Ecotopia: Tiruchy woman and her relentless effort to reduce climate change
TIRUCHY: Do you remember the first toothbrush you used and its colour? Of course not, it was so long ago and most probably, you were too young to remember it, right? Well, the fact is that the brush is still there as a non-biodegradable waste, because a plastic toothbrush takes around 400 years to decompose. Last century’s advancements, including plastic and fuels, alone might take us the next five to do penance for. On the flip side, the earth’s temperature is expected to rise by 1.5 degree Celsius in the next eight years.
For Dr Bharathi Bavaharan from Tiruchy, these pieces of information have been more like a wake-up call. “What kind of a world would I leave behind for my children? This was my first thought. I have been following ways of sustainable living, but this was not enough. I wanted to spread awareness on climate change and ways to reverse it to at least all the people in Tiruchy,” Dr Bavaharan says. Last month, she opened Ecotopia, a store that sells bamboo toothbrushes, recycled paper, upcycled bags, and organic food, among other items.
where you can pedal to have a drink
| MK Ashok Kumar
All products in the shop are biodegradable, recycled or recyclable and have negligible carbon footprint. While most have eco-friendly packaging, food products are sold with plastic wraps. The shop encourages people to return the plastic wraps, and honours the responsible act by gifting seed balls.
“Instead of plastics, throw seed balls on the roadside to your heart’s content,” she adds. Saranya, one of the customers of the shop, said, “I used to order eco-friendly products online. It’s a great thing that such a shop has opened,” said.
There is also a zero-waste juice bar outside the shop, where one has to pedal to get the juice. The blender is fixed on a cycle, to encourage people to adopt a healthy lifestyle. The juices are served in the fruits themselves, with no cups or straws. The proceeds from the business would be used towards creating Miyawaki plantations in Tiruchy, and later, in other cities. “Until about 60 years ago, we also practiced organic and healthy ways of living. We are the bridge for our children to that past,” she says.
Much water may have flown under the bridge, but with conscientious people like Dr Bavaharan as pillars, the structure would certainly remain sturdy. As the proverb goes, we don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.