Tell us about yourself
I am from Delhi, India, and shifted to Dubai almost 5 years ago with my boyfriend (now husband) and sister. I’m an advertiser by profession and he is a banker. We shifted to Dubai in our early 20s and since then it has been an incredible journey from being in a relationship to getting married and becoming parents.
What motivated you to shift to being eco-friendly?
Sehban and I have always been inclined towards giving back to society. Back in India, I used to work with an NGO and taught unprivileged children. This experience showed me the path which I wanted to pursue all my life.
I watch a lot of NatGeo and Discovery Channel documentaries about the environment and almost 2 and a half years ago one of the documentaries changed me. I literally cried for days after realizing the damages we were causing to the environment. I was inspired by the man who risked his life to save the whales and how he changed the mindset of thousands of people who were killing whales for their livelihood. And then Greta Thunberg happened, we all know what happened after that.
I watch a lot of NatGeo and Discovery Channel documentaries about the environment and almost 2 and a half years ago one of the documentaries changed me. I literally cried for days after realizing the damages we were causing to the environment. I was inspired by the man who risked his life to save the whales and how he changed the mindset of thousands of people who were killing whales for their livelihood. And then Greta Thunberg happened, we all know what happened after that.
The main things you do to be eco-friendly
When I started, I realized it is not easy. Plastic is all around us and frankly, I was getting demotivated. Then I read somewhere, you don’t have to be a perfect environmentalist or zero-waster, you can be just an imperfect person who is trying to produce less waste. I started with buying compostable plastic bags (not oxo bio-degradable) and slowly I made many changes in the daily life products I use. I still haven’t reached perfection (it is going to take many years) but I make my switches after a lot of research. I read a lot about the ingredients. My eco-friendly switch might not be the best alternatives but for me, they work.
“You don’t have to be a perfect environmentalist or zero-waster, you can be just an imperfect person who is trying to produce less waste.”
Your easiest eco – friendly swaps
- Compostable garbage bags
- Reusable grocery bags
- Bamboo toothbrush and natural toothpaste
- Handmade Natural soap/ bath care products
- Homemade natural cosmetics (body butter, lip balm, body soap)
- Natural detergent or Eco Egg
- Bamboo cutlery (in my bag all the time)
- Organic cotton sanitary pads
- Organic food (still not 100% because obviously, it’s expensive)
- For my baby – Organic cotton clothes, plant-based organic diapers, plants based organic body and bath care products, wooden rental toys, and so much more.
- Buying second-hand fashion/goods (I have released there’s no shame to do this, even if you have money)
What makes it hard for you to be eco-friendly?
It’s the limited choices of products and their prices. And also, it is difficult to find alternatives to many daily use products, for example, a plastic bottle of milk.
How do you plan on continuing your sustainability journey? What other aspects do you plan to change?
My next step will be composting. I have started my home garden and slowly I want to reuse the waste I produce in the house a lot more than I do now. I’m planning to start this very soon. I share my experiments on my Instagram with a simple objective to spread awareness. I’ve also joined an NGO Azraq as a volunteer with whom we will participate in beach clean-ups etc. We plan to involve our child in the environmental activities from his childhood, starting next winter hopefully, we will be able to do a lot more with him (if COVID restrictions allow).