20 ideas to live ecologically

It is evident that the Earth can do with us living more ecologically. Here are some ideas to have a small ecological footprint. Choose what you can do and strive for the rest! 

1. Instead of plastic bags, use cloth bags. Carry some cloth bags from home before you venture out for any shopping.

2. Avoid ordering food at home, instead go out and eat. It saves on a lot of non-biodegradable packaging.

3. Wash clothes & utensils with soapnuts, instead of chemical detergents. You’ll be amazed at the results.

4. Mop the floor with essential oils or neem/tulsi/lemongrass infused water, instead of chemical detergents.

5. Carry your own drinking water to skip using plastic bottles. Get your drinking water bottles refilled from any good hotel/restaurant. They usually generously fill them with nice cold water.

6. Drink drinks packed in glass bottles rather than buying their plastic bottled versions. (Sugared, carbonated drinks are not good for health. A freshly squeezed juice or coconut water are better options anyday.)

7. For the dustbin at home, use brown paper bags or newspapers. Of course avoid throwing liquid waste in it, which you can throw in empty packs of any inevitable packaged items.

8. Use public transport as much as possible. It saves money too!

9. Minimize use of ac/heater/geysers.

10. Minimize buying of magazines and newspapers.

11. Re-use the other side of sheets of paper.

12. Use recyclable pens or pencils, instead of plastic pens. If that’s not possible in every case, then change the refills instead of trashing the entire pen.

13. Minimize or eliminate use of tissue papers in restaurants. After all, we all wash our hands or use a towel at home after food, so why not extend this practise outside as well.

14. Avoid eating in Styrofoam cutlery. Ask for the old fashioned but very sturdy and eco-friendly leaf cutlery.

15. Use cotton and natural fabrics instead of silk, wool, leather and man-made fabrics. These are good for your health, for the planet, for the animals and for people who stay around these hazardous industries.

16. Use genuinely natural and organic products in food, cosmetics, household toiletries, etc. Again these are good for your health, for the planet and for animals (as these products are usually made with chemicals that are tested on animals or contain animal ingredients).

17. Dont litter.

18. Plant trees.

19. Have a home garden or keep some plants at home to grow your own food. It is so simple that it may get addictive.

20. Live vegan. It is the BIGGEST step that we can take towards ecological living. Our demand for animal products is the biggest reason for global warming, climate change, deforestation, water usage, water pollution, land degradation & world hunger, facts now supported even by the UN. Read more here – http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/a0701e/a0701e00.HTM.

Thanks for reading, hope it provided some food for thought :)

Scary Veganism - Why many ‘good’ people are still not Vegan?

Over the past few years of being vegan, I have naturally tried to pass on this message to many, only to be greeted with some good, bad or ugly responses. And all this by perfectly ‘good’ people! This got me perplexed and led to the article that you all are reading now.

So most of my family, friends and acquaintances range from - common folks, to social workers/animal welfare activists/environmentalists, etc. And all of them are generalised here as ‘good’ people ie people who would generally not do any harm to anyone and would think about the good of the people and planet in general. However, many of them are yet to embrace veganism and now I’ll try and explore why.

I think basically it stems from our fixation to familiarity. We all gravitate towards familiar people, surroundings, foods, cultures, languages, groups, habits, mindsets and addictions. We keep on following the same patterns in life as we see the others around us following, because of the comfort that familiarity provides. Those who follow a different lifestyle from the mainstream are thus termed different, rebellious, outcaste, etc. This is scary for most people. I have been fortunate to be ‘a born rebel’, I mean being a rebel/different is not even my second nature, its my first! So it does not require strength for me to be vegan, be different, be cruelty-free in a world where cruelty is blindly accepted. However I can understand why it is not so easy for many others to break away from deathly patterns. But just because I can understand, doesn’t mean I sanction it or that it is right. All it takes to do the right thing is heart, its that simple. So why not stop being scared and just do it.

Second is our resistance to change. All of us resist any kind of change in life, lifestyles, foods, habits, etc. Try asking someone to develop a new habit say like exercising and they would resist. We just resist anything that comes from outside to change us. Everyone changes only when something within them tells them to. However for vegans, understandably it is difficult to accept how people dont want to change even after knowing the truth or resist knowing the truth in the first place. Take for instance morning tea or coffee, I know many people for whom this is the first thought that deters them from veganism. People think being vegan means you cannot have your tea or coffee tasting the same when actually you can, because vegans have found the exact replacements for the tastes of everything! Change is overwhelming because we fear the unknown. Initially we dont know how we could go vegan, in the primarily non-vegan world of today. So all we need to so is ‘google’ it. Let’s stop being scared of change, and try and embrace it. For a change, try change!

Thirdly, being self-centered ie thinking of ourselves or our own families only, not the world at large. We are all conditioned this way by the society, by our education and by what goes on around us. I used to get surprised by this, but over time I’ve seen so many people who just dont care beyond themselves and their families, that I dont get surprised anymore. However, thankfully veganism has something for these people as well, because being vegan is extremely good for health. And self-centered people do care a lot about ‘their’ health, just like most people do. So if you care about yourself, or your families or other beings or the world at large, why not try vegan? Dont be scared to increase your circle of love, and care about others and the planet, and embrace veganism.

Another reason, fixation to taste or addiction to tastes and lifestyles, which is just a result of ignorance or refusal to open up our ears to information, because believe it or not taste is the LAST thing a vegan compromises on! We are clever humans, so we’ve replicated every taste, every non-vegan dish can be made with vegan ingredients with exactly the same taste! All one has to do is to ‘google’ for the options or ask other vegans around. I’ve found Facebook to be a good tool to connect with people and find information on veganism from relevant groups. So dont be scared to experiment with new dishes or new tastes for that matter. Life is short, try to explore all aspects of it. Try veganism, its all about life after all!

Animal products of various kinds are so ingrained in our cultures that it becomes difficult to go vegan, without upsetting the status quo. We fear - what will others say, what about the society, will I get alienated from others, will my family accept it? All change has been created after moving away from the norm, isn’t that the definition of change itself. It is said that truth goes through three stages – ridicule, violent opposition and acceptance. So just understand that this is a phase which you have to pass through, in order to walk the talk and live by your beliefs. Support groups help a lot in this case, so search online for the one in your city/town and join it. Dont be scared to experience a whole new world, it is a beautiful journey.

Ignorance is bliss or people think so. And now I’m getting into the spiritual realm here. People think that if they commit a sin out of ignorance, then there is less of bad karma associated with it. So they do not even wish to listen about the horrific cruel facts associated with non-veganism. However, if they know about it and still continue to do it, they will accrue more bad karma. That is the sub-conscious thought behind closing up to vegan information or ousting vegan people from their lives, I think. Dont be scared of vegans or veganism, and dont oust them from your life, instead oust the cruelty ie the non-veganism.

The next problem is that no one wants to make the effort to change. An apt quote to convey my message here is (I read this somewhere) – ‘Everyone wants to change the world, but no one wants to change’. Change always requires some ‘effort’ and that requires some time and energy, which people do not ‘want’ to devote. Its never that we ‘cant’ make an effort, its just that we dont ‘want’ to. So dont be scared to make an effort to go vegan. This effort is worth many lives, including yours.

So people say they dont have the time to understand veganism and make the change. This one’s quite a frivolous argument, because we easily make time for leisure activities or to do what we really want to do, or we make time to treat or tend to illness, so how come we cant make time for understanding and adopting a cruelty-free, healthy and environment and people-friendly lifestyle? Its not time, its just intention. If one intends to do something, they make the requisite time and effort and if they dont intend to do it, they make excuses. Dont be scared to explore veganism, its totally worth your time and energy.

A very ‘bad’ reason is the fear or pretence of fear for our health, due to the brainwashing by our educational system. Since childhood we have been taught that milk & meat are integral for our health, so much so that if we tell an American that meat is bad or an Indian that animal milk is bad, they may look at us as if we have come from the planet ‘vegas’! So many ignorant ones truly fear for their health, and for them I’d suggest getting informed. Those who ‘pretend’ to fear for their health are the ones who know about the health benefits of veganism, but are too weak (lack courage) to change due to their addictions. Thus these excusitarians come up with novel excuses like ‘my doctor has asked me to drink animal milk’ or ‘I need animal protein for body-building’. Hmm, to them I can only say – get a backbone, of your own of course. Dont be a pawn in the hands of your addictions and dont fear for your health because it is going to improve dramatically once you cut out the toxins from your diet. Try and find your courage, you’ll love yourself for it and so will the numerous animals whose lives you spare.

Habit, is another major reason. But there’s a good news here as well! Habits take 21 days to change, scientifically. Thus if we adopt a new habit for at least 21 days, we can keep up with it easily. Food is a matter of habit ie Indians are habituated to Indian food, Chinese to Chinese food, Americans to American food. All we now need to do is introduce ourselves to newer foods like vegan alternatives to non-vegan foods, and slowly we will be able to form new habits! Similarly, we are habituated to goto a mall and buy a lot of non-vegan items off the shelves, without reading labels and understanding what goes into them. Thus we will need to form new habits of reading labels or asking questions or doing some research on what goes into making these products. And thus we will be able to make kind, consencious choices! Dont be scared to discard mundane habits and acquire new ones. I promise you will love what you get out of it!

‘I cant do it, I am not as strong-willed as you.’ Hmm ok, you know what, most of the vegans I know also did not know what they were capable off initially. Once they decided, the path got paved got smoother on its own. So it is not about will power at all here, it is just about WILLINGNESS. Once you wholeheartedly want to do something, you just do it and the way is paved for you on its own. In this day and age of the internet, there is no dearth of free-information on everything related to veganism. Thus, dont be scared to make a commitment to an ethical way of life. Be willing to get out of your comfort zone and do something about the issues that you feel for, rather than just talking about them. Be vegan and live your principles.

If someone told us that having carrots or cucumbers was extremely bad for our health, would cause us lifestyle diseases, is killing the planet by being the main cause of global warming and climate change, we would immediately stop eating them. But when told the same thing about animal products, we try and find all possible excuses. This is because we are habituated, addicted, it is ingrained in our cultures, and we find it unbelievable initially due to our education, etc. Now what is required is that, instead of becoming excusitarians, we proactively make an effort to find out more, and eventually become vegans. And now that we know of almost all the possible excusitarian behaviours and also the ways to change them (hopefully I’ve been able to incorporate solutions to the excuses, instead of just talking about the problems), WHEN ARE WE MAKING THE CHANGE? This is the best that we can possibly do - present forth all the info - but to listen to it, understand it and adopt it is what is required for you to do. Vegans like me are always willing to help people in transitioning, so feel free to contact us via the world wide web. Veganism isn’t fearful, instead its fun, fulfilling and fantabulous! Go for it!

Pic taken from the internet

Why NO Kids?

So I never wanted to have kids, never, for as long as I can remember. This perplexes most (ok, almost all) people I’ve met. I’m sure there are some good reasons for this fundamental thinking of mine. Let me try and explore them, especially as some friends of mine are keen that I explain my stance. I am doing this particularly for the benefit of the childless couples around, who are either yearning for kids or are saddened by this facet of their lives. None of what I am writing is to disrespect anyone’s choices in life, or to put down upon kids/people with kids. This is my personal opinion and since I respect others opinions, please respect mine too and do not subject it to debate, because this article is not open to debate!

Hmm, so I had grown up seeing my Mom dedicate her life, breadth, every last bit of energy – all for us. So I always felt, that as a woman I dont want to dedicate my entire life to raising two kids. I wanted to do a great deal of social work in life and dedicate my life to making a difference to the lives of millions of people (if possible) and not just two lives.

The person I idolize said it in very simply terms one day – ‘Kids keep you in the rat-race’. Perfect, I thought, bang on. Women do bear a great deal of physical effort to raise kids, while men dedicate their entire lives to earn money to give the kids a good upbringing.

Thus I always saw our ‘obsession’ to have kids as what has kept the world in a stagnant state. I didn’t want to just pass through this stagnantly without trying my best to alleviate some problems.

I also thought that there is so much hurt, pain and suffering going around in this world, do I really want to subject another one or two lives to it?

Then, I saw so many orphaned and poor kids around, who could do with good families, but very few people were willing to adopt. And yes I always thought that IF I ever have any kids, they would be adopted. I get surprised by those who are keen to have ‘their own’ baby, because all that is needed is an open mind and heart, and life gives you the joys that one is pinning for.

I always wanted to spend my lifetime pursuing my own interests, my own ambitions, my goals in life. Kids are a life-time commitment, even after they grow up. I was never ready for this commitment for others, and wanted to live my life committed to myself. Everyone keeps saying that they would do what they love to do and what they always wanted to, after their retirement. This is only because of family responsibility, and I certainly dont mean to say that one shouldn’t fulfil those, but the biggest contributor to this responsibility is – children. So I want to really really tell those who dont have children, to consider this time and opportunity granted to them as a gift to be utilized to its fullest.

Lastly, all this ‘kids’ thing is media-fed and cultural junk for me. I personally dont think that – a woman is complete when she has a baby/becomes a mum. But almost all people believe this to be true. I think this is hogwash to keep women in the circle of subjugation/bounded, by keeping her busy with children. I think a woman is complete on her own. Nor is a man defined by his ability to father children. That is such caveman thinking, but people still hang onto it. Its unfortunate.

So there I am, done with my reasons, sane or insane, for saying a NO to kids. I am very happy with it and so is my husband. Think about it!

Dhinchak - A tail of love and inspiration

Sometimes in life we come across those who inspire us to be better people. My Husband Chintan & I had such an encounter with Dhinchak. Dhinchak is our adopted three-legged dog, a female Pomeranian, whose best trait is - her absolute love and zest for life! She’s by far THE MOST LOVING, active and nutty dog we’ve known :) And why is it SO special? Because of the history of neglect, abuse, pain and abandonment by family at a young age, that she has come from. And she still has so much LOVE to give, to share! One look at this lively soul and it makes anyone forget their problems. She has truly given us more than we can ever give her and her story below will tell you why. 

We think that she almost doesn’t know that dogs are supposed to have 4 legs! She climbs up and down the stairs, jumps up & down the bed and sofa, runs faster than any human we personally know and keeps following us around the house all day long! And she does all this 24/7, like before we can blink an eye-she climbs up the bed & jumps down again the next moment, as if inspiring us to overcome our handicaps (mental, emotional, spiritual or physical). There’s not a dull moment to her. She’ll find a way to play with everything because for her life means having fun and she’ll play with us, with her toys, with her food, with coconut shells which she sneaks out from anywhere we keep them, with the guests, with the neighbouring kids and with whoever walks down the road and stops to pet her. She doesn’t know life any other way. For her everything is enthusiastic and every moment of the day deserves a tail-wag! Dad & Mum ALWAYS deserve a tail wag :) She’s closer to Chintan, whom I suspect is getting closer to his daughters more than me :) He absolutely dotes on both the girls and they dote on him more! 

An unintentional chance brought her into our lives. We had gone to drop an injured pigeon to an animal shelter (TSPCA - Thane Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) near our home. As we were standing in the shelter getting the pigeon examined, a small dog sitting near my leg started prying for my attention. She enthusiastically gestured that she wanted me to pet her by raising her head up high, nose sniffing the air, tongue ready to lick, ears held back and a tail that wagged non-stop. No wonder I HAD to pet her, and immediately she totally licked my hand. And that brief 10 second encounter sealed it. It was love at first sight! I immediately enquired if she was available for adoption and the doctor said yes. ‘But she doesn’t have one hind leg’ he said. I asked ‘Is that a problem like when she poops & pees’ and pat came the reply ‘No, no problems at all’. And then we went back home because I ‘thought’ we should think over it well and discuss in detail together (and also because I had to think of ways to convince my Hubby about this!), especially considering we had another dog at home – a 12 year old adopted Indian stray dog Rapchik whom we had adopted just 6 months ago and who was very territorial (to read Rapchik’s story see - http://www.facebook.com/notes/monika-vegan-mehta-siriya/our-beloved-rapchik-3/2954300250939) and because bringing another life into your family is a BIG decision (caution for people who ‘buy pets’ thinking they are bringing in a new toy).  

The next day, I called up the shelter to discuss about her in detail and got to know her story. Princess as she was called by them, had been found abandoned on the road with a bad injury on her right leg. She was found by a volunteer (bless her/him) outside a slum and when s/he approached to pick her up, she wagged her tail and was very friendly inspite of all the pain (that is SO like my Dhinchak!). She was treated for a long time, her leg being so bad that a volunteer who saw it almost fainted on seeing the damage! But Dhinkcak still got up and came and sat in the volunteer’s lap and constantly wagged her tail! That is the resilience and love that she is blessed with. And that is the most inspiring part about her. Little wonder that everyone at the shelter dotted upon her. She met everyone with loving enthusiasm and always kept jumping and playing around. However her leg was getting worse and ultimately it had to be amputated. My brave resilient girl, quickly got over it and learnt to function with three legs. She had been at the shelter for about 6 months when we saw her. And within a week of that first brief meeting with her, she was at our place! In that one week, we had asked many of our friends and acquaintances and researched online about having more than one dog in the house. We also had our doubts, but with me the case has always been like the dialogue in the famous Salman Khan movie ‘Ek baar jo maine commitment kar di, toh main apne aap ki bhi nahi sunti’ :D and in this case I had made up my mind in that 10 second time that I will give this angel the home that she truly deserves. 

So finally Dhinchak came in & Rapchik obviously didn’t like it. For 3 days, we didn’t get much sleep as we were watchful 24/7 as Rapchik not fully ok with the new member. For two full weeks, we had to be careful, because though R wouldn’t say anything to D, but she wasn’t getting friendly with her either. Now here’s what D did from the beginning, to win over R’s heart. She would follow R like a shadow while we took both of them out for a walk, so much so that she wouldn’t do her business but just follow Rapchik to the T. So in two weeks, R melted and one evening just started playing with D! And I clicked a video of it too!

  

She has never once shown any sort of bad temperament and neither has Rapchik. We had to work on toilet-training her, a problem that we NEVER faced with Rapchik (that’s the beauty of Indian dogs!). She’s been Vegan from the minute she was with us (more on that in another note). She’s gained weight (her backbone ribs could be counted when she came to us) and is doing well healthwise. She loves to sleep on our bed. And loves to be massaged especially on the right side of her body because she cannot do it on own there. R & D play gleefully with each other every evening for an hour and its become our new hobby to click their pictures and make their videos. The good thing about having two doggies is that they give each other company when we are not at home (earlier Rapchik used to cry if we used to leave her alone for more then 2-3 hours). 

  

I could go on about my girls, but I’ll stop here, for now. I hope I’ve been able to do some justice to the story of my little baby. I’m hoping that this has come out as a story of love, inspiration, resilience and the spirit of Dhinchak, the three-legged wonder :)

PS - We had written this when we adopted Dhinchak 1.5 years ago. Rapchik is no more on this plane now, she's in our hearts. Will post her story too sometime.

Dhinchak

Dhinchak running & playing

Dhinchak when they found her

About us & why this blog

Dhinchak the Dog, Chintan her dad & Monika her mommy, run this blog.

Dhinchak is a rescued doggy girl who can be described as 'the epitome of joy'. Inspite of being abused to the extent that she lost one of her legs, she still LOVES life!

Chintan is a software engineer who has shifted to the CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) field and is loving it.

Monika is an entrepreneur in the making who thinks that life is meant to chill and do good.

We started this blog because some people tell us that we live sort of 'differently' and thus should spread the word. We'll talk about veganism, the environment, minimalism, feminism, animals, spirituality, etc.

Hoping this turns out to be a fun journey :)