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Real stories and small steps toward a more sustainable life.
We talk to people building climate-friendly startups, making better choices in daily life, or just trying something new. Each episode is a chance to learn, get inspired, and maybe try one thing yourself.
Priya Regmi (00:00)
I'm very excited to speak about what kind of habits do I incorporate in my daily life. And I'm hoping that some of it can be taken forward by other people watching this podcast as well.
Dhanashree (00:14)
so Nama Laya, I remember when they had come in, they were anxious dogs, they would literally go ahead and destroy things that they felt we do not need. That's how we interpreted it.
Priya Regmi (00:26)
Thank
Dhanashree (00:26)
And our dogs thought us that, yeah, we don't need so many things.
Priya Regmi (00:29)
So this is a cardboard box as you can see like the normal cardboard box So with the help of these threads like the thread is still inside. She puts all her arts and crafts items in here. So basically she's Putting this to use in a beautiful way. Now. She puts all of her items whatever she uses in here
Pramod Rao (00:32)
Yes.
Dhanashree (00:50)
Sustainable habits are not that hard. It's just about getting started and getting into the habit.
Pramod Rao (01:00)
Hello, everyone. Welcome to another episode of Sustainably Curious. I'm Pramod, your host. today, along with me is Dhanashree, my wife and co-host. We're trying a slightly different format today. And I'm super excited to invite our guest, Priya. So we had a chance to speak to her a few days back. And I thought, let's try out a new format where we get on a call, invite people, and just to discuss what
each one of us is doing in our day-to-day lives and in our homes That's more towards sustainability. So with that, Priya,
Thanks for joining today and we can maybe start with your introduction. Feel free to introduce yourselves and we can dive in.
Priya Regmi (01:41)
Thank you so much, Pramod, and thank you, Dhanashree, for having me in this podcast today. So starting off with my introduction, my name is Priya, and I'm originally from Nepal. I am very new to Bangalore. I've been living here for a year now. I'm working in the climate space currently. And yeah, I really like the idea of this podcast, and I've had the conversation with Pramod before.
And this is the first time speaking to you, Dhanashree, but I'm really looking forward to how this podcast is going to go ahead. And also, I'm very excited to speak about what kind of habits do I incorporate in my daily life. And I'm hoping that some of it can be taken forward by other people watching this podcast as well. And yes, very excited, please.
Pramod Rao (02:34)
Thank you, Priya. Dhanashree would you want to go next?
Dhanashree (02:37)
Hi everybody. So I'm Dhanashree, born and raised in Bangalore, the garden city, which is changing quite a bit in the recent times. So I love learning, experimenting, just being around in the nature and learning sustainability principles from our dogs, Nama and Laya. So currently that's what I'm doing, just learning to be and enjoy the nature in its most
serine form.
Pramod Rao (03:01)
Thank you. Quick intro from myself as well. So I'm a Bangalore kid. Spent most of my childhood here, like Dhanashree. so we are in J.P. Nagar, which is in South Bangalore. This 20 years ago, there used to be nothing here. But currently, J.P. Nagar is sort of the center of the town, I can say. Like it's the new Indira Nagar. So we've seen the city sort of transform over the last three to four decades.
And it's only growing more and more.
podcast also resulted from a curiosity on, what changes can we do in our day-to-day lives? And at an individual capacity, first, what can we do to live more mindfully? And can we share these stories so that it
probably inspires others also to take any action that they feel is right for them. So that was sort of the intention. I'm curious to know, Priya, when did your journey start into sustainability? Was there a trigger point that you can remember?
Priya Regmi (03:57)
Yes, I do remember it very vividly. I think it started when I was very young and my father decided to take me to the river cleaning campaign. So it happened in Nepal itself. So I joined my father in that particular program we used to basically volunteer during the weekends. And there was this river called Bagmati in Nepal, which flows through one of the pilgrimage site called Pashupatinath.
So we used to go clean the river and that's where I used to find lots and lots of waste and mostly plastic. And I used to ask my dad, is this the, you know, like, waste that we at home had collected? Is this what we are finding here? And my dad said, like, probably yes, because we don't know, the waste has been collected from our home, but we do not know where the government has...
you know, like put it or how the waste management is being structured. So that's where the trigger point was like, my God, so that's the river where most people be. That's the river where people worship. That's the river where all the, you know, like cattle go and wash themselves.
I was very disappointed at that point and I decided like, dad, so we need to go home and figure out how we can basically classify waste into a different way, how we can basically. And I also think like one thing that all of us should start with when it comes to sustainable habit is basically like classifying waste into different parts wet
waste and the dry waste because that is in itself a start to the sustainability habit at home. So that's what we started doing. So we have this big space at my house where we basically grow all of our vegetables, herbs and some fruits as well. So me and my dad decided like we do not want our waste to go to the Baghmati River. So what can we do? So we started
classifying the wet waste and the dry waste. We actually also followed the dry waste collector, the truck that used to come to our doors, which used to collect all those. And then we saw that they basically dumped it all in a side, the river itself.
So like we had made several complaints to the concerned authority as well. And later we got a notice saying that it will be done in a different manner. But I've left Nepal for quite a while now, so I don't know how it is going there. I should follow up. But the wet waste, what we did was we made a compost out of it at our own house. And that we use for our herbs and our vegetables and our.
and stuff like that. that is how my journey began, how I basically got into all of this.
Pramod Rao (06:47)
Wonderful.
to hear how it started a domino effect from the early days. Dhanashree, what about you?
Dhanashree (06:55)
So I think for me it was, we had a garden in front of our house. My granny used to take care of the garden. So that's how liking towards plants started. I have an elder sister and a younger brother. So whenever they outgrew their clothes, I would sort of wear them. So lot of that would happen. The textbooks, the notebooks, all of that, we would have it among us, recycle it among us.
Some of those things, even the clothes, I think we would not just recycle them within ourselves, we would also make sure that we wear it long term, we use it as much as possible. So some of those things were my early memories of being sustainable, reducing, not indulging in waste, like reducing waste as much as possible. So, and yeah, of course, Bangalore,
has been a garden city, so we would see a lot of gardens around us, the parks and gardens, so that would also inspire us to be as nature friendly as possible. So yeah, those were some of my early days.
Pramod Rao (07:56)
Great. Yeah, so for me, I think there two triggers that sort of come to mind. One, again, related to, I think, upbringing, you could say. being from middle class family, the values that were inculcated, and like you and Dhanashree said, if you look at our parents, they would always have things like the furniture would last for like 25, 30 years.
My dad's into gardening and we see every week the care he takes to grow the garden over the years and what that means. So think that one was always at the background, I'd say. our generation obviously has seen convenience be sort of the core theme of a lot of the development that's happening around.
And, and not saying that that's bad. think convenience is great, but with it comes a lot of habits that, I think at least I, uh, inculcated, which I did not pay attention to over the years. Right. And, uh, somewhere I started paying attention to some of these and just felt that need to be more mindful on, uh, some of these actions. But, um,
The trigger point happened when we adopted our dogs Nama and Laya. So they've, you know, come into our lives and brought about a lot of positive change, right. And in terms of choices that we make all of that. So yeah, like truly we've, we are learning a lot to live more mindfully ever since they've come. But that sort of was a trigger point. I think the last five years we've sort of gone deeper into this and done more internal work.
I'd say to think about how small changes that we can make, and what impact does it have. And speak to folks like you and others and see if we can take something from there and make a change here. So yeah, open to discussing what are some of those changes that you've done. So Priya, Dhanashree, anyone, just feel free to go ahead and talk about.
What does it look like for you today in terms of sustainable habits?
Priya Regmi (09:59)
Okay, Dhanashree, would you like to go first?
Dhanashree (10:02)
Yeah,
so Nama Laya, I remember when they had come in, they were anxious dogs, right? They had come in when they were four months old in our lives. And they would literally go ahead and destroy things that they felt we do not need. That's how we interpreted it. So they had destroyed our kindle. They destroyed a lot of things that we would keep around, which they would see lying idle for a long time. And then we would not.
Priya Regmi (10:17)
Thank you.
Dhanashree (10:27)
get them back, we would not rebuy them because we felt that okay, anyway we don't use it, that's how they've destroyed it. So I think that was one of our principles to say, if we need to live minimal, we don't need so many things. And our dogs thought us that, yeah, we don't need so many things. So I remember that as one of the things that I picked from them.
Priya Regmi (10:47)
So for me, like you said Dhanashree and Pramod, my dad is also into gardening. So he spends a lot of time in there, right? And also we were very fortunate to have a big garden at our home because that made us feel very close to nature because me and my sister, especially during the winter days, because in Kathmandu where our home is, like the winters get really cold and we used to love walking barefooted in that particular garden.
like and my father always used to encourage us to you know like work around the garden especially in the morning times and in the evening times rather than wasting so much time like watching the television and stuff so he used to basically ask us to water the plants because that was his way of introducing us to the nature I believe and that is what I think like
subconsciously I carried forward because when I was studying abroad I made a garden in my own balcony. The space was not so big but I made sure I put so much plants because sometimes like when there was nobody to talk to I used to speak to the plants like not like really talk or have a conversation but like I watched in some sort of a video that if you talk good to the plant the
faster the plant flourish. So that's what I wanted to practice and see if it really works. I used to like, okay plant, know, like I'm watering you, you better flourish. Like talk to them very nicely. And that is what I'm still doing. Like there is a small garden in my Bangalore house as well. So we spent a lot of time in there. We try to be close with the nature as much as possible, hear the birds chirping. And we also try to basically,
Pramod Rao (12:07)
right now.
Priya Regmi (12:33)
Like Dhanashree mentioned, I have a younger sister, right? So she doesn't like wearing my clothes because it's already been worn. But now that she is also a bit matured and she knows how one should basically think of putting something to use in a sustainable way. So she basically now puts pressure on me, like you better take care of your clothes so I can wear it later. So that's how we do.
some of my mom's clothes, my sister wears some of my clothes. So we also pass something like that, like among each other. So that is also one of the ways I felt very nice hearing from you, Dhanashree that you also do the same. And my mother-in-law here in Bangalore, she likes doing all of these arts and craft things. So I have something that I can show it to you if you do not mind.
Pramod Rao (13:25)
Yeah, sure,
Dhanashree (13:25)
Yes.
Priya Regmi (13:26)
So this is a cardboard box as you can see like the normal cardboard box So with the help of these threads like the thread is still inside. She puts all her arts and crafts items in here. So basically she's Putting this to use in a beautiful way. Now. She puts all of her items whatever she uses in here
Pramod Rao (13:29)
Yes.
Priya Regmi (13:47)
And we also like supporting the local artisans as well. Those who make those best use of the bamboo straws or let's say the jute straws, something like this. I have it with me like this as the container box, right? So instead of buying ⁓ plastic made boxes that looks pretty obviously. So that's why it
Pramod Rao (14:01)
of Venice.
Mm-hmm.
Priya Regmi (14:12)
like people get drawn to it because it's made so pretty and all of that. But this is more aesthetic, I feel, and also it serves the planet in a beautiful way. We also practice sustainability in the dining space as well. So wherever we go, we try going to these local markets where the farmers or the localites are selling some of the items.
that this is what we got from Bali. This is our dining mat. So it's made of, yeah. So it's a handmade mat, beautifully woven. So as you can see, so we put these kinds of things to use and also trying to buy sustainable fabrics for the home decor as well, especially those made up of.
Pramod Rao (14:40)
Wow, nice.
Priya Regmi (14:57)
cotton or linen that does not wear off so easily so you don't have to keep buying things again and again. So like invest in something really nice, something that goes a long way rather than having to buy it again and again because you're like generating a lot of waste that way right. So this is what we try to you know like incorporate in our daily lives.
Our society does a really good job in feeding the birds. So they put this matka ⁓ like water bowls for the dogs outside the gate, for the stray dogs. And I also have something like this here in front of me like this.
Pramod Rao (15:35)
awareness.
Dhanashree (15:36)
Lovely.
Priya Regmi (15:36)
Yeah, so because having to fill the water bottle again and again, again, that is like sometimes we prefer using the water bottles made of plastic, right? So we try avoiding that instead of that, we use this kind of glass bottle and a cover like you can find this in any sort of a supermarket. It's not that expensive. Anyone can afford and there is no risk of breakage because it's protected in this kind.
fabric so you can easily fill the cold water out of the jug that I just showed you like it's really nice helps you in the summer keeps you cool so you know like it's like sustainable habit is not so difficult if you really do do you know so like I encourage everyone to like start from something at least because like that makes you feel good and the more good you do
Pramod Rao (16:05)
very nice.
Priya Regmi (16:31)
the more capable of doing good you become, I feel like. So that's why you should start with something small and see how it makes you feel.
Dhanashree (16:41)
Yeah, yeah, I absolutely agree. Sustainable habits are not that hard. It's just about getting started and getting into the habit. Now we try to carry a spoon and a plate whenever we eat out. You know, when we plan to eat in the street side, et cetera. We carry a bottle everywhere that we go, even to the restaurants. Because restaurants now give plastic bottles.
Priya Regmi (17:01)
Yeah.
Dhanashree (17:05)
saying that they are all mineral water. So if we are unsure about the restaurant that we are going to or if we are traveling and we are unsure about the water quality there, we carry it from home and then we refill it every time that we go anywhere. So that's something that we've started doing. I love the idea of converting carton boxes into usable storage material. We are doing some of those things as well. This is a shoe rack, shoe box actually, carton box of shoes.
Priya Regmi (17:27)
Good night.
Dhanashree (17:32)
And I made it into a book holder. And so I just keep books here, which are easily accessible, which I can just pull and put it anywhere on any of the desks that I'm working on.
Priya Regmi (17:43)
Right.
Dhanashree (17:43)
Yeah, some of these things.
travels have become a lot more sustainable with the dogs coming in. We go to a lot of nature places, and we prefer to leave them off leash.
So it's not like a very fancy place and ⁓ we get usually have people cooking for us. So it's like a home home stay kind of a place. And then we leave them off leash and we enjoy the nature ourselves as well. So yeah, a lot of those they're all small changes, I would say, but not very hard at all.
Priya Regmi (18:15)
Right.
Pramod Rao (18:15)
Yeah, I think adding on what Dhanashree said. So travel definitely, ever since Nama and Laya have ⁓ come into our lives, I think we had to make a change because most of the hotels are not pet friendly. So we discovered ⁓ this ⁓ website called linger.in. And they basically convert farms into, and this could be like a coffee estate in Chikmangalur or Sakleshpur or Coorg.
nearby Bangalore. we started going there. their philosophy is, their tagline is, do nothing vacations. they actually grow the vegetables. And it's all organic in terms of the food that they prepare.
That was a great discovery, think for us, not just from ⁓ a, you know, it's, it's one that's not like mainstream. So we're actually staying and being with nature, you could say. And I think over time, we also love their philosophy. It's a slow way of traveling and like enjoying the city. So that was one that comes to mind. Couple other things that we have started doing is definitely the water bottle, think, like, you know, carrying it around. It's now become a habit for us.
So earlier, think it was not something we'd carry around. So you end up buying a bottle somewhere or the other. But now, think, over the last year or so, it's like second nature to us. So we just have a water bottle wherever. Even on this table, there's like, I have my water bottle here. She has hers wherever she's going. And yeah, even at restaurants, we prefer carrying it. If not, take regular water.
Priya Regmi (19:36)
Thank
Pramod Rao (19:43)
at the restaurant, right? Rather than the mineral water. The other thing is, we started noticing, we order as well, And with every order, there's plastic or like boxes or something that's coming around. So I think what we have now started consciously doing is convenience is good, but yeah, like, you know, we go for a walk, like with Nama and Laya every morning and there's a grocery store just
Priya Regmi (19:54)
Yeah.
Pramod Rao (20:06)
maybe like 200 meters away. So we go for a much longer walk buy the local produce there. And we make it a point to always carry our own bag. And we've kept bags in our car and also in our scooter so that we don't end up in a situation where we don't have a bag or we have to take a plastic bag from the store. So it's just a small effort.
Priya Regmi (20:12)
Thank
Yeah.
Pramod Rao (20:31)
But if we just keep replenishing the bag, like the two cotton carry bags that we have, just ensure that there are two of them wherever we are, or it's easily accessible. And then we reduce one less plastic every visit that we make. So those are some small things that come to mind. And yeah, the third, think, would be public transport. So while we do.
Priya Regmi (20:38)
Yeah.
Pramod Rao (20:54)
love traveling, driving our car, like, you when we go on long drives, but I think within Bangalore, if we are, let's say, going to Indiranagar, MG Road, or in, let's say, Whitefield, we have now started making a conscious effort to use the metro, right? And ⁓ it's more convenient, we don't get stuck in traffic, and two, I think, you we want to consciously shift our habits towards public transport as much as possible.
Priya Regmi (21:09)
Thank
Yeah.
Pramod Rao (21:18)
Although there are challenges, like,
you know, if we have to go at a particular time, you know, the first mile, last mile connectivity is not that great. So sometimes we might choose to go by a car or scooter, but I think as much as possible, trying to see if public transport is becomes like a default choice rather than an afterthought. Yeah, those come to mind. like curious to know, like, you know, for you as well,
Priya Regmi (21:28)
We're ready.
Pramod Rao (21:45)
Are there habits around travel or mobility within the city that you've sort of ⁓ changed?
Priya Regmi (21:51)
Yeah.
Yes, so for transportation we also try to use public transport as much as possible like you said metros Sometimes in case if that is not possible. We also like carpooling so that we do not you know like Contribute to the carbon emission or basically try to reduces reduce it as much as possible from our end So we ask somebody that is going to a certain location
Pramod Rao (22:07)
Hmm.
Priya Regmi (22:20)
from my address to something else. Like there are so many apps that you can put to use in today's world. Like Quick Ride could be the one. I'm not sure if I'm advertising it at this moment. But then there's so many apps that you can put to use, right? Like carpooling is also one of the very good options that you have in case you do not have public transportation options. Also, the other thing that comes to my mind is because I see the fan running in my house, so that reminds me of putting electricity to a
very
good use. So if you're not using the room in particular, do not turn on the light in that room or make sure that you always switch off the lights every time you go out of your houses. And my father
initially had started this rule for me and my sister that you're only allowed to use one bucket of water to bathe instead of using showers. So he used to try really hard, you know, like so we can basically develop that habit because his thought behind that was when you're using shower,
for bathing. Like you never know how much water you are putting to waste because sometimes we take really longer in the shower, you know, like so you don't know how much water is being put to waste. So instead of that, if you just take one bucket of water, just
like use that instead and that's what he used to do for himself like just one bucket of water to clean his cars or bikes or whatever so he also tried that very hard but initially we did not obey him but here now i try to do that because
like previously we used to like why would he make us do something that's so difficult like filling up the bucket and then washing from there so now i try to incorporate those habits here as well and now that i have realized so few things that can be done at home you know so it's like one thing i've realized uh Pramod and Dhanashree is that you can never run away from plastic like it's there
Dhanashree (24:26)
Yeah.
Priya Regmi (24:27)
Like it's really, really hard to, you know, like, skip it. But what we can do is maybe try to recycle it or try to put it to use in a decorative form or like something that you can put it as a showcase at your home or as a home decor. Like because from the glasses we wear to the food we eat to the water we drink, everything has
plastic these days, right? So maybe investing in some sort of machineries or some sort of automated items that can help you purify the water you drink or helps you identify some sort of a plastic in your food. Like those things are better than investing in a clothing item or some decorative item which you are not going to use for a longer time.
So rather than buying something that you will only be using once or twice, you can invest in some sort of machineries as such that will help make your everyday life better.
Dhanashree (25:34)
Yeah, I totally agree. Plastic, especially, we are trying to reduce plastic as much as possible. Currently, I think we get plastic only as a part of the milk bags that we get. ⁓ But even that, had in between tried to have someone deliver milk directly for us. That has not worked out for us somehow. So I think that's the only place we get plastic.
Priya Regmi (25:46)
Yeah.
Dhanashree (25:58)
But otherwise, whenever we get plastic bottles and they spoil, we are trying to build a garden, put plants into it, and we're doing something of that sort with the plastic that is already available. Even the plastic, we try to not discard it. We try to use it as much as longer as possible because, as we all know, recycling is not as much as we would like it to be, even with the wet waste and dry waste segregation.
Priya Regmi (26:22)
Yes.
Dhanashree (26:28)
the recycling is a lot lesser. So yeah, use it as long as possible. Try to not use it at all at the first place. And then that's what we're trying to do. The second thing which you mentioned about the electricity, right? We've been extremely conscious not to get AC into our houses and be in as natural environment as possible. Because even for us as human beings, right? We are a part of nature, right?
Being in as much of natural light and natural ventilation, natural air, et cetera, helps us as well. So though Bangalore last year was extremely hot during the summers, we pushed the AC by one year. And this year, think, is a lot better, thankfully. So being in Bangalore is that way been a boon for us not to get AC in our homes.
Priya Regmi (27:08)
Yes.
And the area that you live in is also really breezy, believe. Yeah, it's quite full of greenery over there. It's very nice.
Dhanashree (27:18)
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah, so
Pramod Rao (27:23)
Yeah.
Dhanashree (27:24)
the fan is just sufficient to, you know, air circulation and giving us enough cooling effect. Yeah.
Pramod Rao (27:31)
Yeah, that reminds me, I think, in terms of using things longer. one of the things that, and thanks to Dhanashree, that we've seen is the toothpaste. So I always feel like that's another area where we keep buying it. And when it's close to end, I'm like, OK. I almost give up. And Dhanashree's like, hey, we can run with this for a year.
And I'm always surprised because we can definitely use, put the effort to use it fully rather than feel like, OK, ⁓ discard it. So I think that principle applies to everything. If ⁓ you put in some effort, you can use things for ⁓ longer. ⁓ The other bit, think, like you mentioned ⁓ and you showed as well, ⁓
Priya Regmi (28:15)
Thank
Pramod Rao (28:24)
if there are creative ways of using something rather than discarding. we recently, although we just have recently started doing this, but along with plastic, I think the other thing is like carton boxes that keep coming either from orders or like even gifts that people give. Right. So we recently, took like this huge box that we got. one, I mean, this is like part of a box, but I don't know if you can see it, but let me.
Priya Regmi (28:51)
Yes, I can see it.
Pramod Rao (28:52)
Yeah, pull back. this sort of has become for us to keep like clothes on. we cut the bottom half of the box. One has become a book stand, like in our living room. So we keep books there. And the other is for clothes that we put in our other room. And then the top box, we actually converted it into a frame.
Priya Regmi (29:01)
Thanks.
Pramod Rao (29:17)
So this is a...
sort of collage of our
Priya Regmi (29:19)
wow, it's beautiful.
Pramod Rao (29:22)
So we enjoyed the entire exercise. It was good for us to just do this. So we're thinking, as much as possible, pause and think through whether this plastic can be used for it.
maybe planting something or a box can become a frame and rather than discarding it.
Priya Regmi (29:40)
Yeah, I found it really funny when you said like, Dhanashree makes you do the toothpaste thingy because I make my husband do the same thing and in fact what I do is like in case like there is a little bit left and when you squeeze it, it doesn't come out. What I do is make a mouthwash out of it. Like put some water in there and do like this, stir it a bit and then it becomes a mouthwash, right?
Pramod Rao (29:45)
Peace.
Dhanashree (30:05)
That's an amazing idea.
Priya Regmi (30:06)
Because that will basically help you not put so much effort in squeezing things out. Just put some water in it and it will become a mouthwash.
Pramod Rao (30:10)
Yeah.
Amazing. One question I had, you mentioned you also think about, let's say fabric, like if you can source it, sustainable alternatives. So when you think about purchasing these, are there certain websites that you've discovered along the way or stores? How do you go about getting these items?
Priya Regmi (30:35)
So when I was back in Thailand Because I lived there for so long so I used to know about all the thrift stores where I used to get some of the items from Including the clothing material like for example if I'm going for a vacation, it's like a girl thing I believe that you always need to buy something new, you know, so So instead of buying something new per se I used to get it from the thrift store
like a hat or let's say a sunglass or something like something that has already been loved by somebody else. used to purchase that. So that was also one of the ways I used to contribute to my sustainable habit. But I have not been able to do that here in Bangalore. So in terms of buying clothing, there is no particular like a special website that I have in mind as of now like or I have
shopped from. I just go to a normal store but what I try to do is when I buy something like I talked to you before I always think in my mind like is it something I want or something I need so instead of focusing on something I want I go for something I need like do I need a jacket if not then whatever or however pretty it might look in the store I will never buy that in case if I
I can't put it to use, you know, so something like that. And also like not not buying so much. You don't always have to go from buy from a thrift store. It's OK to buy clothes if that makes you feel good. But then try buying something that you will be using for a longer time or rather buying something like out of just like for buying things, you know. So like, don't do that, because I feel like that way you're
Dhanashree (32:18)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Priya Regmi (32:29)
like bringing so many things at home. First, it is making your home very crowded. Second, you're not using it. Third, that's a waste then. So I think just a conscious choice of what kind of clothing is good for your body, something that is good for your skin, something that's suitable for the weather that you live in, like keeping all of these things in mind. Like right now we're only buying cottons and linens.
because we know that is going to be in use for a longer time for me, my husband, my mother-in-law, everyone, right? Because Bangalore is a bit humid these days. the weather has been a bit harsh compared to the past few years, right? So we try, you know, like investing in those kinds of materials when it comes to choosing.
Pramod Rao (33:21)
Mm-hmm.
Priya Regmi (33:22)
some sort of clothing for ourselves. So yeah, that I think can be a good start. What do you do with Pramod and Dhanashree?
Pramod Rao (33:28)
Nice.
Dhanashree (33:31)
Yeah, clothes we buy minimal like you rightly said and when we buy we buy keeping in mind that we use it for a longer term. ⁓ Yeah, same.
Priya Regmi (33:38)
Right.
Pramod Rao (33:40)
also think that taking care of personal health has like second order benefits around this as well. So last six months, like I've been more intentional around it. And what has happened as a result is that clothes that were not fitting me earlier are now fitting me. Right? So, ⁓ and these are like things that I bought maybe three, four years back, but I didn't wear it then because it was tight or, it was just in the cupboard lying there.
Priya Regmi (33:55)
You're so nice.
Pramod Rao (34:06)
And one that, you know, I just discovered that in my cupboard and I'm like so happy that, I don't have to buy a new shirt or I can wear those. yeah, taking care of personal health also leads to using things longer, I feel. And second,
Priya Regmi (34:13)
Good.
Pramod Rao (34:21)
what we started doing, at least like I, earlier my habit, like, you know, because of laziness or being busy, I would always think of if something is damaged, just, you know, order something new to replace. So recently, like, you know, decided to just go out and see who's, which tailor shop is nearby. And then we gave them clothes to alter.
There were a couple of shoes that had small wear and tear, so got that repaired. and I think earlier I might have been tempted to buy a new shoe or something that's trendy, but I'm just pushing out those decisions and these are like, they don't cost much to repair and they look like, you know, new after that. So within like 50 to a hundred rupees, can.
a small fix. Otherwise, you end up purchasing something that's maybe 500-1000 rupee to replace it, and you have to discard this. So I think just some of these changes, takes a bit of one more step or one step, like half an hour. You are anyway traveling, but you just need to carry this and find a place that's nearby. So it's a one-time effort. And now I think we know on Google Maps, I've set all of these.
places like the Taylor, Cobbler, like nearby and local stores so that we are not tempted always to search for an online purchase.
Dhanashree (35:41)
Yeah, even gadgets, know, like I would say the companies are also making sure that the gadgets that we purchase, we purchase them year on year or so. But being mindful about using the gadgets for a long term, that's also become very important in today's world, I think.
Priya Regmi (35:41)
you
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah, I think that again comes to the same thing like need and want right? Do you need what you wanted? Yeah, there was one article that I recently read and it shows like one of the items that takes really long to Decompose is the toothbrush, right? So I I've been wanting to replace the toothbrush that I use with the bamboo brush I tried once I won't name the brand because it's kind of a local brand
Dhanashree (36:04)
Yeah. Yeah.
Priya Regmi (36:29)
I'm hopeful that they'll be doing it much better later. But it was a bit harsh on my... So I discontinued it and I switched back to the normal toothbrush. But I really want to go for some sort of a bamboo toothbrush, you know, because it's something that I change every now and then, like after a few uses. And I do not want to want that to...
Pramod Rao (36:40)
Okay.
Priya Regmi (36:57)
go to the same or become the same problem that I'm trying to overcome from. So I'm just trying to see if there are any sort of a bamboo made toothbrush or somebody if there is anyone watching this podcast who would like to basically, you know, like comment if in case they know of something like that. And also maybe the thrift shops or the stores where we can buy pre-loved clothes or pre-loved items.
if anyone knows of something like that they can also go ahead and list that because I know some people like me who would want to go ahead and explore those you know. ⁓
Dhanashree (37:34)
Yeah.
Pramod Rao (37:36)
Yeah. And were there other things that you tried and didn't work out? Like the bamboo one is a good example. think Dhanashree mentioned earlier, we tried sourcing milk directly with, you know, for some, like one of the reasons, like it didn't work out. But are there other things that you tried but didn't work? Yeah.
Priya Regmi (37:55)
Yeah, there is one thing that comes to my mind because that has been a big problem for me, the pens, know, the ball pens. So initially when I was a child, I remember using the ink pen, right, because that was so classy and I used to love using ink pens. And these days you don't see many people using that instead they are going for those ball pens or the plastic.
Pramod Rao (38:01)
⁓ Yeah.
Windows.
Priya Regmi (38:19)
It's okay because there are so many big problems using the plastic made pen. Maybe it looks like it's a very small problem. sometimes I just don't like using that because when you buy a
few like a bunch of pens and out of that two or three doesn't work. know, and then I feel like, oh my God, now this is going to be a waste again. So I might just switch to the ink pen that I used to do before. But like nowadays, I don't find that practical enough, like having to carry the ink everywhere I go, because maybe it's the way that I have.
transformed into becoming a different person that I now I find difficult to carry the ink everywhere I go but I'm trying. So that's what I'm trying to do but I have not been able to do so. And the other thing that also comes to my mind is I did mention about segregating waste to the wet waste and the dry waste.
Pramod Rao (39:08)
Mm-hmm.
Priya Regmi (39:19)
But having to use those garbage bags, like you are segregating the waste, but you're using those things, like the garbage bags, the black garbage bag or the other colorful ones. Instead of that, there could be some, like you mentioned, when you get something delivered, you get it in a brown bag or something like that. Maybe we can use that instead of using the...
Pramod Rao (39:46)
Yeah.
Priya Regmi (39:47)
garbage bags because again that is useful like you're recycling the paper bags again and again rather than you know like relying on the plastic made materials so that is also something that I want to do because I am trying to make a conscious choice of not bringing so much plastic into my house but then it it comes to my house
Pramod Rao (40:11)
it
Priya Regmi (40:12)
without me asking for it. So how do I put it to use is what I am trying to figure out.
Dhanashree (40:20)
Yeah, with respect to the waste, we don't use any garbage bag at all. We just have the waste bin. We put the wet waste directly in that and then the housekeeping takes it away. The other thing sometimes we do is either the newspaper or the brown bag that we get. But we're trying consciously not to use anything, not a plastic bag, not a brown bag, nothing. And then we just wash the waste bin. That's what we are moving into slowly.
Priya Regmi (40:45)
Yeah.
Dhanashree (40:48)
Yeah, and ink pen idea I love because I have got a few ink pens which I retrieved when we were just cleaning up something and I've put it aside. I got an ink bottle as well. I haven't been able to use it, but I think I will do that now.
Pramod Rao (40:51)
Yeah, that's a great idea.
Priya Regmi (41:04)
Or just use pencil, you know, like pencil is like, what's wrong with using pencils? Like, nice, your handwriting looks beautiful. Very nice. Yeah, I think that's a good idea. But I think, like, because you can erase it easily, so we switched for pens initially. But I think pen made up of plastic are much cheaper. That's why people opt for the cheaper options.
Dhanashree (41:06)
Yeah, yes, yes. In fact, I'm using the pencil right now to make notes.
Priya Regmi (41:31)
But I think if you are to make a conscious choice in your everyday habit, like switching to an ink pen would be a good way to do so. We were able to do that when we were kids because in the school that's what we use. Like, why is it a problem now?
Dhanashree (41:47)
Yeah.
Pramod Rao (41:49)
And we carry
bags to work and, know, yeah. So I actually remember like loving using ink pen because there's a certain, like you like the handwriting in a certain way. think like for some reason the ballpoint pen does not ⁓ bring that joy. But yeah, I've stopped using ink pen like it's been decades now. So we'll try giving it a shot.
Priya Regmi (41:52)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Right.
you
Yeah,
in fact, ink pens is what comes to my mind every time I think of gifting somebody. Maybe I'll give him a very nice pen, like an ink pen. And I always make a note, in case if you have to sign very important thing, please use this pen or something like that. Send it as a luck, because then you're pushing somebody to use that pen instead of...
something else.
Dhanashree (42:40)
Yeah, that's a very lovely idea actually,
Priya Regmi (42:42)
Yeah.
Pramod Rao (42:43)
Amazing. This was lovely, Priya. We didn't notice the time passing by. We discussed quite a few of the habits. And thanks so much for sharing and showcasing some of them. We will probably take a few parts and implement it ourselves as well. But no, this was a great format. We enjoyed it. Thanks for joining in. And thanks for sharing both you and Dhanashree. Lovely to have you on this podcast.
Priya Regmi (43:05)
Thank you so much. really like the idea of this podcast as a whole. And I will be following this podcast because even I want to learn what all other people have been doing in their everyday lives. Like I learned a lot from you. I will be incorporating that in my habits as well. So I think it's a great idea. Like you just started, you mentioned like I wish you all the best, you know, like to both of you.
I'm sure this is going to bring a lot of change in everyone's life. And I think it's just a small start that you have to begin with and everything will fall in place.
Pramod Rao (43:43)
Thank you, thank you so much.
Dhanashree (43:43)
Thank you, Priya. Thank
you so much.
Priya Regmi (43:45)
Thank you, thank you to both of you.