Posts Tagged ‘home’

Awesome 2012

Wednesday, January 25th, 2012

Decorate your wall board or desktop background with this earthy worthy calendar. Click on the link to the right to download a printable pdf or jpeg as per your screen size.

 

 
 

Get Fine Balance in Style and Eco Consciousness this Winter

Monday, January 16th, 2012

 

Add some eco to your winter style this year. It’s time to feel cozy and flaunt those trench coats & brown boots you bought recently. Sip in a hot cuppa chai or coffee and feel the warmth sink in amidst the cool winter breeze. Deep shades of brown and black bring out winter vogue like nothing else. Add to that glen checks and you’ve got yourself ready for winter as far as the fashion radar is concerned.

Our Warm Tote is the perfect style companion to your winter wear. Its glen checks and herring bone fabric make your winter wear classier than what it is. Carry it to work, a social or personal scene and you will be sure to turn many heads. The jacket lining you will find inside is the perfect complement to fabric outside. The Warm Tote will keep your possessions snug while making you look nothing other than exclusive.

Sophisticate winter with the Warm Tote and befriend the environment too with its recycled wool make.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How will you make this Christmas and New Year eco friendly?

Tuesday, December 20th, 2011

 

 

How will you make this Christmas and New Year eco friendly? Spread the joy of the season to the planet and be a good pal to it. You will be shopping for clothes, decorations, sweets, gifts and more right? Do carry reusable bags and go easy on those plastics. Gift giving just brings about special joy when there is an element of personal attached with it. Gift your loved ones a green gift this season.

 

We would love to have your cool suggestions on how to make this Christmas & New Year, very merry yet ecoJ. The 5 coolest suggestions will win a 25% discount gift voucher from us. With a Clean Planet tote you can save up to 300 plastic bags from clogging our beloved planet. So suggest to your heart’s content and stand a chance to get an exciting discount on our unbeatably eco stylish totes. Hurry, this contest is up and running till 31st Dec. The winners will be announced on Jan 2. Be an eco hero! You don’t need no cape to be one.

 

 

 

Living in Context with Nature

Wednesday, November 9th, 2011

 

 

Warli Lifestyle

Image Courtesy - Google

 

In the concrete jungle that the urban city has become, one tends to feel rather alienated from a natural eco existence. In fact, for people born and raised in urban spaces this is the only environment – and hence way of life one knows. Our household, cultural, educational and work related activities engage a significant proportion of our time. These life-style choices drive our interaction with the surrounding and consumption patterns. Hence, for millions of folks the urban experience is limited to their home, place of purpose and mode of commute.

‘What is this life if full of care, we have no time to stand and stare’ is a line from a poem called leisure written by William Henry Davies. Quite true, with regard to two aspects -

1) We have no time and

2) We do not have a lot to stare at, for there are quite a few surroundings that are a mere conglomeration of garbage and development debris.

Such was however not the case in every scenario, day and age. History offers us some fascinating insights in ways of living that were wisely connected with nature.

For example in the 3rd century A.D. in Ancient India groves and orchards were considered as sacred spaces where the local deities were placed. The domestic and monarchic setups within such a culture worked to protect the ecological surrounding that comprised of plants and animals.  These spaces were better known as the ‘sacred groves’ and people took their interaction with them very seriously. They were exempted from tax duties and even as of the present day they serve as rich reservoirs of seeds, saplings and plant posterity. Planting trees and donating groves earned merit. A culture such as this inspires and encourages one to live in joyous harmony with nature. Within the Sarguja district within Madhya Pradesh every village has 20 hectares of these groves. They’ve also been seen at Gani and Mangaon in Maharashtra.

One need not just look at an ancient culture to understand human life that is in harmony with nature. Even as of today there are many societies that function as part of nature and not independent from it – Meghalaya’s living bridges are a fine example of the same. Known to receive the highest levels of rainfall, the residents of these states make bridges out of fig tree roots to tackle floods. The Warli tribe from Dahanu and Talasari district, Thane also holds nature in high regard with respect to their culture and occupation. They teach their young ones to live in harmony with nature and not to fear its forces. In fact, at birth a male child is gifted an axe and a girl child a sickle to establish the connection with nature at a very nascent stage.

These examples bring us back to the urban city and our zone of familiarity. How do we make our existence more natural? We ought to take some time out to engage more with our surroundings and not live oblivious to them. We need a shift in our consciousness to change our thinking and finally impact our actions and lifestyle. We ought to make a serious audit on our consumption patterns and seek for a sustainable existence.

What we need is strong individual and collective action. A few small steps such as planting trees in the neighbourhood, composting, reducing consumption of plastic to the bare minimum, reducing waste , buying organic food , reusing & recycling , sharing, making our commute eco-friendly will definitely help the ecology around us and who knows it could be a very fun endeavour to get to know who your neighbour is.

None of these steps refer to an austere, serious life. Living in harmony with nature brings immense joy, peace and a sense of connectedness. We shape the world we inhabit – through conscious effort or inaction. Let’s honour the planet by conscious participation in the creation of a new world. In doing so the biggest gift will be to our self.

 

Eco your Diwali

Wednesday, October 5th, 2011

 

The festive season’s here and with it comes joy, celebration and inherent cheer in the atmosphere. We like our festivals as it is on those days we spend time and meet up with close friends and family. A break from the routine, a chance to indulge into tasties and there’s lights, grandiose and colour. Add to that the gifts exchanged and the joy of giving and getting.

This year how about we make the planet an essential member of our celebrations? The Euphoria of festivity tends to make us consume excessively. We mall hop & make a plastic mount!  This festive season let us make ‘sustainability’ the buzz word and source of  joy & creativity.

We can make our time, happiness and the feeling of being together sustain by taking a few thoughtful steps:

1) Strengthen nostalgia; it’s always bound people together and broken ice. Make your gifts instead of buying them and explore the artist in you. Scrap-books, hand painted photo frames, bio-degradable lamps, cards are a few thought starters

2) Cleanliness is next to Godliness. Festivals call for the annual house clean up session which might bring out all those old books, clothes, stationery and what not. Do give some of those to someone who really needs it

3) Get creative with your gift wrapping. There’s always so much stuff lying around in the house like old newspaper and magazines. Who knows you could even learn some new Origami

4)  There’s always the option of the perfect gift being sharing your joy and spreading your light by just being together and perhaps playing a board game, carom or some fun outdoor games

5) Be rational with your lights, sound speakers and air conditioners.  Turn it down when not needed. Cameras will be clicking moments to be remembered. Do use rechargeable batteries for all battery operated devices

6) Plan your shopping and carry a reusable bag on you. You could set a trend and example to fellow shoppers #sustainability

‘No one can do everything, but everyone can do a LOT!’ With sustainable consumption we could make our festivals more fun and joy evergreen! Go on have a very happy Diwali.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Create joy with the 'Bag of the Year'

Monday, January 17th, 2011

A cool way to use your ‘Bag of the Year’ .

Hang in your cupboard or room to store all the happy memories of 2011..letters from loved ones , birthday cards, your accomplishments etc. Dive into the bag at any time of the year and fish out a happy memory. The joy it brings will send out vibrations to attract even more joy !:)

Hmmm….maybe we should call this ‘Bag of 2011 Joy’ !:)

Daily Awesome feedback

Friday, September 24th, 2010

We loved the awesome feedback campaign. It was wonderful to open up email and facebook to see the truly awesome feedback.

Let’s dissect what happens when awesome feedback is given – the recipient is touched , inspired , energized , feels acknowledged/loved. The person giving the feedback feels upbeat. The positive energy of the person giving the feedback and that of the person receiving it set ripples of joy into motion making for a more joyous universe.

So , here’s the awesome feedback campaign in a new form. Resolve to give awesome feedback to at least 2 people daily. Your parent, spouse ,child, grand parent , colleague , friend , neighbor , cab driver, fruit vendor , competitor , someone you come across online doing awesome work , boss, teacher – everyone is included. Do this for a while and you’ll start to wonder if you have moved to another universe. People suddenly look happier, confident.

Now, the guidelines of the awesome feedback campaign -

- Keep it genuine.

- Acknowledge/Celebrate what might otherwise be taken for granted ( e.g my sister is always helpful. Acknowledge/celebrate her for being so)

- Look at unexplored facets of the person.

- Share the feedback with enthusiasm , joy and humility

- Don’t expect the person to visibly melt or display gratitude. This is not a quid pro quo.

- Share your feedback creatively – speak , write , do something .

Now, let’s do the math…

365 x 2 (minimum) = 730  This is the Minimum number of times in a year you’ll give awesome feedback.

730 + 730 = 1460 smiles and sparks of joy – within you and the recipient.  1460 is a very conservative estimate. Our experience shows that the smiles tend to be way more frequent.

Will the people whose day you make with your feedback stay passively quiet even if you don’t tell them about the awesome feedback resolve ? Very , very unlikely . Joy is infectious.

Let’s assume for a moment that you gave awesome feedback to 730 different people and each one of them in turn consciously or otherwise spread the cheer . 730 x 730 = 532,900 sparks of joy.

(imagine what will happen when you extend awesome feedback to more than 2 persons daily )

A happy person is creative , kind , generous and content.

Many happy persons = more joyous , humane , creative , equitable, meaningful world.

It can all start with your awesome feedback.

Get started .

Stop the water while using me

Monday, August 2nd, 2010

Stop the water while using me – The message as the brand name  (soooo Clean Planet )

All products are made with organic and/or natural ingredients, packaged in biodegradable containers. The neat design of the package is a relief from the normal cosmetics which have reams of fine print and a rainbow of colors.

While we love the name what we like even more are the organic / natural ingredients and especially the biodegradable containers. Currently the plastic from cosmetic products is enough to turn the moon into a dump yard (of course after we’ve ensured that fate for planet earth ) . Biodegradable containers is a much needed idea for a whole range of products – cosmetics , food .

A bandh of your own

Monday, July 5th, 2010

A nation wide bandh has been thrust upon India today. Ostensibly to protest against rising prices. But , really an opportunity for opposition parties to assume few days of spot light. A bandh of this type seldom accomplishes anything . Establishments close – not because they support this form of protest – but because they fear violence. People are against rising prices . But they do not necessarily support protest in this form since :

- it accomplishes very little
- comes at enormous inconvenience and cost

The rising prices affect different sections of society differently . There is a large section on whom the impact of rising prices is very severe – affecting nutrition , education , health care ( even their interests are not served by this 1 day drama ). The impact varies at different levels of the socio economic ladder.

Possibly the time has arrived for everyone to do a bandh of their own – ongoingly.

Reduce non-essentials :
Most of us can relate with the ‘ why did I buy that ? ‘ feeling at sometime or the other. It could be after a heavy meal at a restaurant or after opening the latest product you purchased . Take a few mins to list the stuff you purchased that you wished you had refrained from . Carry that list around with you esp when you go shopping.

An even more radical exercise : visualize that you have a brand new house . What from your existing possessions would you like to put into it ? This exercise can be scaled to any level – kitchen , living room , bed room , study , cupboard..

Reduce intake of processed foods :

Or as Michael Pollan would say ‘industrial novelties’ . We’ll be healthier and richer for having done so.

Grow your own food :

To the extent possible grow herbs , prices , veggies , fruits n your home and community . Besides the cost savings joy it brings is immense . We need to recreate our relationship with food.

Repair / reuse / recycle :

Repair , reuse , recycle the stuff you have. Throwing out stuff that can be repaired adds to the environmental waste and to your cost (of purchasing a new item ).

No , you do not need the mixer with the sole feature of a new blade and fancy shape . Your existing mobile looks great , has more features than you use.

Gratitude outlook :

We notice and mull over stuff that’s amiss . In the process ignoring all the things that are so wonderfully right . Family , friends , joy , opportunity , beauty…Gratitude is more about an attitude rather than an occasional response. Thankfulness can enhance our satisfaction with lives in ways that the next consumer product never will.

If this sounds like the recipe for an ascetic life – it’s not . It’s about reclaiming your life in a consumerist world.

This is not an exhaustive list . Make your own list . Live it .

Try it .

(via SoulQuest )

Eco kitchen

Friday, July 2nd, 2010

One reason why even fairly eco conscious folks buy / accept plastic bags is to be able to use them to stock vegetables in the refrigerator . The plastic bags are probably used for few days before being tossed out. Some stores stock nylon mesh bags . But those are :

- not easily available (in India )

- tend to make the vegetables dry

- not bio degradable

The eco alternative is to buy or make cloth bags from soft cotton fabric . In India most families would have old saris or dupattas made of soft cotton . Those can be stitched into cloth bags with a draw string . The bags can be used to store veggies . Having 10-12 bags ensures that you have enough bags to use . And a set to replace when you put one set to wash .

The benefits are :

- Our experience shows that the vegetables tend to stay fresh longer when stored in a cotton bag .

- Hygenic – the bags can be washed

Fringe benefit – the refrigerator looks a lot more colorful with cloth bags instead of insipid white /sheer plastic bags.

Make your kitchen eco friendlier by -

- Carrying a cloth bag when you go shopping

- Grow herbs , vegetables at home as much as possible

- Using kitchen water to nurture plants at home

- Composting wet waste