Leading a sustainable lifestyle may seem like a lot of work. In fact it definitely is in the beginning. Doing your research & identifying items & practices to replace your existing ones might even seem like a daunting task. It will in time with consistent practice become a second nature to anyone. I am able to confidently say this because I have a few habits have become so deeply ingrained in me that even after moving to a different continent I kept doing certain things in my old ways. These childhood habits of mine in fact checks off a lot of items on any sustainable living list. These are the 5 zero-waste habits that I developed from growing up in India in the 90s.
I am very frugal with water
I was born and brought up in Chennai, a city always at the mercy of rain gods and even with one missed or a delayed monsoon, the city will plunge into severe water scarcity. The summers are long & hot and filled with the blaring horns of the water tankers weaving through the streets. Tank loads of water will be bought to be shared by the flats in my building and we would have to ration our use strictly. When you grow up conditioned to save water out of necessity, it becomes a habit for life. At least it did for me. I continue to do the same even when there is no shortage of water where I currently live.
Being mindful aka The subtle art of turning off the stove even before you are done cooking!
As a kid, I was very fascinated by cooking and I was always around the kitchen watching my Amma & Patti make yummy curries, chutneys, the fluffy pooris & the crisp dosas. I remember my Amma would turn the stove off as soon as she flips the last dosa or chapatti over. I would ask, “don’t you want this one to be done?” She would say, “there is still heat on the tava (pan) and that is enough for the dosa to finish cooking”. And she was right. Every time the last dosa will end up getting cooked just perfectly. Simple things that needed no extra effort but yet think of all the tiny pockets of energy my Amma would have saved.
The adults in my family also had a superpower – the minute I crossed the threshold of a room without turning off the light, or the fan or (oh god forbid) both, there will be a voice from the next room – “andha lighta off panniya” (Did you turn off the light?) How did they ever know? It is still a mystery! Everyone was expected to turn off all the electrical appliances when not in use. The taps had to be closed properly. Food must never be wasted.
To take care of things
My parents belonged to a generation that prided in saying how old the things in their household were. Every 90s kid must have heard the story of how the random aunty got her grinder at her wedding 25 years back. And oh! how wonderfully it still works! My Amma still has her stainless steel tiffin box from her school days. They cherished their belongings and took care of them well. This stemmed from the philosophy that they saved and bought what they needed. Hardly was there anything that was bought just because there was a sale. Now compare that to the current culture which prides in saying how new, updated and on trend their belongings are. I started to save and invest in quality products several years back when realization hit me (actually learnt it the hard way) that there is no such thing as a cheap product. You pay for it one way or the other. More over it is extremely frustrating how expensive it is to get things fixed or repaired here in the US.
Shop Small
Every evening, it was one of my chore to go to the local shop at my street corner with a small list written on a piece of paper to get the vegetables for the next day. Beginning of every month, the local whole sale shop would bring in 2-3 boxes of groceries all neatly folded in paper potlams. Each item would be specific to what our household needed. There was always a dabba (container) to store this said item of said quantity in. It was all from local, small shops and used very minimal packaging. Now that I think of this, it was such a well oiled system and probably the one thing on my list that I can’t replicate except for carrying my own grocery bags to the shops.
Cooking from scratch was not a big deal
It was the only way it was done back then. Restaurants were for special occasions & for shopping or travel days. Although I understand that this meant my Amma or grandma hardly caught a break, I learnt to balance the weekly menu from them. There were days with simple meals and days when they went all out. And, nobody would complain on the simple-meal-days (except for those upma nights) for the lack of variety. What lacked in variety was compensated in taste! I am very happy that today my household runs on this same philosophy. The idea of from-scratch cooking does not daunt me as I have the freedom to cook a simple meal and call it a day. We cook simple & fresh meals everyday and all of us take packed lunches and snacks from home. This practice alone eliminates a lot of single use plastic and ensures we are eating balances meals.
There was no dearth of celebrations or vacations or good food. But everyone were mindful and respectful of their surroundings and resources. I was part of the generation that saw the values that were once held dearly being tossed apart in the name of convenience, cheaper prices and technological advancements. But I am thankful to have witnessed the olden ways and if you think about it, it was not really that long ago. The first thing I always do when I want to find the sustainable way to do something is to think about how it was done 20-30 years back. The answer might be so simple that it might surprise you!
Comment below any zero-waste habits that you have inculcated from growing up that you currently have in practice.