Green Somethings: The Blog

Earthworm Inspiration

 
What happens when the humble earthworm is the inspiration behind a venture? It evolves into something like the Earthworm Eco-store at Goa.  Founded by Roopa Bandekar and Nirmal Kulkarni, it is based on sound principles for easy green living. If you are planning to visit Goa soon try to visit the Earthworm-Eco Store. This cool outlet is a great place to shop for trendy and natural products from different regions in India.

 The store provides a platform for traditional craftsmen and artisans and supports local living. Their lovely range includes recycled, green handcrafted and eco-products. The enterprise works with a network of suppliers like local craftsmen, self help groups and NGO’s.

 Come to the store and find a range of handcrafted, recycled and eco-products. Check colourful pouches and bags, recycled plastic bags made from gutka covers and plastic penholders. The recycled Tetra Pack napkins are a great green choice.  Rustic musical instruments books and games and birdbaths are excellent gift ideas for kids.

The organic food products consist of sugarcane jaggery, Jackfruit papads, Kokum Nectar, pickled peppers and more.  They also have forest products, organic homestead products and organic spices.

What makes Earthworm Eco-Store unique is that it seeks to create a dialogue for conscious living. Regular workshops, programs and discussions are held in the store to spread awareness for sustainable lifestyle. A small library of books on alternative living and environment recycling station makes it exclusive.

 Check the store on Facebook

 

Article inputs by Nupur Roopa

 

 

 

 

Goodness of the Green

  An excited call from my friend made my day when I came to know that she had been blessed with twins.  My friend is all for green living and uses only organic stuff in her house, and I wanted to give her something special.  A frantic web search helped me to find an online store which works on the principles of sustainable living. Green&Good .  As the name suggests is an excellent option to buy eco-friendly apparel, home furnishings, bags, stationery and traditional handicrafts. It was a perfect choice to buy gifts for my friend and her new born.

Founded by Aparna Bhatnagar with team members, Green & Good is a new age store for eco-friendly options. It works for the society in two ways –

• By selling environmentally friendly products
• By creating employment opportunities for the unprivileged classes of the society.

They work with many NGO's and artisan groups. As an online store it saves energy and expense of setting a store in a market and thus reducing the carbon foot-print.

A choice of baby suits, cotton bibs and towels for the newborn is available. They stock jeans, shirts, T shirts for men and women. They have a range of skirts, saris, dress materials, stoles and dupattas especially for women. Buy some lovely cotton and jute bags at very reasonable prices.  The colourful range of block printed, embroidered and appliqué bed covers will brighten any corner of your home. Lovely Kota doria dupattas and bandhej stoles are good for gifting.

 

 Check out the stationery section for diaries, file covers, slip pads made of handmade paper and very reasonably priced. The handicrafts include the famous Phad paintings and blue pottery. The handmade jewelry made from botanical seeds and plant parts looks contemporary and classic.  Products are in the approximate range of Rs 120 to 4000.

By buying these products you will be supporting three causes mentioned on the website- Economic empowerment, social empowerment and traditional knowledge. You can get vouchers in different denominations starting from Rs 50 to 2000 to support the cause. Subscribe to the free newsletter to get updates on new products and offers regularly.

Choose green and help the planet Earth.

Article inputs by Nupur Roopa

 

Mountain Bounty

Do you know Apricot oil is the best moisturiser for the face and hands? This oil is also used for head massage in the Himalayas. Walnut oil needs no introduction as walnuts are very well known for the high content of Omega-3 and Omega-6.  Perhaps you would like to try Peach Oil? Then you should plan a visit to Mountain Bounties.

An enterprise of Jagriti kullu, Mountain Bounties is founded by Mamta Chander with a purpose to provide employment opportunities to the local women and creating ecologically friendly products from regional resources. They offer a range of food and skin products. You can purchase the traditionally grow red rice of the Himalayas known for its distinct flavour and colour. They have sun dried oregano known for its antioxidant properties and as an effective cure for stomach and respiratory problems.

Dried mint, which is used in lemonade, herb teas and curd preparations, is available in the shop. Buy the Rose Hip h te Organic farming, essential oils, buckwheat, oregano, hand loom, herb teas, dried mint, beans and seeds, floraa, which is made from the pods of the wild rose and  is in vitamin C, A, D and E. This tea protects you from infections of the bladder. Other products include soybeans, coriander seeds, Buckwheat, wild garlic, Apple chips and Kalazira. There is also a range of natural soap and handloom stuff.

Jagriti has plans to develop natural dyes and flora based aromatic oils. The enterprise has   made a positive impact on the life of the local population. They propagate the organic farming, eco-friendly practices and also assist in the conservation of threatened plant species and work for a greener tomorrow.

 

Article inputs by Nupur Roopa

Waste Management Solutions

Waste management in our houses is a big issue. At times, we tend to ignore the implications and just by giving away the garbage feel ourselves free from the responsibility. However, is it enough? I came along an organisation -Saahas which added a new dimension to my thinking about waste management. At Saahas they believe in a functional approach to waste management where the waste is transformed into products, which are reusable.

Registered under the Societies Act in the year 2001, Saahas is based in Bangalore. It works with waste management, reducing the use and recycling of all types of waste.

They work on-

• Bio-degradable waste
• Plastics
• Tetra Paks
• E-Waste

Composting of the bio-degradable waste is encouraged in households, which can be used in gardens. Their 'Less Plastic for Me' campaign encourages people to use cloth bags, which are available in many shops in Bangalore. A network of volunteers help by working for the campaign.

A unique initiative for ewaste management was started in companies, schools and households in the year 2006, by Sahaas. They have a system for the collection of e-waste products like CDs, floppies, dry cell batteries. Sahaas has about 200 collection centers at offices, schools, apartments and other public locations. This stuff is then sent to E-Parisaraa for recycling and disposal accordingly. There is a hazardous waste facility is planned to be set near Tumkur. For this they need large volumes of collected waste to make it a feasible solution.

For collection of Tetra paks Sahaas has introduced collection boxes at offices, schools and apartments.  At present, they collect around 10 tonnes of waste material, which is then used in landfills and dump sites into recycling. The Tetra Paks are sent to Daman Ganga Paper Mills in Vapi for recycling.

Do visit the site to find more about waste management

 

Article inputs by Nupur Roopa