A Zero Waste Journey that Works for YOU| Mrudula Joshi | GoGreenGuru Ep 01 |
How can we really adopt green habits that last and work towards a sustainable lifestyle with ease?
In this episode of GoGreenGuru: Sustainability in Action, host Ananya Sangameshwar sits down with zero-waste practitioner, guide, and entrepreneur, Mrudula Joshi, to explore the journey towards sustainable living. Mrudula candidly shares stories, insights, and practical eco-friendly tips drawn from her 4+ years of experience transitioning to a low-waste lifestyle and supporting others on their journey.
Whether you’re just starting out on the zero-waste path or facing eco-anxiety and other challenges, this episode offers valuable guidance and support to help you build sustainable habits with ease and joy.
Key Topics Discussed
- Mrudula’s journey to zero-waste living
- Practical tips for adopting sustainable habits
- Navigating eco-anxiety and other challenges
- Overcoming social pressures and perfectionist tendencies
- Building a supportive community
Key takeaways for your zero-waste journey:
- Start small: Begin your sustainable journey with mini challenges like the Watch Your Waste challenge. Start with small versions – doable habits, and go from there.
- Progress over perfection: Don’t worry about you or people around you being perfectly zero-waste. Look at it as a journey and take gradual steps that can actually be long-lasting in your life. Enjoy the journey.
- Treat green habits like any other habits: Approach green habits with the same mindset as any other daily habit. Sustainability is not about taking the burden to clean up someone’s mess. It is just about adopting habits that make sense – for your life, your pocket and the earth.
- Carry alternatives: Before refusing single-use disposables, get into the habit of carrying reusable alternatives to make sustainable choices easier.
- Embrace experiences: Don’t deprive yourself of fun experiences in the name of sustainability. Find balance and joy in living sustainably.
- Connect with others: Don’t isolate yourself or restrict yourself to eco circles. Mingle with people from all walks of life to let your ideas percolate naturally.
- Respect boundaries: As a beginner, don’t take it upon yourself to convert everyone and impost your ideas on them; you will just feel exhausted and resentful then.
- Inspire by action: Don’t nag people to adopt good habits; just integrate it into your life and enjoy the journey. People may be naturally curious and willing to learn and be more receptive to adopt these habits.
These nuanced tips from Mrudula Joshi are sure to save you a lot of exhaustion and worry on your zero-waste journey.
Actionable Challenge #WatchYourWaste
Collect your cleaned dry waste items like wrappers and boxes in a bag for a week. Then examine your waste and reflect on it, using the prompt shared below. Hand in your collected dry waste for reuse or recycling at a kabadi/recycling centre. Check out the resources shared towards the end for places to send in your dry waste and old items.
Journaling prompt
When using or buying anything, try to question – Where does this come from and where will it go? How much value is it really adding to my life? What else could I do with it after its use rather than throwing it away?
This journaling prompt shared by Mrudula Joshi will be a great baby step to start thinking in a zero-waste way. Have fun! Share your experience with us.
Connect with us at @gogreenguruss on Instagram/Facebook or email us at contact@gogreenguru.com.
Timestamps:
00:00 Highlights
01:08 Introduction
03:27 How Mrudula developed a zero-waste mindset; role of eco-content consumption
06:33 Mrudula’s journey as a zero-waste content creator and entrepreneur, with Ullisu and Wasted360
08:28 Changing the language of sustainability – sensible rather than fear-based 15:36 Eco-anxiety and pressure on yourself and other people
17:07 Green habit building – start with small steps and challenges
19:17 Reducing retail shopping: 10 on 10 fashion styling challenge
24:06 Circular design thinking: Reuse mindset in our daily life and work
27:40 Loneliness and building an eco-community + pro tip to mingle with other people too!
30:38 Have fun while going green: Influencing people subtly rather than by force
32:45 How Mrudula’s family members changed for the better in their own small ways
37:54 Introvert struggles with eco habits: Fear of saying no to disposables, dealing with social situations
39:13 Keep the reusable alternative ready before saying no to single-use
41:30 Wasted360: Circular waste solutions and thrifting to help urban India reduce waste to landfill
44:58 Wasted360: Set up collection drives for dry waste and old items donation
47:15 How Wasted360 processes donated items and dry waste: Repair, Reuse (thrift stores, donation) and Recycle
51:50 The Package Free Map to identify zerowaste stores, recycling centres, repair services, etc
53:20 Journaling prompt to think zero waste
55:02 #WatchYourWaste Challenge
About our guest Mrudula Joshi:
Mrudula Joshi, a fashion designer by training, stumbled upon the concepts of minimalism and zero-waste living, finding practical and financial sense in adopting these habits as a young adult. Inspired by her journey, she launched ullisu.official on Instagram, an authentic and relatable journal chronicling her transition to zero waste living, which blossomed into a supportive community hub. Mrudula curates resources and workshops on circularity and a zero waste mindset. She launched ullisu.com, an online marketplace supporting eco-conscious brands. As Strategic Partner at Wasted360, Bengaluru, Mrudula champions circular waste solutions and the thriving second-hand economy.
Resources – Ullisu and Wasted360
Connect with Mrudula Joshi on Instagram – @ullisu.official where she has been chronicling her zero-waste journey. Make sure to check out past posts too.
Visit ullisu.com – for curated resources and media recommendations for helping you think zero waste. Kindly note that the Ullisu store, which featured eco conscious brands to help people transition to zero-waste living, is not functional now.
Access the Package Free Map – https://ullisu.com/pages/the-map-project – a community resource with zero waste stores, recyclers, repair services pinned. Mail your location contributions to volunteer.ullisu@gmail.com.
Utilise Wasted360 services to start off a pickup drive in your community, school or office for old items and dry waste, to enable circular systems, preventing items from going to the landfill.
Visit indiawasted.com and follow indiawasted on Instagram.
Contact Wasted360 Bangalore – +91 9376776795, Chennai – +91 9751755522
Follow @rebirth.blr (Bangalore)/ @therebirthcollective (Chennai) on Instagram for shopping thrifted items
Resources for recycling dry waste and donating old items
https://www.indiawasted.com/services-1
https://crapbin.com/ (Hyderabad & Secunderabad)
https://goodeebag.in/about/ (Hyderabad)
https://www.be-responsible.in/ (for e-waste; Bangalore)
https://goonj.org/dropping-centres/ (for donating usable items)
And of course, you can pay a visit to any local kabadiwala or recycling centre to drop off your dry recyclable waste and donate your clean and usable items to an NGO.
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