Director of Mumbai-based NGO hosts eco-friendly engagement ceremony

A biowaste pulveriser at the engagement function venue in Juhu on February 21. Pics/Anurag Ahire

When Vishal Tibrewala, director of Mumbai's Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), ‘My Green Society', held an engagement function for his son Yash at a Juhu venue recently, he walked the green talk. The function had approximately 1,300 guests in attendance and was, "an example on how we need to walk the talk when it comes to green preservation and being eco-conscious in our lived everyday reality. This should apply even at celebrations and functions," said Tibrewala, who helms the Andheri outfit.

Peel appeal

The green effort began from the caterer's kitchen with fruit peels from sweet lime, orange and pineapple collected as they were discarded for making fruit juice served to the guests. These peels will be used to make bio enzymes, which is a natural cleaning agent made from crushed peels mixed with jaggery and water. The cleanser can be used to clean toilets, mopping floors etc. It has no chemicals. A spokesperson said, "The toilets at the venue were kept clean with bio enzymes." Vegetable peels from potato, cucumber etc., were also collected in recyclable plastic bags, and food waste collected too, to be made into compost.

Bio enzyme made from fruit peels

Said Tibrewala, "Water bottles were collected in bins. These were then collected by another outfit to be recycled. This shows the power of collaboration in conservation, battling climate change through small efforts on the ground."

Pulverisers were on ground to crush the waste, proving the process began on the ground. Said Manish Bhartia and Prajakta Kamble, project coordinators of My Green Society, "We demonstrated that occasions or events are also platforms in which we can practise going green, the sheer size and scale in fact becomes a bigger window to show that not just at home or office, even at bigger gatherings, going green need not be a fashion mantra, but reality."

Plant it

The invitees were told not to bring in gifts, ‘blessings only' the card said, "yet they could give a gift for people. They could plant seeds - tulsi or custard apple at a counter at the engagement venue. This counter was named: from seed to sapling. It had a pre-mix of soil in jackets and guests planted available custard or tulsi seeds in these," said My Green Society representatives. They added, "These have been taken to our Andheri office and will be planted in rural areas like Wada and Karjat; we have a few, designated spots. This actually takes off from a programme we hold in schools called Mumbai Marvels where students were taught this seed-to-sapling method."

Said S G Subramanian, chief operating officer (COO), My Green Society, "Sustainability is not a PR gimmick or ‘greenwash' for us. It is the leitmotif in which we believe and live by. We also believe that change can be brought about by evolution, a durable, impactful, here-to-stay way. We hope people are inspired and take a cue from this occasion."

The Tibrewalas signed off, "Today, every family wants such functions to be memorable where their guests go back with a smile every mile. We hope invitees were enlightened too, and showed that like a mocktail at these do's, sustainability and celebrations make a good mix."

1,300
No. of guests at function