Friday, August 30, 2013
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Rags to bags & more !
My dad used to subscribe to India Today magazine a decade back.I read many articles those days & was enriched by the news as also views.One such article was about an entrepreneur who had involved rag pickers into her venture.I was thrilled to read about the green enterprise she had begun.
Image courtesy: Conserve India
The green warrior is Anita Ahuja, who along with her husband ,Shalabh,educated at IIT started Conserve HRP which recycles plastic rags into designer bags,purses,folders ,etal. The idea started in 1998 in Delhi & over the next two years ,Anita tried recycling plastic waste into something useful.She tried to make a thick material so that it could be used for covering the jhuggi jhopdis in Delhi.Next ,she pasted plastic sheets on to card boards. Her home based products were a hit at a fair in Delhi.Anita knew then, that her products she had made their mark.
She involved rag pickers into her venture, Conserve HRP .Ragpickers who are at the the bottom of the social ladder are finding life much better, all thanks to Anita Ahuja .Rag pickers collect & separate the various types of plastic rags.This is then recycled into designer bags,purses,folders,foot wear,etc. The process which makes bags,purses etc from plastic trash is a patented one.
It was begun as a recycling project & it turned into a upcycle project.This was so, as it became clear that plastic waste cannot be composted or recycled locally.Delhi generates 8000 tonnes of waste on a day to day basis which pollutes the city .This is because only half of the waste is managed by the local authorities.The rest is left behind & chokes the metro.
Hundreds of plastic rags which choke the land,the air,the water -in fact, the whole of the environment are collected & segregated by ragpickers.Next ,the plastic trash is upcycled by washing ,drying & turned into plastic sheets.These plastic sheets are Handmade Recycled Plastic ( HRP ).From these plastic sheets, come the funky bags,purses,belts,necklaces,shoes etal !
Image courtesy: Conserve India Facebook photos.
HRP is made from discarded & used plastic bags,old truck tyre tubes,used denim jeans material,seat belts,& even old saris ! So nothing gets wasted ! This is make overs of left overs of the plastic kind !
The technique used for recycling plastic trash into fashion accessories is called upcycle. Wikipedia defines upcycle as transforming waste materials into useful products.Moreover all products by Conserve HRP are exported ! Hence it earns valuable foreign exchange for the nation !
The process used in Conserve HRP uses no dyes & consumes less energy than other established methods.So it is green technique.Saves energy by saving on power bills.The original colour & form of the plastic trash remain the same after the recycling because of this green processing.Since ,no dyes are used ,pollution is non -existent.A highly economizing technique, which saves money which is pumped back into social welfare projects.
Conserve HRP has employed rag pickers as its green warriors.A ragpicker earns nearly three times more at Conserve HRP.He is trained so that he can operate machinery for upcycling plastic waste This means so much to the ragpickers as they have a stake in the growth of Conserve HRP .Many of the employees continue with Conserve HRP by moving into manufacturing & sales .Conserve HRP has also been instrumental in supporting schools for the children of ragpickers in the slum colonies.It is also venturing into welfare schemes for ragpickers like clinics & the like.Social responsibility of an employer towards employees is so well defined by the many welfare schemes of Conserve HRP.
Many design colleges are associated with Conserve HRP. Many students have helped design numerous upcycled products which have become bestsellers !
The fashion accessories of Conserve HRP are a rage abroad in US,Europe,Australia .Conserve HRP felt that Indians may dislike using bags made from discarded plastic waste.As attitudes are changing,Conserve HRP is gearing up for selling its products in India.Very soon, it will open its shop in Delhi for desi shoppers.
Conserve HRP will soon move into its own factory premises from the rented areas.This will mean more employment opportunities for the poorest of the poor that is the rag pickers. It will also help in sustaining a cleaner & pollution free environment.This embodies that the creative circle of Anita Ahuja is coming to fruition !
Anita Ahuja deserves kudos for her NGO which has turned into a profitable venture employing 70 persons ,mostly ragpickers. The number of direct & indirect employees is nearly 300. The revenues for Financial Year 2011 were nearly 3 crores which is profitable .It earns valuable foreign exchange for India by exporting all products to customers in more than 10 countries.Its methods are pollution free & energy conserving ! It upcycles waste trash into designer goods as also upcycles the profits earned, into social welfare schemes ! Conserve HRP is a shining example of the grit & spirit of woman entrepreneur ,Anita Ahuja ! Anita Ahuja's enterprise is an eco (ecological ) -expo( export oriented ) -socio ( social welfare ) venture ! Hence, Conserve HRP by Anita Ahuja is for the people ,by the people & of the people ...it truly embodies the spirit of Democracy !
Written for the Indiblogeshwaris Ladies Independence Special Contest in association with http://womenentrepreneursinindia.com/
Image courtesy: Conserve India
The green warrior is Anita Ahuja, who along with her husband ,Shalabh,educated at IIT started Conserve HRP which recycles plastic rags into designer bags,purses,folders ,etal. The idea started in 1998 in Delhi & over the next two years ,Anita tried recycling plastic waste into something useful.She tried to make a thick material so that it could be used for covering the jhuggi jhopdis in Delhi.Next ,she pasted plastic sheets on to card boards. Her home based products were a hit at a fair in Delhi.Anita knew then, that her products she had made their mark.
She involved rag pickers into her venture, Conserve HRP .Ragpickers who are at the the bottom of the social ladder are finding life much better, all thanks to Anita Ahuja .Rag pickers collect & separate the various types of plastic rags.This is then recycled into designer bags,purses,folders,foot wear,etc. The process which makes bags,purses etc from plastic trash is a patented one.
It was begun as a recycling project & it turned into a upcycle project.This was so, as it became clear that plastic waste cannot be composted or recycled locally.Delhi generates 8000 tonnes of waste on a day to day basis which pollutes the city .This is because only half of the waste is managed by the local authorities.The rest is left behind & chokes the metro.
Hundreds of plastic rags which choke the land,the air,the water -in fact, the whole of the environment are collected & segregated by ragpickers.Next ,the plastic trash is upcycled by washing ,drying & turned into plastic sheets.These plastic sheets are Handmade Recycled Plastic ( HRP ).From these plastic sheets, come the funky bags,purses,belts,necklaces,shoes etal !
Image courtesy: Conserve India Facebook photos.
HRP is made from discarded & used plastic bags,old truck tyre tubes,used denim jeans material,seat belts,& even old saris ! So nothing gets wasted ! This is make overs of left overs of the plastic kind !
The technique used for recycling plastic trash into fashion accessories is called upcycle. Wikipedia defines upcycle as transforming waste materials into useful products.Moreover all products by Conserve HRP are exported ! Hence it earns valuable foreign exchange for the nation !
The process used in Conserve HRP uses no dyes & consumes less energy than other established methods.So it is green technique.Saves energy by saving on power bills.The original colour & form of the plastic trash remain the same after the recycling because of this green processing.Since ,no dyes are used ,pollution is non -existent.A highly economizing technique, which saves money which is pumped back into social welfare projects.
Conserve HRP has employed rag pickers as its green warriors.A ragpicker earns nearly three times more at Conserve HRP.He is trained so that he can operate machinery for upcycling plastic waste This means so much to the ragpickers as they have a stake in the growth of Conserve HRP .Many of the employees continue with Conserve HRP by moving into manufacturing & sales .Conserve HRP has also been instrumental in supporting schools for the children of ragpickers in the slum colonies.It is also venturing into welfare schemes for ragpickers like clinics & the like.Social responsibility of an employer towards employees is so well defined by the many welfare schemes of Conserve HRP.
Many design colleges are associated with Conserve HRP. Many students have helped design numerous upcycled products which have become bestsellers !
The fashion accessories of Conserve HRP are a rage abroad in US,Europe,Australia .Conserve HRP felt that Indians may dislike using bags made from discarded plastic waste.As attitudes are changing,Conserve HRP is gearing up for selling its products in India.Very soon, it will open its shop in Delhi for desi shoppers.
Conserve HRP will soon move into its own factory premises from the rented areas.This will mean more employment opportunities for the poorest of the poor that is the rag pickers. It will also help in sustaining a cleaner & pollution free environment.This embodies that the creative circle of Anita Ahuja is coming to fruition !
Anita Ahuja deserves kudos for her NGO which has turned into a profitable venture employing 70 persons ,mostly ragpickers. The number of direct & indirect employees is nearly 300. The revenues for Financial Year 2011 were nearly 3 crores which is profitable .It earns valuable foreign exchange for India by exporting all products to customers in more than 10 countries.Its methods are pollution free & energy conserving ! It upcycles waste trash into designer goods as also upcycles the profits earned, into social welfare schemes ! Conserve HRP is a shining example of the grit & spirit of woman entrepreneur ,Anita Ahuja ! Anita Ahuja's enterprise is an eco (ecological ) -expo( export oriented ) -socio ( social welfare ) venture ! Hence, Conserve HRP by Anita Ahuja is for the people ,by the people & of the people ...it truly embodies the spirit of Democracy !
Written for the Indiblogeshwaris Ladies Independence Special Contest in association with http://womenentrepreneursinindia.com/
Monday, August 19, 2013
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Eternal values !
Children are wet clay.They observe & imitate.They are always full of life.They forget worries & bounce back so fast ! They cry quickly & smile faster than that ! If all adults behaved similarly ,the world would be a much better place.
My child has been fond of puppies.She befriended a litter of puppies, while she was younger.She would regularly take milk for the puppies.My kid diluted the milk with water so that it sufficed the whole litter of puppies.My daughter even took biscuits for the bitch, while the puppies licked milk ! My daughter was being honest as she knew that the mother bitch must be shown respect to be allowed near her puppies ! I was most discouraging in all this.Yet my kid persisted with her kindness.Her compassion was boundless & this spilled over.Her friends used to chip in with milk & biscuits so much so, that the parents of other kids , started complaining to me about my kid 's pro active care for the puppies.I was elated that my daughter was showing qualities of a leader at such a young age ! Yet, all the care could not save the puppies & they passed away.My daughter was upset.Only one puppy, grew up to be a skinny dog. Now,he also seems to have disappeared.
The number of pencils,erasers & other stationery my kid uses up has me up in arms .She says ,"I gave it to my classmate...she had forgotten her pencil." Her integrity calms me.It soothes my nerves & thereby de stresses me I am indeed blessed, to have such a gem of a child ! Actually ,I need to imbibe a thing or two or maybe more than that !
When she was a little older ,she was made the team leader for a class project at school.One weak student was there in each group.My daughter coordinated with the team numbers.She made herculean efforts so that the weak student understood the project details.Her efforts paid off.The weak student stood in front of the class & gave the presentation of the project ! The teacher was so elated that she praised my daughter .She told me that she would have gladly given her more than ten marks though that was the maximum for the project .The teacher went on to add that ,my daughter was an example of how some care about others in these times when many care only about themselves ! Needless to say, that I was overwhelmed ! Kindness & compassion seem to be second nature to my kid .
Another time ,the only student who raised her hands up, in the class, was my daughter.The teacher had asked the class, if anyone will share their completed projects with a classmate who was notorious for being absent.I was curious to know, what my kid was thinking, when she raised her hands up.Her reply was ,"Since nobody raised their hands,I raised mine ."I was stuck by her integrity ...her ability to share her project in which she had put in so much hard work with another classmate who had no hands in that project work !
I would like to believe, that my daughter, has imbibed some qualities from her parents ,grandparents & other peers.Perhaps,this is her way, of showing respect for others - the qualities she admires & loves in all of us !
The qualities of compassion,honesty,integrity,kindness & respect will continue to inspire the world as always & for ever ! That is what makes life worthwhile !
I am sharing my Do RIght Stories at BlogAdda.com in association with Tata Capital.My child has been fond of puppies.She befriended a litter of puppies, while she was younger.She would regularly take milk for the puppies.My kid diluted the milk with water so that it sufficed the whole litter of puppies.My daughter even took biscuits for the bitch, while the puppies licked milk ! My daughter was being honest as she knew that the mother bitch must be shown respect to be allowed near her puppies ! I was most discouraging in all this.Yet my kid persisted with her kindness.Her compassion was boundless & this spilled over.Her friends used to chip in with milk & biscuits so much so, that the parents of other kids , started complaining to me about my kid 's pro active care for the puppies.I was elated that my daughter was showing qualities of a leader at such a young age ! Yet, all the care could not save the puppies & they passed away.My daughter was upset.Only one puppy, grew up to be a skinny dog. Now,he also seems to have disappeared.
The number of pencils,erasers & other stationery my kid uses up has me up in arms .She says ,"I gave it to my classmate...she had forgotten her pencil." Her integrity calms me.It soothes my nerves & thereby de stresses me I am indeed blessed, to have such a gem of a child ! Actually ,I need to imbibe a thing or two or maybe more than that !
When she was a little older ,she was made the team leader for a class project at school.One weak student was there in each group.My daughter coordinated with the team numbers.She made herculean efforts so that the weak student understood the project details.Her efforts paid off.The weak student stood in front of the class & gave the presentation of the project ! The teacher was so elated that she praised my daughter .She told me that she would have gladly given her more than ten marks though that was the maximum for the project .The teacher went on to add that ,my daughter was an example of how some care about others in these times when many care only about themselves ! Needless to say, that I was overwhelmed ! Kindness & compassion seem to be second nature to my kid .
Another time ,the only student who raised her hands up, in the class, was my daughter.The teacher had asked the class, if anyone will share their completed projects with a classmate who was notorious for being absent.I was curious to know, what my kid was thinking, when she raised her hands up.Her reply was ,"Since nobody raised their hands,I raised mine ."I was stuck by her integrity ...her ability to share her project in which she had put in so much hard work with another classmate who had no hands in that project work !
I would like to believe, that my daughter, has imbibed some qualities from her parents ,grandparents & other peers.Perhaps,this is her way, of showing respect for others - the qualities she admires & loves in all of us !
The qualities of compassion,honesty,integrity,kindness & respect will continue to inspire the world as always & for ever ! That is what makes life worthwhile !
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