I was born in the southern most part of India, a city called Madras that is known for its super hot and humid climate. Two decades ago, my grandparents’ home was a very cozy home that used to be comfortably cool in-spite of the really hot weather outside, and they had no air-conditioners! My grandparents grew a lot of plants and trees and it was really a green, warm and a welcoming home. They did not eat processed food, they had access to fresh fruits and vegetables and everything was homemade. Their lives were that of minimalists like most people lived in those days and with no air-conditioners or washing machines, they consumed very less energy.
When it was time to have my own home, I used whatever made cooking and living easier. I did not think too much about GMO food nor did I care to look at the ingredients in the food I was consuming. I had no clue about the toxic chemicals in my cosmetic products. Heck, I even got my curly hair chemically treated to straighten it more than once and I got colored hair streaks done because I was just too bored of my plain black hair. Well, there was absolutely nothing green about my lifestyle and I believe all these contributed to the terrible hormonal imbalances I experienced very shortly after all this.
[Effects of chemicals on earth and body can be found here]
A few years ago, I started researching on leading a much cleaner life and the more I researched, the more I understood that not only will I be helping my body but that, I will also be contributing my bit to the environment. I believe in Karma and I am positive that if we love Earth, Earth will love us right back. So my husband and I started making positive changes in our home. We replaced all our plastic grocery bags with recyclable/cloth bags. Being in New Jersey helped too as recycling is required by law. We recycled and reused things in our home. We also started consciously reducing our paper consumption.
I also figured that being a vegetarian cuts about 50% of food related CO2e emissions to the environment. According to a study conducted in UK, vegetarians contributed 3.81 kgCO2e/day whereas high meat eaters contributed 7.19 kgCO2e/day. Thankfully, everyone in my family is a vegetarian. Our forefathers were vegetarians too, we belong to a Hindu sect that believes in Ahimsa – non-violence toward humans and animals and I am a vegetarian because of my culture and also by choice. I also consciously started cutting down on processed foods and made sure we make healthy choices while eating out or to eat more homemade food.
[Vegetarian recipes of Truly Madly Greenly can be found here]
When I became pregnant a couple of years ago, my doctor handed me a very small list of chemicals to avoid ingesting/applying/touching during pregnancy. I got very curious and I started researching more and I was astounded by the list of harmful chemicals that I was using in my daily life. Trust me, they were not kidding about pregnancy hormones which did no good to my paranoia about chemicals. For a long time, I avoided all sorts of chemicals and used just apple cider vinegar for my hair, a mild soap and baking soda as a deodorant. It is funny to think about it now because while apple cider vinegar and baking soda were good, I realized that there are many other natural and organic products in the market that really work too. I started experimenting with some products and some of them had a positive impact on my body.
I find this journey to a greener and a better life as a continuous process where we better ourselves every time. I worry about what the future holds for not just my daughter but for all the children and the future generations. I want us to be able to provide them an environment that will be free of toxicities and one that will help nurture them. I know I can’t live exactly the way my grandparents did so many years ago but as the saying goes, “If you start by moving one stone at a time, you will move that whole mountain”, and I hope to do just that!