Bamboo: A Sustainable Alternative
The word ‘bamboo’, comes from the Dutch or Portuguese language and is popularly known as bans in Nepal. Bamboo is an evergreen perennial flowering plant which is available throughout the country, and at different altitudes throughout the world. Bamboo comprises many different species, all of which have unique growth rates and characteristics. Due to varying […]
Upcycling at Home During a Quarantine
Quarantines limit movement to contain and prevent the spread of communicable diseases like COVID-19. The practice of quarantining originated in Europe during the 14 century to protect coastal cities from epidemics. However, similar practices prevailed in Nepal within Newar culture as Pu-Chwo-Negu. Quarantining was common among caravan Newars who were involved in the Nepal-Tibet cross-border […]
Environmental Justice in the New Normal
2020 isn’t even halfway through and we have faced and face a pandemic, caste and race related human rights violations, and natural disasters. While we educate ourselves and learn about race privileges or casteism in Nepal, we also have to battle another injustice happening all around the world. Environmental and climate injustice. These occur when […]
Circular Economy (CE) as a Business’ Focusing on the Challenges, Barriers and Opportunities of Having a Business Anchored on the Principles of CE, and Offering Lessons for Budding CE Entrepreneurships and Businesses.
In light of recent developments in climate change and dwindling natural resources, circular economy as a global economic system is imperative to be adopted across all nations. To understand circular economy, we need to understand our current ‘linear’ economic system of production, usage, and disposal of any product or material in the market. When a […]
The Greta Thunberg Effect
Climate change is real, and swift action is needed to prevent irreversible damage to our climate and environment. Although Nepal does not contribute significantly towards the global climate crisis, we still need to be aware of our actions and adjust our habits to become more environmentally friendly in order to benefit our local communities. A […]
Zero Waste Kathmandu
Recently, a lot of ventures are popping up around Nepal advocating for sustainable living and a zero-waste lifestyle. Walking around Kathmandu, you can find zero-waste restaurants, sustainable clothing stores, upcycling cafés, and institutions that feature upcycled and recycled products. Three such institutions are featured in this post. Doko Recyclers, Tatwa Tatwa is an upcycling initiative […]
Guess How Long It Takes To Break Down?
We use paper, plastic, glass, metals, and electronic waste every day. Most of the materials we use are designed to be disposed after short-term use, like plastic bags, paper cups, plastic straws, low quality fragile glassware, and to a certain extent, smartphones and laptops. Once we are done using them, we usually toss them in […]
Bioplastics: The Next Big Thing?
Bioplastics Over 8 trillion kgs of plastics have been produced worldwide till date. This weight is equivalent to 115 billion adults, or 800 million Sajha buses, or 2.5 million Saturn V rockets (the rocket that took men to the moon for the first time), or 150 Great Walls of China! Knowing that once plastic is […]
Basic Guide to Recycling
Segregate at SourceIn most homes and institutions today, we practice single-stream waste disposal. This means that all waste, whether it’s recyclable, organic, or reject, is being disposed of in one container and sent to landfills. While this may be convenient, it is a highly inefficient practice that is also terrible for the environment, and as […]
Plastics on Your Skin, Plastics in Your Body
When you go to the store to purchase your next bottle of shampoo, face wash, body wash, or toothpaste, you will notice that many of these items contain small beads that supposedly exfoliate your skin, hair, teeth, and others. They are usually marketed as premium products because they provide added benefits like exfoliation or increased […]