The minute we decide to take responsibility for our choices and try to live an eco-friendly life, we realise how immersed we are in a lifestyle of irreverence. Over the decades our priorities have changed so much that somewhere we seem to have lost track of the effect our species has on the surroundings. Today, eco-friendly choices are hard because the non-eco-friendly ones are the norm. It takes determination to break these norms but it is all so worth it when we look at how much of a positive impact our choices make. Consistency in implementing practical eco-friendly measures can really set us on the path to a better future.

In continuation to our previous blog on sustainability (check it out here - Link), here is a snapshot of some of the practical ways in which small steps are taken at office and our personal lives to ensure that we are on a path to sustainability.

Practices at office-

Reusing plastic:

At Suta, we re-use our internal packaging. When we receive stock from our centres at Kolkata, we unwrap the stock very carefully to keep the plastic intact and we send it back to Kolkata for re-using. Our employees are specially trained to unwrap without damaging the packaging and to re-use the packaging. This does cost us extra and also needs extra efforts from our side but the amount of plastic that we save in the long run is what we look at and what keeps us going.

Eco-friendly cloth bags:

For our Suta queens, saree and other products are sent in eco-friendly cloth bags that can be used by them for shopping. We do this to instil a sense of responsibility among our Suta queens to always carry a bag when they go out so that they can avoid bringing home single-use plastic bags. 

Initiatives for a greener tomorrow:

Another sustainable practice we undertake is taking part in tree plantation drives to do what we can in offsetting carbon emissions. For Suta’s 3^rd anniversary celebrations, we visited Ananda Niketan Sishu school and planted 50 trees along with the students and teachers of the school. Sujata and Taniya also spoke to the people of the district and urged them to adopt horticulture and agro-based cash crops cultivation and to take steps to prevent de-forestation.

Sustainability at home: Bioenzyme

What is bioenzyme, you ask? It’s a magical, organic, homemade, environment friendly, super cleaning liquid made of waste citrus peels. It brings a shine to your ceramics, glass, metal, granite, tiles etc while also keeping them squeaky clean. Use it to scrub the grime away from kitchen chimneys, stove tops, granite slabs or as a toilet cleaner or diluted in mopping bucket. The more evolved households even use it for washing clothes and dishes. You can try this at your home too. Sujata and Taniya will be glad to give a sample on request as well.

Steps to make bioenzyme-

1. Eat lots of oranges and lemons. Save the peels.

2. Take a large air tight container with a lid. Add water-jaggery-citrus peels in the following proportion.  1 litre water-100grams jaggery-300grams citrus peels

3. Let it ferment over 3 months, shaking it once a day. Sieve and use the golden liquid for all household cleaning needs. Reuse the pulp to reduce prep time of the next batch, which could be ready in 45 days!

This is one of the small steps taken by Su and Ta personally at their homes. No step is too small when it comes to sustainability. When we look around we can find ways to incorporate eco-friendly choices into our lives. Let us know how you ensure sustainable living at your homes too.