Green Somethings: The Blog

A Greener Mall

Do you like to shop? Well, I do and I am sure many of you readers out there enjoy the shopping experience too. And for all of us shopoholics, the mall invasion in India has been truly welcome. It’s so much fun to walk into the many malls that have come to dot our cities and pick up our favorite brands and then even go on to grab a bite or take in a movie too. 

Well, while we do all that and have a blast doing so, have you ever stopped to wonder about the mammoth quantities of waste that we are contributing to? Oops! Did I just manage to take out the pleasure in shopping? 

A popular hangout for many of us city bred lot, the malls are our outlet for recreation. Children, teenagers and the rest, all enjoy an outing to the mall. However, the waste we generate as thousands wind their way to the mall is appalling. And so to make things better, we have a green initiative in a Mumbai mall. 

For all those who live in this bustling city of Mumbai, Vashi is a well-known place. And Inorbit Mall here is definitely a much-favored meeting point for all the local residents and many others too! It’s a really well laid out mall with the best of brands within.

So what is it that Inorbit Mall has done towards a greener environment and a guilt free shopping experience? Well, they have an organic waste converter plant in the compound that produces manure from all the waste collection from the mall. 

The mall has collaborated with an organization called Stree Mukti Sangathan and they segregate the waste. The dry and inorganic waste material goes to the municipality and the rest is treated in their OWC plant and converted to manure using vermiculture. This manure is then used in their gardens. 

The next time I go there on a shopping binge, I am going to look at their beautiful plants in an entirely new light. I am sure they are healthier and happier too. Let’s hope more malls across the India take on this initiative. It’s a great way to go.

Garbage Guru

You know, we have been talking about eco friendly products like shoes, fabric, paper, plants and so on. Products with a difference - products that make a difference to our environment.

 

 

However, have we ever paused to think of the larger picture? You have surely noticed the huge amounts of garbage that is generated every day in every part of the world.

 

So what happens to it? Well, they are disposed off in different ways.

 

But here in India, not all of the garbage gets the right burial; infact I think most of the garbage in India doesn't get any burial at all. Sad situation as it is, there is a silver lining to this dark cloud. A person, in our very own amchi Mumbai who sees garbage in a new light.

 

Shantharam Umanath Shenai is India’s own garbage guru. This amazing person is godsend to this garbage-filled land of Mumbai. Initially he used to make vermin-compost out of organic waste. He has now moved on to make it into a pioneering program where he makes soil out of waste. Earthworms are used to make soil out of all the organic waste matter. An amazing contribution towards making the most of what we turn up our noses to. He in fact now aims to encourage this method across India in the hope to not merely a cleaner India, but also providing organic manure to rural areas and better village economics.

 

photo courtsey: compostguy.com

Shantaram who has fascinated everyone who crosses his path with his brilliant insight into garbage recycling, says that with the 6,000 tons of garbage generated in Mumbai alone, there is plenty of scope in this sector. His work helps improve living conditions and drastically reducing pollutants like furans, dioxins and heavy metals. Thus cutting down on respiratory diseases and much more.

A dynamic person indeed and may his tribe increase.

Tanvi Kant's Eco Jewelry

Do you have an old scarf or a favorite sari you just don’t want to give away? Or just some tons of fabric patches which you found so dandy that you couldn't ever throw them away.

Here is an option to stay sentimental while adding to the glamor quotient of your wardrobe. Tanvi Kant has delved into a talent of creating trendy jewelry that is both eco-friendly and inspirational. 

  

Tanvi Kant creates jewelry from fabric, which she combines with porcelain forms to give it shape and form. She uses fabric sourced from friends and family to create these exotic pieces of jewelry.

Her pieces would look great on the ramp and some of her more dainty pieces would be just the thing for a night out with your friends. They come in a variety of colors so matching them with your outfit would hardly be a problem.

These beautiful pieces of jewelry can be found at leading stores in the UK. Yes, unfortunately only in the UK as of now. I know through a personal email exchange with her last year, that she may even be interested in making her work available in India some day.

If Tanvi’s jewelry catches your fancy and if you happen to be in the U.K, why don’t you check out some of these stores like Electrum Gallery, Glow Gallery and The Orchard Gallery in the UK. You can also check the designs on her website www.tanvikant.co.uk. And, here's a YouTube video where Tanvi herself explains how she creates these wonderful pieces.

A winner of several awards, Tanvi Kant’s jewelry is worth checking out. I am yet not too sure how these are priced. But am certain of one thing, given that these very chic jewelry pieces are made out of reclaimed fabric and thus have a near-zero carbon footprint, they are worth every dime you pay. So move over gold and platinum, the new fashion statement now is your precious old saris and scarves that weave a million stories within it. Wear it in its new avatar and watch the heads turn!

Haathi Chaap

Interesting name, ain't it? This is where Haathi or elephant poop is actually stored and used to produce paper. During the first few seconds of my encounter with these paper products I went 'eeeeessh'... but then I held the smart albums & notebooks closer and it was clear that these were serious people making some seriously cool stuff.

That, was a year ago. And so far Haathi Chaap has made tremendous progress both in the domestic and international market. It is truly encouraging to meet with Mahima Mehra, the woman behind Haathi Chaap who started this endeavor a couple of years back and has received great response ever since.

 The elephant poop paper is completely earth friendly, made in the most user-friendly manner. Disinfectants (hydrogen peroxide) are added during the production process to make it bacteria free. The dung is washed close to cultivated lands so that the drained water can be used to fertilize the crops. No machines are used during the entire process of cleaning the dung, removing the useless fiber, turning into pulp and finally producing beautiful sheets of paper.

A variety of really cute paper products such as notebooks, bookmarks, gift tags, greeting cards are available under the Haathi Chaap brand.

Some of the Haathi Chaap products:-

 

More products pics available on the Haathi Chaap website - http://elephantpoopaper.com

 

Color Riot!

Used in food and drinks cans' manufacturing, misprinted and overrun metal sheets (which would otherwise end up in a landfill) cleverly used to create this beautiful lantern by artisans from Morocco.

Recycled oil drums handcrafted (hammer and chisel only) into this very pretty & colorful butterfly adorned mirror by Haitian artisans.

Handmade by artisans in Cape Town, South Africa, these 'street art' zebra and chicken couples are made from 100% recycled plastic.