for by the salaries of the middle class naukri wala's who actually pay taxes - never the rich business walas who actually use the sea link). Speaking of zooming - I really do laugh everytime I think of the speed limit - 50 km - that is what approximately 30 miles?? The only time someone actually keeps to that limit is when the traffic cops come out on Sunday's to make their hafta - anyone who uses the Link knows this - the cops stand on the link on Sunday's noon time - when everyone is crossing over for their brunches. The speed limit in France was 130 km - ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY.
For anyone who says that India has the opportunity to leapfrog technological change (yes, I am one of those - I went all the way to Paris to say in a conference that India can "leapfrog" the West's mistakes to build a more sustainable development model) be sure that all we are yet just bunny hopping our way to copying the West's consumer based development model. It is deeply disapointing that even our country's Planning Commission which is meant to be a body of experts who are meant to forsee the country's future and lay down the plan to get there are so myopic in their thinking that they cannot see this distastrous path we are headed down and do something about it. Even China has a better 5-year plan ! Ugh!

Rustic Art - Organic Shampoos, Soaps, Laundry detergent.....

2011-10-11T10:48:00.001+05:30

I love this ! As I search the internet for organic options I am discovering a whole host of young entrepreneurs that are thinking like me and working on products that will make sustainability a lot easier. I came across Rustic Art through the Green & Good Store (an online ecostore out of Rajasthan) and I really like their concept. I haven't tried any of their products yet but once I get back from my trip I am definitely going to try out their stuff. I am actually really interested in their shampoo's and their laundry detergent. I love the Krya one but am keen to explore how well their products work. Once you start using natural products, the chemicals in commercial products will start to really bother you - the smells, the feel of them - it almost feels like you are washing with chalk!

Rustic Art Laundry Collection

Rustic Art (http://rusticart.in/) has been started by two entrepreneurs in Pune. I like what they say on their website.
"We believe in living a life which is free of harmful toxins, chemicals and artificial elements. We define this as rustic! To bring rustic-ness to every aspect of our lives is our constant endeavour. Rustic Art is an extension of our passion towards using environment friendly, nature sensitive products."

My only concern is the plastic used in their containers - I wonder if those are environmently friendly. It genuinely bothers me the amount of shampoo bottles I end up using - maybe they should sell bigger bottles? Or offer a refill option? Or offer to fill your own bottles? I guess that would work !

Either way, I am looking forward to using their products to see how they work.

Tomato, Basil and Thyme - A Start to My Urban Garden

2011-10-10T13:04:00.001+05:30

I have to admit that I have killed almost all the plants that I have ever had in my house. I just don't get why. But this time we went to a Nursery which hopefully will be better and our plants will survive. I have been assured that these are all super hardy plants, that will remain healthy and happy as long as there was sun and water every few days. I may not be able to grow all my own vegetables but I think it is a starting point to understanding what it takes to grow your own food.

Thai Basil Plant

Thyme

Galangal Plant

Tomato and Haldi Plant

It goes a long way to sustainability when you eat locally (can't get more local than this!). I have also been assured that only organic soil has been used and lets hope they all survive in our lovely home !

A Weekday Veg

2011-10-10T11:06:00.001+05:30

I really like this idea - the Author Graham Hill talks about being vegetarian five days a week and then allowing yourself on the weekends to indugle in meat or whatever. Now, I know this is not a new concept by any standards nor is it something that people are already doing. Afterall, a lot of people "fast" for a day a week to cleanse their systems (which really makes one think if we are shoving in dirt for the rest of the week).

http://www.ted.com/talks/graham_hill_weekday_vegetarian.html

It is true that the production of meat and milk actually have the highest emissions in the world and just by eating meat everyday our carbon footprint is a lot higher than if we took a flight to everyone of our destinations.

So I think I am going to try this, I don't think I am ready yet to eat my last burger but I think I can try for the most part to eat vegetarian in the week. I grew up vegetarian eating only chicken once a week so I am sure I can go back to it. In fact, when I reached the US - I could eat chicken only once a day and that too I had to force myself, it is only at the end of eight years that I could chow down on a double cheeseburger with a side of fries with mayo!

I like this idea of easing back in to vegetarianism. A weekday veg.

This would be better for the environment, cheaper and will help me loose weight ! : )

Plastic Bottle Solar Lights - A solution for Urban Slums

2011-10-07T15:48:00.000+05:30

I wonder why no one has taken this up in India - it is really worth spreading and can save so much money, carbon emissions, eliminate power plants totally and change lives completely. I think the government should take this up. It is really a wonder as to why the government does not come up with simple plans like this instead of complicated plans.

An entrepreneur in the Philippines has used a Coke Bottle, Water and Cholorine to light up a house and create a "solar lantern".

It is truly amazing how simple and effective this is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=SBWi3NtND68

Battling Bad Science - Ben Goldacre - Bogus Nutrition

2011-10-07T13:02:00.000+05:30

HAHAHAHA

This guy is incredible - really worth a read - almost like Malcolm Gladwell - Tipping Point or Outliers.

http://www.ted.com/talks/ben_goldacre_battling_bad_science.html?utm_source=newsletter_weekly_2011-10-04&utm_campaign=newsletter_weekly&utm_medium=email

Prime Minister Dr. Manhoman Singh

2011-10-06T18:44:00.000+05:30

"Our people have a right to economic and social development and to discard the ignominy of widespread poverty. For this we need rapid economic growth. But I also believe that ecologically sustainable development need not be in contradiction to achieving our growth objectives. In fact, we must have a broader perspective on development. It must include the quality of life, not merely the quantitative accretion of goods and services. Our people want higher standards of living, but they also want clean water to drink, fresh air to breathe and a green earth to walk on."
Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh

From India's position on Climate Change - Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India

Black Pottery from Manipur - Is there something like a 50% Sustainable?

2011-10-05T11:05:00.004+05:30

I recently picked up this lovely black pottery cooking dish from Manipur in a shop in Mumbai. Any kind of natural unprocessed natural material appeals to me for cooking and can only be healthier. As I discover more and more of these I am starting to have an aversion to food cooked in regular stainless steel and teflon (how in heaven's name can teflon be good for you - I'll talk about teflon in another post but I often wonder that in our obsession to loose weight and use less oil are we choosing just another evil by slowly ingesting teflon?? I am going to research this a bit).

Back to Black Pottery from Manipur

The story behind it:

"This Black Pottery Fruit Bowls is handcrafted by Thankhul Nagatribes of the Ukhrul district of Manipur.This pottery is traditionally known as Longpi Ham. Longpi pottery is of a royal descent as its products could only be woned and used by the noble families of Manipur. They were mostly used to cook special dishes of meat on occasions like marriages or other festivities.
In Manipur this craft is pursued by both men and women.A major ingredient of this black ware pottery is hard serpentine rock, which needs to be crushed and mixed with a few other ingredients to mould into earthen ware. Our artisans have used the same material and have come out with a range of products suiting todays needs and likes. The pottery is such that it can be used on a open flame, in the microwave and is also dishwasher safe."

Serpentinite Rock

Unlike most pottery, Longpi does not resort to the potter’s wheel-all shaping is done with the hand and with the help of mold. Then it is dried and put into camp fire for heating for 5 to 7 hours to reach 900 C. Thereafter,the pottery is taken out while it is still hot, its is rubbed with a local leaf known as “machee” leaf.(Pasania Pachiphylla). The pottery is meant for direct cooking over Gas or firewood. Although today several decorative items are part of Longpi’s expanding repetoire, the fact that it was concieved for utility cooking , gives the pottery basic hardiness, retained by every single piece of creation. The pots , while they withstand any domestic fuel heat, are particularly good for slow, simmering cooking over benign stove for hours, homogenizing and condensing, meat and lentils. For a long time after it is taken off direct heat, the contents of the pot will continue to sizzle anr the pot will ensure the food remains hot. All these pots from Manipur are Gas and Microwave friendly (depending upon the use and design)."

Ok so this is the challenge I have with this:

Good Things:
- Made of clay
-Made by hand - gives employment to Rural India
- Raw materials are probably close to production so no transport there.
- Natural Material so at the end use disposle of the products should not be that hard(lifecycle of the product complete) (you can probably just crush the pot and use in garden or something like that.

The Debatable part on the Sustainability of this:
- Any climate change, forestry etc person would argue that the amount of wood used to head up the ovens to bake these clay products probably defeats the efficiency of a hand made product and all the "goods" about it.
I guess the one thing to put out there is that someone needs to work with them to integrate solar and highly efficient fire stoves to bake their pots. (I should probably go check out the Mitticool products too!).

This is really a challenge worth investigating more. I think I always need to keep in mind the lifecycle of a product before championing the sustainability aspect of it. Maybe a percentage sytem? A Rating System? Any ideas anyone? Please share with me !

Iron, Reetha, Amla, Shikkai and an EGG - A Hair Fall Remedy

2011-10-03T13:55:00.001+05:30

This is really not for the faint hearted and dont attempt this on a Monday morning. This is one of those luxury treatments for the hair that require patience and love but the results are so fantastic that it is definitely worth it !

So here is the treatment -
Last night I put "Jatta Mansa" Oil in my hair that I got from the oil shop in Pydhonie (look at my post Freshly Pressed Oils).
I then put a tablespoon of Amla powder, Shikakai powder, Aritha powder, and coffee powder in an iron bowl with some water (made it a think sort of paste). You need to leave this to oxidize overnight - in the morning you will see that it looks a little black on the outside and that is perfect!

Variations to this: So the friend who told me this mentioned two other things which I have not been able to get - but she said to put henna, and also filtered coffee (which I did not have so I put instant coffee! )

In the morning you take this mixture and scrub it into your hair, let it dry (you can walk around your house doing daily chores while this happens). Once dry - just wash it off with water. The amazing thing is that my hair does not even smell of the egg because of the lovely sweet smell of the reetha.

The genuinely incredible "instant" result of this treatment is that my hair has stopped falling. Till yesterday, everytime I ran my fingers through my hair I would get a few strands out - very embarrassing as I would leave trails of my hair around when I walked. But this morning - as my hair dries - nothing is falling - what an incredible treatment for hair fall!

An incredible protein, iron treatment for reducing hair fall at home. And it only cost me a 5 rupee egg, some powders (another 5 rupee) and an iron pot. In the parlor I would have easily dropped atleast 1500 for a protein treatment for my hair. I think I may finally be able to quit my job !!!

Hansiba

2011-10-02T14:52:00.001+05:30

This may not be organic but this store definitely embodies the concept of Fair Trade and social justice. More need to be like this.

Hansiba is a store that stocks hand embroidered home linen, and clothes that are made by rural women artisans inspired by SEWA network. 65% of the company is owned by the rural artisans.

http://www.hansiba.in/

A great mix between buying local, and encouraging development through consumerism!

Down to earth - Tardeo (near AC Market)

2011-10-01T15:53:00.002+05:30

Down to earth is a store in Tardeo near AC market (next to haji ali). It stocks all organic indian foods - daals, rice, spices etc. And a whole range of organic blended home linen. I was quite excited when it opened because it increased the accessibility of buying organic in the city.

But really, what a disapointing store ! Its like if you plaster the name organic on something then it just automatically is good for you ? I am sorry but the morarka effort is sad. There is so much plastic in that store that one wonders about the authenticity of the organic concept or if they even barely understand it.

They even had a whole section on tinned ready to eat food which defies all logic - have people been so brainwashed to think that anything slapped with the label "organic" has to be good for you. I can't possibly believe how pre-cooked food in a tin can can be in any way healthy. UGH !

There is no mention of their farms, the process, consumer info - really one would think that a consumer who goes out of their way to buy organic would want some facts and figures.

Standing in the freezing air conditioned store in a bhandar of plastic I highly doubt I would buy anything from there.

Embodied energy

2011-10-01T10:42:00.002+05:30

Definition: Embodied energy is the sum of all the energy required for a product to reach a destination from its original source.
You take into account where the raw materials of a product are from (have they been mined, cut from trees, is it recycled?) - count the energy required to collect the raw materials - energy for drilling equipment, trucks to carry the raw materials to factories etc. Then the energy required to actually used in the actual production of an item - factory lights, machinery, people, computers etc and then finally how it gets to retail store (trucks to bring it there, electricity in store etc). It is a pretty hard thing to assess in real numbers but what it does make you recognize is that buying local products, or reusing products has probably less embodied energy then a new product that is imported from another country.

Permaculture

2011-10-01T09:44:00.001+05:30

I am sitting in a permaculture course at the Mahim Nature Park (I never knew it existed !! ).
Interesting take on sustainability - a sort of pushing the envelope on it.
Here is an interesting concept:
"It is not the amount of resource that determines the health of a system it is how long that resource stays in the system."
Main ethics:
-care of the earth
-care of the people
-fair share
Will write more in a bit.

Ikea's CEO - Mike Ward - Commitment to Sustainability Products?

2011-09-30T15:09:00.000+05:30

At some point, I have to applaud The Climate Group for putting together Climate Week NYC which is pretty inspirational.

Mike Ward, US CEO Ikea, Climate Week NYC
http://hub.vg/Wardcwnyc
Only because I really do love Ikea products I have faith in what their US CEO Mike Ward says about looking at the whole product life cycle of the furniture - from where their product is sourced to the end of life of the product. Since 60% of their products are sourced or produced in India I would hope that they are true to their word and genuinely pay strict attention to the sustainability of their products. I guess since Steve Howard (Founder & ex CEO of The Climate Group) is heading their sustainability efforts I am slightly more optimistic about this. The effect a big business like this on taking such a step and accountability is HUGE. Let's hope that the impact is equivalent.

Skin Kitchen....from the soil to the skin

2011-09-30T14:05:00.001+05:30

A good concept - natural products for the skin etc. I guess like any nathropathy treatment center.

I find it a bit expensive with a 1000 Rs for a consult and then 1600 Rs for each treatment. I think it is the money on the "consult" which kind of bothers me. But who knows if I did not realize that I can just crack an egg in my hair and wash it with Reetha and get the same result for 10Rs maybe I would pay the amount. I really did not realize all this till I started my research !

http://www.skinkitchen.in/home.html

I think it is worth checking out and if anyone does, or has before, please let me know how it is!

Janum.....a story just started

2011-09-30T10:09:00.000+05:30

Sustainable sourcing from India selling in San Francisco.

I love the way people are telling the actual story of where they are getting their products and how they are sourced etc. This is the business model that big business should adopt !

http://www.janum.com/pages/about

No Nasties - A T-shirt Company

2011-09-29T17:12:00.000+05:30

Mulga Mulgi - one of their best selling designs

This is really a fantastic effort by two people who have implemented everything that is talked about in forums, and what big business claims so often to be doing but have failed miserably.

For the un-initiated - to truly understant the No Nasties concept you really need my jargon page and much more! They have taken a business idea and followed all the best practices out there to run a truly sustainable business and they are making a success of it - Organic, Fair Trade organization that is selling designer T-shirts that not only help the environment but also gives farmers fair price for their cotton.

It is really incredible soft material - well worth the price !

http://www.nonasties.in/pages/about

Fresh & Local - Growing Basil at Home

2011-09-29T16:56:00.002+05:30

Urban Gardening is a relatively new concept in India even though 70% of our economy is agricultural our current generation has little or no contact with the place our food is grown, and barely understanding the basics of gardening. Which is fair enough, given that we barely have place to live (especially in Mumbai). But there is a growing number of people who recognize the benefits of growing their own food and vegetables in the unused spaces in their buildings and flats. The connection with the food we eat needs to be stronger and this can close the gap.

I recently went for a workshop on "Growing your own Herbs at Home" at the HUB (a fantastic place in Bandra). What amazed me was that this small two hour workshop had about 17 people turn up but what slightly disapointed me was that it was run by two american girls (where has indian entrepreneurship disappeared!). Anyway, they were really lovely people and you could tell they really loved their plants and enjoyed sharing their knowledge.

"Fresh and Local" run by Katie (and I cant remember the other name) talked to us about the concept of "square foot gardening" to grow vegetables etc in your own homes. For the soil, 50-50 compost and cocopeat is the best mix to use, 6 inch depth for vegetables, and 12 inch of depth for vegetables. Co-co peat holds the right amount of mixture, is fluffy for allows air through and is good growing soil. The compost gives the nutrients. We started of by trying to grow Basil - I just started my little pot and hope it grows !

Here is their facebook link:
http://www.facebook.com/freshandlocalindia?sk=wall

Malcolm Gladwell on Speaks on Spaghetti......and I worry about demanding consumerism.....

2011-09-26T17:09:00.000+05:30

Ever wonder why we have so many variations of the same exact product? Each catered to every whim and fancy of every possible consumer and marketer.

Malcolm Gladwell - the guru of marketing and getting us to think about what how the world around us functions explains about "chunky spagetti sauce". While yes, a marketers dream come true, and the business mantra of the 21st century, I cringe at the thought that this is what has made us such picky and demanding consumers of wanting more ! There goes the simplicity of a basic spaghetti sauce and there goes the ability to make it home and run after Prego !

http://www.ted.com/talks/malcolm_gladwell_on_spaghetti_sauce.html

Glass Vs Plastic Bottles

2011-09-26T16:44:00.001+05:30

I recently got an email with a lot of exclamation marks saying "PREVENTION OF CANCER!!! URGENT !!!"
This was an email update from John Hopkinds University
Well, what really was about was about the use of plastic in our kitchens. Something called dioxins that seep in to the water, food etc and can cause cancer. The obvious other bits about plastic is that you cannot recyle it, blah blah blah ( we all know this drill). But I always leave plastic bottles of water in my car and have been tripping on my lovely plastic Ikea boxes that just store everything so well that I dump in my fridge and straight to the micro and just eat out of ! Ughh....maybe it is time I get rid of all that - it can't possibly be good for me.

So the email says that we should not use plastic for the following:
- storing water (especially in the heat of the car)
- reheating food
- dont put saran wrap over food while in the micro.

I made one change by using these fabulous glass bottles that my flatmate picked up for keeping my green tea, and water in the house. But I think a few things I need to do is change my water filter - which is Pureit's water system - I quite like it but would really much prefer a mud mukta so might switch to do that soon.

I think replacing all the plastic in my house is going to be hard but I am going to give it a shot.
I also need thinner bottles that will fit in my car holder. Have to slowly buy glass containers or maybe even just stainless steel.

(Oh and this also goes really well with the Story of Stuff about plastic bottles!)

Urban Gardening - Vriksha - a Local Mumbai Nursery

2011-09-26T15:08:00.001+05:30

Vriksha is a local nursery that is helping to grow urban gardens in Mumbai.

http://vrikshanurseries.blogspot.com/

It is worth a read what a 25 year old entrepreneur can do to change the way we grow food. Actually, I have always had a tremendous guilt for buying cut flowers for my house but just love to have flowers in the house - so if I can learn a bit more about how to maintain plants in the house it would be fantastic !

Freshly Pressed Oils from Seeds - Pydhonie

2011-09-26T14:17:00.001+05:30

This weekend I dragged my mum and flatmate to the gallis of Jhaveri bazaar & Girgaum to find an Ayurvedic store that apparently my grandfather used to frequent. Unfortunately, the ayurvedic store turned out to be quite a dissapointment with a few sleepy old men who just did not want to answer three women's questions and just brushed us away to come when the doctor was there. Some awful timings in the morning and on odd evenings - neither of which I could make. Got me thinking - given that ayurveda is considered to be such an age old tradition in India - why is it not more easily accessable? Maybe I just need to look harder in Bandra to find the ones that I need.

Anyway, the trip was not a total waste because we also went to one shop where they freshly press oils out of all kinds of seeds. So for 100 rupees you can give them your own almonds and have them press the oil out of them right in front of you ! Or else you can just buy from them. We picked up the famous "Jatta Mansa" A Blend of Natural Oils that is meant to reduce hair fall, splits ends, and give you thick lustrous hair! It was amazing - there was a crowd of people buying from them and you really had to fight to get a spot in to give your order. But once you squeezed your way in, the service was impeccable with the guy trying to sell you every kind of imaginable oil for every kind of ailment. And all the smelly attars (essences of plants - concentrated perfume) by dabbing them on our arms. We had a great time - it really is an experience !
I walked away with a big bottle of Jatta Mansa, some freshly pressed Kashmiri Almond oil (for my dry skin) and a wonderful rose oil blend for mum.

Definitely worth a visit to get some fantastic oils !

Haji Mohd. Basheer Oil Shop

Shop No. 426/A, Hamidiya Masjid,

Opp. Pydhonie Police Station,

Pydhonie, Mumbai - 400 003

NO BRANCHES

Tel: 022 -23474623

Daily Dump

2011-09-23T14:48:00.001+05:30

http://www.dailydump.org/products#awareness

This is a fantastic organization that is based in Bangalore - for some reason all the really interesting companies I am finding originate in the South.

Anyway, they have made composting easy for urban households - some really nice decorative pots (even urlis) that you can easily keep even in a small apartment, step by step processes laid out very clearly on how to compost and even a helpline ! I know for those of you with malis and a litany of household staff that can do this it is easy - but really with no one to guide you an organization like this is fantastic. I am off to meet their Mumbai representative to see how composting is done.

Also one of the interesting things is their HarmLess Home products - they too sell the Reetha soap nutes, and also washing powder. Of course, I am sure you get all this in some shop in Bombay but for those of us who are internet shoppers or even just dont have time to trudge around the city to find the right products - have organizations like this that can send stuff to you is fantastic. And what can I say, the consumer (buy buy buy) in me is not even faded yet and I still prefer the convinience of stuff packaged and sent to me !

I hope to start composting soon - if anyone has any ideas or suggestions please let me know !

Krya - Carbon Footprint Reduced !

2011-09-22T14:30:00.001+05:30

As I wait for my load to get done I realized that if I continue to use this I will also reduce my carbon footprint !! (Yay - four years of climate change training has to come into play somewhere !)

This is how it works.... I need just 10gms of this detergent instead of the 60 gms that is recomended by the commercial brands. So if you just look at the boxes and think that just transporting this detergent will require that many less trucks, and therefore less fuel to transport and so much less shelf space (less airconditioning), less water to produce, less packaging material, storage space etc etc.

It is like a tiny version of all those massive packets I have to buy. Any marketing consumer guru will tell you that the bigger the package, the more shelf space it will take and the more brand recall in any supermarket. I have to admit this tiny little box can get completely lost in the mega colorful boxes of commercial brands.

So lets hope my clothes will love this as much as my budget and carbon footprint will!

Krya - Sustainable Goodies - Washing Detergent

2011-09-22T14:21:00.001+05:30

I just ordered Krya's Natural Washing Detergent (sustainable, organic, vegan, cruelty free) made out of Soapberries from this company in Chennai. http://krya.in/

What the detergent looks like

It is for INR 290 for a box of 400 gms. And what I was wondering was if going sustainable actually cost me a lot more or just about the same. So I did a bit of a price comparision with the other detergents in my house. And this is what I came up with - it is pretty much a mid-range product - less expensive than the usual Surf Excel that I usually use but of course more than the much cheaper RIN.

I have just put in my first load so lets see how much my clothes like this or not !

	Box	Amount Needed per load	No. Of Loads	Price	Price per load
Surf Excel	2000gms	60gms	33	335	Rs. 10
Krya	400gm	10gm	40	290	Rs. 7.25
Rin	2000gms	60gms	33	135	Rs. 4

MittiCool.in - A Clay Cooker

2011-09-22T11:08:00.003+05:30

This is fantastic - Clay products for the kitchen - a fridge, a pressure cooker, a non-stick pan. This is really what we should be using to retain the flavor of the food and also live a better healthy life. And the best part about it is it is totally bio-degradable and disposale of this should not be a challenge at all!

http://inktalks.com/talks/mansukhbhai Listen to the Rural Innovator of this on INK Talks

Here is the website for all his products.

http://www.mitticool.in/

About the Fridge: The really good thing he said about the fridge was that the food stays fresh for about 5-6 days which is about the time line of when fresh food should be eaten to retain it's original nutrients and flavor.

Mansukhbhai, the innovator, says he is now going to build a MittiCool house that has no electricity - no fans or electricity or anything but will still feel like you are staying in an airconditioned house. This is the kind of house I want !

These are the suppliers of the MittiCool products in Mumbai:
JASHUMATIBEN
DHARAVI-MUMBAI
098190 60433

PARAS METAL
KALBADEVI
09892144078

NAROTAM BHAI
9323994027

I have not bought any yet but I hope to get atleast the pressure cooker. Not sure about how I can get rid of my fridge just yet ! I have a lot of faith in this though because we have all used clay pots to store water for years and that has always been the best way to keep cook water in our homes !

The Story of Stuff...one of my favorite links

2011-09-21T11:12:00.000+05:30

I got an email about this a while ago – it was the story of bottled water. It is an absolutely fantastic research piece that is really though provoking. There are videos and pictures that really make you think about how things are produced, sourced and how they reach us. It is a must watch and especially if you are trying to educate your children on this then the videos are excellent.

http://www.storyofstuff.org/

My favorite one is about The Story of Bottled Water !

My Veggie Juice - Immunity Booster

2011-09-21T11:07:00.001+05:30

Well, It isn't really my veggie juice, but it is what I have every morning and I haven't fallen sick in over a year and a half - not a cold, not a sniffle, no virals - nothing. This is after spending a life time of catching every known viral in town - every sixth week I would just collapse with a viral fever of some sort for a week - always the type that the doctor could not diagnose. And I know this because it is in my sick leave record at work.

But this really is a magic drink! I actually got put on to it by a dietician I went to - Pooja Makhija, in Bandra (Clay Wellness). She insisted on a glass of vegetable juice as a part of a daily diet and while I haven't been able to follow through with her full diet this is the one thing that has stuck with me and I can't thank her enough for it.

Recipe: What I do is take one beet, two carrots and a bunch of Spinach (palak), chop, clean and keep it in my fridge in a big box. This last's me about three days. Every morning I just add a few pieces of beet, carrot and a handful of spinich in to a blender with a half glass of water and blend it. It's the first thing I have in the morning on an empty stomach. The whole process takes about three-four minutes.

A few tips on it - usually if you put too much beet or carrot then there it is too puply and difficult to drink so don't go overboard with it - straining etc is just painful in the morning. This much fibre usually works just fine. Oh and always use atleast three vegetables as a mix.

You can also use Lauki/Dudhi instead of palak sometimes and rotate your vegetables so you don't get bored with them. Or add some mint leaves or coriander leaves. Don't add salt - some people suggest it but it just is quite unecessary.

Why is this part of sustainable living? When I used to fall sick I was told to take vitimans and was given strips of tablets to take. I just can't imagine how a plasticy pill in foil can keep me healthy! There has to be something wrong with the pharma companies who are just shoving these things down our throats as part of living. So the idea is to try to say no to pills !