Eco-friendly jewellery and stationery to make your festivals nature-happy

Innovation and creativity know no boundaries. Living by this motto are a few environment-conscious creative minds who swear by living sustainably. These people are leaving no stone unturned in making this festive season an eco-friendly one! From jewellery made from discarded clothes and mosaic tesserae, pencils made using recycled paper, to artifacts made from papier mache, there’s a lot they are working on to inspire you, this festive season.

JEWELLERY OUT OF RECYCLED CLOTH

Sameera Satija, a Gurgaon resident who makes jewellery out of discarded kurtis and other clothes, says, “The idea struck me when I came upon an article in a newspaper on how a major part of landfills comprises old clothes. I started using beads and charms from my old kurtis, picked up a needle and thread, and imagination took different shapes. I have been giving things makeovers ever since I was born. I would never throw anything, so that I could turn it into something else. My family used to call me kabadiwali. Back then, it was creativity for me, but later when I found myself inclined towards environmental issues, one of my friends pointed that I was actually recycling things. I am also a mosaic artist, and make jewellery using mosaic tesserea,” says Satija.

However, Sameera never started recycling for commercial purposes, and even today, makes recycled jewellery for her friends only. “Soon, I will showcase them on an online portal, which will include a lot of other items made out of leftovers. Recycling is a sustainable practice. I’m also going to teach the skill at an NGO, so that I can provide them some skills for sustainable earning.”

PAPIER MACHE AND ICE CREAM STICKS DO THE MAGIC

Arpita Yadav, blending her imagination and creativity, recycles just about anything she comes across, in her free time. She runs a centre for learning disability in Jaipur, and often comes to Delhi for work. “It isn’t just about folding paper, but shaping a belief,” says Yadav, who has been making handmade jewellery stands using ice cream sticks, and sculptures of Lord Krishna and Buddha from papier-mache.

“I don’t see anything as waste and always look forward to creating something new. I pick up things from the roadside also, which is why I call myself a kabaad (junk) queen. I feel anything and everything can be recycled or utilised in some way or the other. My inspiration comes from my grandmother, who used to utilise even broken items in a productive way. I make sculptures from newspaper and papier-mache paste, as well,” she adds.

PENCILS THAT IN TURN BECOME PLANTS

Kuldeep Singh, who runs a Gurgaon-based NGO Buland Awaaz, makes pencils out of recycled paper. “Trees have been cut for years for manufacturing pencils. I have undertaken an initiative to make pencils from recycled paper and sensitise the citizens towards the environment,” says Singh.

He makes recycled pencils by mechanical paper folding. “The concept of recycled pencils is prevalent abroad because there, the awareness [to save the environment] is much more. I was always intrigued by the idea of waste paper management. Once, when I was gifted such a pencil by a friend, that’s when the idea clicked and I reached out to a manufacturer,” he adds.

Singh has also created diaries out of recycled paper and plantable pencils. “Children often throw away the pencil stub when it’s too small to use for writing. To make kids more environment-conscious, we placed seeds of plants like marigold and tomato in our pencils, so that when the end of a pencil is disposed, it takes the form of a plant.”

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