World Environment Day: Meet the sustainability champions of Bengaluru inspiring a greener future

On World Environment Day, meet the sustainability champions of Bengaluru inspiring a greener future

In the bustling city of Bengaluru, where urban growth and development often take centre stage, a silent revolution is underway. A growing number of individuals have emerged as passionate advocates for sustainability, dedicating their time, energy, and resources to create positive change within their communities. From eco-entrepreneurs to e-waste artists, these individuals have embraced the urgent need to protect the environment and promote sustainable practices in the city. Through their unwavering commitment, innovative ideas, and tireless efforts, they are redefining the way we live, work, and interact with our surroundings.They address diverse aspects of sustainability such as waste management,sustainable fashion and food, and more.

Mrudula Joshi runs Ullisu (which means ‘to save’ in Kannada), an online platform that promotes minimising waste generation. Apart from being a marketplace for sustainable products and brands, the platform also helps people transition into a zero-waste lifestyle. Ullisu has also collaborated with another sustainability organisation, Wasted 360 Solutions, for a physical space in Indiranagar, which acts as a market for zero-waste products, a thrift store, and a waste collection centre.

Mrudula’s sustainability journey started six years ago when she worked as a designer after graduating from the National Institute of Fashion Technology in 2017. Inspired by minimalism, she sought to transform her way of living. The idea of a ‘zero-waste lifestyle’ appealed to her. “Within a year, the amount of waste I created was so little that it would go just once in six months.”

She wants Ullisu to be the go-to place for people who seek guidance on zero-waste. “We already counsel corporates and individuals on this. We would like to scale that up in the coming years. In India, people are still reluctant to pay for sustainable services. So, we are still figuring out how to grow.”

To know more,  follow Ullisu’s Instagram page (ullisu.official)

Cursorily glancing at a small thumbnail of Vishwanath Mallabadi’s recreation of the Vincent van Gogh masterpiece, Starry Night, you might feel it is a modest replica of the iconic painting. A slightly closer look will immediately reveal the recreation’s own ingenuity. For, the painting’s chromatic blue swirls of the night sky, the glowing yellow crescent moon, and the stars (rendered as radiating orbs) are all made up of discarded resistors! And this is just one of Vishwanath’s 600-plus artworks made of e-waste.

Art has always been a part of his life since his father, the late D M Shambhu, was a painter and sculptor. He found the innards of electronic devices fascinating. These two interests led him to create art from electronic trash. Though Vishwanath saw this as a purely artistic endeavour, he slowly realised the environmental impact of it.