Living a sustainable life in Mumbai is not easy — there are enough distractions from the consumerist world. Still, there are some Mumbaikars who not only make deliberate sustainable choices in their day-to-day life, but also produce such products.
Thane resident Yaman Banerjee, a professor at Sir J.J. School of Architecture, who started her low-waste journey five years ago, said, “Motherhood made me take this decision. From the cloth bags I carry for my regular groceries, a reusable water bottle and an empty tiffin to avoid throwing disposables outside, to carrying a steel straw and cutlery for myself, a lot has been replaced in my life for good.”
Modern cloth diapers helped her save tonnes of disposable diapers from going to the landfill and almost at the same time, Ms. Banerjee was introduced to menstrual cups, which made her ditch sanitary napkins. “Most of my kitchen snacks and pulses are now bought loose in our bags and containers, reducing the unnecessary packaging, and helping us make healthier food choices. All the wet waste we generate goes into our compost bin.”
A cooking technique named One Pot One Shot has helped the family ditch order-ins, said Ms. Banerjee. She also plans not to buy any new clothes this year. Along with all this, she has been able to explain to her five-year-old daughter Ruhani, importance of a sustainable lifestyle. The child now shares her clothes and books with her family and friends.
Ms. Banerjee also recommends using natural cleansing agents for the body and for bathrooms and kitchen sinks. Another mother who found herself veering towards sustainability while raising her son is Anamika Sengupta, a Dombivali resident.
An entrepreneur, who manufactures bamboo toothbrushes and other sustainable products, Ms. Sengupta has also been conducting awareness programmes.
The turning point was her son Neo getting his first tooth, and she and her husband seeking healthy alternatives to plastic. “A few years ago, I didn't know a bamboo toothbrush exists and today we not only make them, but a year after the inception of our brand, we have replaced more than a million toothbrushes,” she said.
Pooja Domadia from Kandivali began her journey in 2017 and has slowly convinced her family members to be part of it. “It is sheer happiness to see my mother-in-law buy milk in our steel dabba in my absence and to see her add wet waste to compost when I am not home. My husband is now more conscious while giving me gifts. The joy of saving resources through our frugal ways gives me immense happiness,” said Ms. Domadia. A startup owner, who ties up with non-governmental organisations and entrepreneurs to spread awareness of sustainable living, Ms. Damodia has not bought new clothes since August 2017 and looks out for swap options. Her shampoo is homemade and contains amla, shikakai and reetha. Toothbrush and paste are substituted with datun and a salt-turmeric-oil paste. Packaging-free, cold-pressed coconut oil is her moisturiser, lip balm and go-to option for any skin issue. Disposable sanitary pads have been replaced with reusable cloth pads, menstrual cups and at times, free bleeding when she is home. Bio-enzymes and wood ash for washing utensils are substitutes for detergent.
Rajasi Kulkarni Diwakar, a menstrual health and early childhood educator from Bhandup, along with her husband Yatin Diwakar, a Ph.D. student at IIT Bombay, try to live a slow life in the hustle of the city. “My husband's journey in sustainable living started long ago but mine began six years ago when I moved to Chhattisgarh for a fellowship,” she said.
“While living in Dantewada, I faced many issues related to single-use disposable pads. I had no place to throw them other than the backyard. The ease of giving your waste to the garbage boy that ultimately lands in the landfill was absent,” she said.
The trouble with sanitary napkins is they do not burn completely as they contain synthetic material. One needs to incinerate them in a central facility where they are burned at temperatures above 800 degrees Celcius. Moreover, due to their high plastic content, they remain in the soil for 500 to 800 years, entering water and food. “Reading and talking about this motivates me to move towards a low-waste lifestyle.” She too substitutes laundry powder with a homemade soapnut solution. The water used to wash her hands and face is collected in a bucket that is later used to flush the toilet.
Most of these people are not just thinking of themselves or what they are cutting back on, when they opt for these measures. As Ms. Sengupta said, “It's a crazy thought to start a company in the quest of seeking natural alternatives to raise your child, but we could do it because we feel we owe a lot to the next generation.”