- Practicing Sustainable Menstruation: Having been using EcoFemme now for almost 10 years, I did not have any panic attack moments to realise that I had run out of disposable pads in the middle of the night or when most shops were closed or to realise my medical store didn’t have delivery boys to drop off a packet home or that the supermarket had run out of stock. I’m sure women using the menstrual cup are as relieved as I am.
- Cloth Diapering: Same applies to my baby’s diapers. Most modern reusable diapers also have adjusted sizing. So even if the lockdown is extended, there is no worry of her overgrowing her diapers. By the way, most of her diapers are hand me downs (a detailed blog on cloth diapering will follow)
- Reusable Baby Wipes: Diapers and baby wipes go hand in hand. We have been using reusable muslin wipes and use a water spray to wet it. Disposable wipes (we use a 98% water wipes which is biodegradable) are used only for emergencies or a really big mess. Again no panic attacks in case the market runs out of wipes.
- Kitchen Garden: Even if I don’t have the dream terrace garden that will provide all my vegetable needs I do have enough in my garden that would take care of one meal or part of my meal. The raw tomatoes were just enough to be put into my sambhar and the red spinach was just enough make a kootu. And the basil took care of one Italian restaurant- style meal for the night.
- Buying Local: Buying local is a great sustainable practice and helps support local businesses and reduces carbon footprint too. Thanks to this habit, the local store that I visit often make sure to keep aside enough stock for me during this current shortage and erratic stock arrival situation.
- Using Veggie Bags: This has helped keep my bulk stock of fruits and vegetables stay fresh longer. Here is a little trick my mother taught me to keep your bananas last longer. Wet the veggie bag and keep your bananas in it. It will take longer to turn black and overripe.
- Composting: Composting has taken the load of managing the waste we create. Since waste collection on the streets has been erratic, there is no more added work of figuring out how to dispose the bulk of the waste we generate. Another advantage of this habit is that we haven’t lined our bins with garbage bags for years. So there is again no need to run to the store for garbage bags or get stressed if the store has run out of stock. If you really need to line a bin that has to go into composting an old newspaper should do. The same with the recycle waste bin.
- During my summer holidays in my native village in Kerala we were made to use all natural ingredients as our bath products. Coconut oil was our moisturiser and conditioner. Moong dal powder, besan, hibiscus leaves and the like were used as body wash and hair wash. I continue to use them if I am in a mood to have a long, relaxed bath. Thankfully due to this habit and if I ever run out of my regular stock of soaps and shampoo, my kitchen is there to the rescue.
