Green Dosa and Making Seed Balls

Stir fried Amarath and peas wrapped in a golden dosa and glass of Guava nectar

I have Greenfection. Do you?

5th June is celebrated world over by people with a green consciousness as World Environmental Day.

My enthusiasm for Indian festivals has waned away as it does not hold much relevance in today's world for me. I end up making some sweets and if I feel like it I do a pooja. So I don't mean to start another tradition that I cannot keep up but will try to do some things on a daily basis for the Environment. So you ask me how I celebrated my Environmental consciousness?

At work the Enviromental group had organized a drive for making Seed Balls. I joined in. There were many women rolling the balls post lunch and a lot of laughter and story sharing and exchange of green ideas on green habits. Then came a large group of men. I don't know why it reminded me of community activities in my village all of a sudden. We rarely see community activities in cities. Enjoyed it.

Here are my Environmental choices for shrinking my carbon footprint.

1. I segregate my waste. Only my biowaste is dumped in the garbage van.
2. My plastic bags of all thickness are reused. When they spoil I sell them to the Kabadiwala or Barter it with a Garlic seller (this is if I spot him)
3. The bottles, jars, tubs and tins of processed food are always reused and then sold to the Kabadiwal.
4. When hosting parties, I make a choice of dried banana bark plates whenever possible. Styrofoam plates and cups are a no.
5. For all poojas the mass feeding is done on fresh green banana leaves in Bangalore or Patravali  in Thal and Mumbai.
6. In the Toilet. I use the flush only after full download. After soo soo I pour water with a large tumbler. Many do not know that when you flush you use 10 to 15 litres of water at a time. After defecating it is a must to flush but be consciousness when using water after urination. If too smelly you must flush to spare the trouble for person who uses the toilet after you.
7. I control the flow of water with a extra nozzle fitted on the kitchen tap to avoid using more water.
8. I plan all my car trips and never waste fuel for small errands.
9. I lived for 4 years without electrical appliances like fridge, washing machine etc. All I had was a mixer grinder and a TV (I don't watch much). There were many reasons why I avoided buying them. In Bangalore I actually did not need the fridge as badly as I did in Mumbai. This was my way experienceing a life I had not known. I survived. Then I succumbed. Yet for 4 years I DID IT!
10. I am moving away from using leather slowly. Hope I am successful.
11. I am a vegetarian since 1988. Making food choices that are less taxing on the food chain is also about Environmental consciousness. Well actually it started off as a change on the spiritual path. I realized how Hinduism incorporates Environmental consciousness in its way of life.
12. I use electricity only when and where required. Lights are put off after use promptly.
13. I use the dishwasher half load setting when its not fully loaded.
14. At work our Environmental group provides us with scribble pads made from single side printed papers. This has become a habit at home too.
15. This year I plan to grow my own herbs on the terrace of my building.
16. I plan to get back to using more millets for rotis. I have stopped using since couple of years as getting them ground means starting the hunt for a mill. We used to make a lot of different Bhakris before. I mean to use more local grains.
17. I have reduced buying imported foods.
18. Plan to move towards including more raw foods in the diet with the aim of consuming lesser fuel for cooking and increased focus on health.
19. I use washable kitchen napkins and a lot less paper napkins in the kitchen, dining and no you will not find paper in my toilets. 
20. I plan to bring change from using liquid soap for hand wash to fragrant ayurvedic powder kept in a sprinkler in the kitchen and near the wash basin.

I wish to continue doing this much and will try to make small choices that will make a difference in the long run for a better Environment.

I wore a green dress to show support for the Environmental initiatives at work and the community I live in on the 4th.

On the 5th June green crept into the food too!

We had stir fried greens wrapped in golden dosas for dinner with a glass of Guava Nectar. Here is a basic recipe for stir fried greens but this time I used Amaranth and added two handfuls of green peas too.

Hope this is viral and you catch it too :) !!