Life, Lifestyle and Living - Home: Part 3

In the making of this article, two plants have died, one huge glass bottle has crashed on the floor and a bit into my foot, some fungus has grown and then thrown away, skin type has been tested, tastes have been tested, digital books have made their way into my book-worm-y life, house cleaners have been replaced, tissues have been replaced and a lot of stuff has been recycled. In a nutshell, sustainability is experimentation, sustainability is adaptation.

In my last two editions of the ‘home’ series, we spoke about 3-D printed houses and structures as well as green buildings and energy efficiency, but how can Home be sustainable with mere energy considerations and sustainable architecture - that makes a house, not a ‘home’. Home is built with life and practice, with routine and monotony, with the observance of identifying the extraordinary within the ordinary, and in the process, creating a tailor-made lifestyle for anyone who occupies that home.?

Sustainability is fundamental and the result of various permutations and combinations, I have also conducted many such trial and error experiments. Once I tried to put in unused parts of vegetables in my plants, and once I tried to put in green tea leaves because I thought it would automatically compost. I took a subscription for bottled milk, but by mistake, spilled that milk and broke a 1 L bottle almost into my own skin.?

I have done a lot of stuff under the name of sustainability, and only these experiments have made me understand where I lack. The lack of government agencies and proper solid waste management has made me identify authorised recyclers or electronic waste managers. I have understood how I can actually compose green tea leaves, I can just dry them and then use them however, I want to. I realised I need to buy a compost-bin to create a circular kitchen and in any city, the transition to non-plastic pouch milk is going to be difficult, but still possible. I replaced regular tissues with bamboo-based tissues, and like any Indian, I started using my old clothes as wiping material. I have tried to reduce my ordering to reduce my own scope 3 emissions, but whenever I do, of course, I do it without cutlery and a plastic bag, the least that I can do. I have tried to speak to nearby grocery vendors about their sustainability practices, and realise that they are also doing their bit by reusing as much as they can. Whatever minimal skin care stuff I use has been replaced by vegan and possibly eco-friendly products, I have tried tablet based toothpastes and solid shampoos, as well as have reused any and every packaging, even if it is a plastic pot of curd or a delivery container. I have shifted to plantable pencils and pens with seeds in them. And I have been buying my groceries, reading labels, from brands who charge the same price, but have active CSR and support for their suppliers and farmers, like Organic Tattva. And there are also zero-waste grocery stores like Adrish, in multiple cities.

I have tried to school and educate those around me, from restaurants I visit 2 the house help comes to me - because knowledge has to be spread, and there is no other way.?

There is a long way to go, and it is easier said than done to get solar energy installed in apartment complexes in cities if the builder doesn’t want to, but it is easier to segregate your waste, and if you don’t think you’re government handler is doing a good job, you can reach out to agencies who convert bio ways to energy as well. You can give things you don’t need to people who actually need them, Like me, you can revisit school mentally, and even use a fountain pen instead of a refilled pen, if you feel like.

There is no shame in talking to, or educating the ones around you. From municipal corporation workers that you see on the street, to your milkman or watchman, everyone has a home and everyone has some sort of a family - all we can do is at least try.

All of the above might seem extremely fundamental, but small change leads to a bigger change, and bigger change, leads to a paradigm shift.? Amidst rising temperatures and extreme pollution, people are still bursting crackers through a rather fake cracker ban. A lot of our authorities are dumping our segregated waste into the same truck, and I understand having such cases, individual accountability and action can be grossly questioned.?

But then what is the use of anything? Our homes are our ecosystems and experimentation is nothing but human. Adaptation at an indoor level should not be expensive or intensive either - it can just be looking out for the ‘better’ alternative for you.

We are learning, and sustainable growth and implementation can only come from finding the right mix for you.

There is no ideal situation, but people across the world are trying. In the USA, there Lauren Singer, who has adopted a zero-waste lifestyle, reducing household waste to a mason jar by composting, DIY cleaning products, and bulk shopping. She promotes sustainable living through her blog Trash is for Tossers and a zero-waste store. There’s also Bea Johnson who has simplified her life using the "5 R’s" (Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot) and eliminated household waste. Her book Zero Waste Home has inspired a global movement for waste reduction. Mark Shepherd and Judy Shepard have also transformed their property into a permaculture farm using regenerative agriculture and renewable energy. The founder of Goonj in India, Anshu Gupta , implements recycling, renewable energy, and community resource sharing in his home, promoting a circular economy. He also drives and inspires rural and urban sustainability practices. Shreya Krishnan practices rooftop gardening, rainwater harvesting, composting, and solar energy in her urban home. She actively educates others about eco-friendly living. There is vani murthy , who educates a lot of us Indians on a circular lifestyle while living a minimal-waste life herself. And one of my favourites, Ripudaman Bevli , otherwise known as Plogman of India, who has inspired me and also India’s Litter Free India Mission and the Swatchh Bharat Mission. In the UK, Rob and Sophia Pannell built one of the country’s first Passive Houses, drastically cutting energy use with airtight design and renewables.

And there’s also you, and also me, and a fresh perspective that awaits us all.