Bengaluru: We throw away billions of articles of plastic every day and they turn into an environmental concern because they are not biodegradable. Many environmentalists are campaigning for people to carry their own cutlery to events, and this is gaining traction in Bengaluru.
To help the eco-minded organise such events, Mr Pragathi Badarinath, an environmentalist since childhood, has started an event management company – Hasirufy Concepts, which ensures that the event is celebrated in an eco-friendly way.
The motto of Hasirufy Concepts is that any event, be it a small pooja at home or a big fat Indian wedding, can be celebrated to your heart’s content and with all the pomp and glory, without creating any waste. Be it the decorations, catering, gifts, return gifts and activities… Hasirufy Cocnepts will monitor and curate everything in such a way that no waste is created. Even the leftover food is composted and not discarded.
Ms Badarinath told Deccan Chronicle, “I have always questioned the wastage of resources. I have worked a lot in the field of environment conservation as my heart lies there. In the name of celebrations, people produce so much waste that it is extremely dangerous to nature. The real eye-opener for me was my daughter’s first birthday. To satisfy the expectation of society, I did celebrate my daughter’s birthday in the usual fashion. However, after the event got over, my heart ached to see so many plastic bottles, glitters, etc, being wasted. The guilt of producing so much waste in the name of celebrating my daughter’s birthday haunts me till today. However, I made sure that my daughter’s second and third birthdays were eco-friendly. That is when I got requests from friends and family that I should help others also celebrate events in an eco-friendly way. That’s how Hasirufy Concepts came into existence.”
Hasirufy Concepts also aims at educating people about “sustainable living”. One such example is BYOC, which stands for Bring Your Own C – where C stands for the container, carry bag, cutlery etc. At events organised by Hasirufy Concepts, the priority is for BYOC, where guests are requested to carry their own cutlery for food. Ms Badarinath said that she has successfully completed three events with the BYOC concept, which also included a college event at Nandhi Hills.
“We first heard about Hasirufy Concepts and BYOC and thought of implementing it for our college function. When we talk about BYOC, the scepticism is whether it is suitable for large events. Noble Group of Institutions answered all those questions. The institution organised an event at Nandi Hills, where nearly 500 students participated. Our aim was to educate students on how to conserve the environment through our daily mundane activities. We asked all our students to bring their own cutlery for food so that we can avoid plastic or any other single-use materials. We are proud that our students understood and supported the cause,” said Ms Prakruthi B., a lecturer at Noble Group of Institutions.
Ms Badarinath said that the concept has received many positive responses from the people and friends. She said that BYOC is in fact an age-old practice, where our grandparents used to carry food in their own steel boxes and water in steel containers. “It’s time we bring back this practice,” she said.
Dr Shanthi Tummala, environmental activist, founder of HSR Citizen Forum (HCF) and a winner of Kempegowda Award, said, “BYOC is a revolutionary change. We all are determined to save our resources and to create a safe environment for future generations. It’s going to be a trend very soon.”
There is also a Facebook group, BYOCSELFIE, where people take their own container, take a selfie at the event and post it in the group to create awareness and to motivate others.
