“Great things are done by a series of small things
brought together.”
Vincent Van Gogh
I have always believed that it is the small things that
matter in life – the fragrance of a flower on a bush, not in a vase, the
flutter of a butterfly brushing one’s shoulder, the photograph of a tiny bird
skating over water… little snapshots that live on in the mind’s eye. I love
sitting on my tiny balcony, especially in the monsoons, reading a book as the
raindrops kiss my cheek, and the fragrance of the fresh earth wafts in.
Sustainability is a word that is ubiquitous in today’s
world, and with good reason too. We live in a world that has come a long way
from the lush green Garden of Eden where peace and tranquillity reigned till chaos
took over. Over the centuries, the chaos continued, unabated, till Mother
Nature began to retaliate in her own manner reminiscent of Wordsworth's quote, “Nature
red in tooth and claw”.
Right from childhood I have had my own little habits,
almost idiosyncrasies, as some may term them. As a child, I used to use pages
from leftover notebooks from school to create my own notepads. All I did was
punch them with holes and tie them with leftover ribbon, decorate the first
page with crayons, or water colours and voila, I had my own original writing
pad. I still use leftover paper to write down my creative ideas, my shopping
lists or even doodle on.
Now I carry this idea on to the next level. I cut out long
wide strips from tea bag paper containers (you can get quite a few from one!)
and keep them on my study table. Every time I need to prepare questions for an
interview or do a book review, I use these strips because they are thick and
handy. They are unobtrusive and sit tidily by my laptop, especially when I need
to peek in the middle of an interview.
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Books have always been my weakness, and what makes my
blood boil is these delicate treasures being misused. For example, people
dog-earing pages, or throwing them around or breaking their spines because they
do not believe in using bookmarks. This is where my next idea comes in. I create
my own bookmarks by cutting out strips from old wedding cards and greeting
cards which have beautiful cutouts designs or flowers or pithy words. Once
these are cut into perfect bookmarks, they not only look eye-catching, but also
keep my books in perfect order. There is no need to buy bookmarks because there
is no dearth of occasions, from weddings and housewarming ceremonies to
birthday invites.
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Moving on, I recall my mom-in-love giving me some
nuggets of wisdom when I was a young bride. Two of them ran on the same principle. She
would say,
“While cooking, do not keep the gas turned on fully. Turn
it a little to the left and lower it. You will save on gas. Likewise, when you
iron clothes, switch the iron off when you get to the last piece of clothing
and use the latent heat to save on electricity.” Two tips that made much sense!
I follow them to this day.
Luckily, my husband does not flinch away from eating leftover
food. Now that it is just the two of us in our flat, our daughter having set up
her own home abroad, it is next to impossible to cook a dish that can be
finished over one meal. Personally, I believe that the most useful invention ever
made is the refrigerator. It is even more useful than a wardrobe for clothes.
The only trick to master is to store food in tiny containers and take them out
as and when required, either in a day or two, and definitely before they begin
to fossilise! Of course, what we do after a get together is pack some of the
leftovers and send them with our guests, making sure that we have enough for
one more meal, of course.
Unsplash
The one habit, unfortunately, which I have not been able to master is sticking to minimalism. I tend to get attached to my possessions, especially the prettier ones. I am also a sentimentalist and keep cards and letters that have touched my heart. I have a cupboard filled with scrapbooks, diaries and old missives. The day I decide to get rid of them, which may be never, will be the day I build a huge bonfire and throw everything in, which will obviously break my heart.
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One of my precious scrapbooks - Picture Courtesy Deepti Menon
So, there you have it… my tiny idea of sustainability, my own little steps to try and make a difference, just the way I switch off the fan and lights when I leave a room, or shut the tap when I am brushing my teeth instead of leaving it one. It is up to us to teach our children to try and make sustainability part of their daily lives as well.
