Conservation happens when you fall in love

The Oscar for documentary short The Elephant Whisperers has brought a lot of joy and has also brought home the deadly impact of human-elephant conflict that’s playing out with alarming frequency in India.

Petal power: Turning floral discards into incense sticks

Meet the entrepreneur duo collecting flowers from across Hyderabad to make eco-friendly products that also empower local women.

‘Sustainability is not altruism, it’s common sense’

Meet Mehndi Shivdasani, a low-waste crusader who has been educating people on sustainable living through her Instagram account, where she goes by the moniker Conscious Chokri.

Raising the roof

Would the environment prefer that you drink your soda out of a can or a bottle? Turns out, it actually would rather you make lemonade from the many lemons it gives you.

Giving back to the community and the planet

As the annual Daan Utsav kicks off, Ethico chats with one of its volunteers, Bharati Dasgupta, about how sustainability is closely tied to the joy of giving.

“Be the alarm, not just the alarmist”

A food and agriculture consultant, Subham Kar Chaudhuri of Extinction Rebellion, Mumbai, tells us why we should no longer keep calm over the climate crisis.

Meet India’s young climate warriors

In recent years, young people from across the globe have been leading the fight against the climate crisis. Here are five such Indians who have brought about transformational change.

Spark joy the green way with Gayatri Gandhi

The Gurugram-based tidying consultant talks about how decluttering our living spaces using the KonMari Method is a great first step towards a more sustainable lifestyle.

Tribal activist Archana Soreng is India’s new hope for a greener world

The 24-year-old from Odisha, who has just been appointed to a new UN youth advisory panel, talks about how Adivasi and forest-dwelling communities are in the best position to lead the fight against climate change.

All aboard the Tiger Express – Ethico special feature on International Tiger Day

On International Tiger Day, Ethico salutes Govardhan Meena, who has been using a decked out minibus to introduce thousands of children to not just the majestic cats, but also to the forest in their backyard.

Back to basics – Almitra’s (sustainable) story

Anamika Sengupta, social entrepreneur and founder of Almitra Sustainables talks about how she set up two successful businesses while perfecting the art of slow living.

No child’s play!

12-year-old climate activist Ridhima Pandey talks about her journey, signing a petition at the UN alongside Greta Thunberg, and climate activism in times of Coronavirus.

“Good design is good business”

…says Hemmant Jha of Honest Structures, as he talks about how good design is empathetic, mindful and ‘good for everyone’

Fighting green crisis with Green Humour

Armed with words and wit, illustrator Rohan Chakravarty is sketching a unique dialogue around wildlife and conservation.

The amazing benefits of going plant-based

My journey to a plant-based diet began on a whim three years ago and I feel stronger and healthier than ever before.

Discover the virtue of ‘organic’ from the founder of a farmers’ store

The founder of Mumbai’s first 100% organic produce shop, Rahul Pabreja deconstructs the buzzword and explains why we must educate ourselves about it.

Finance to farming – why I moved off the grid

From braving flooded tents to feeling the love of your first homegrown harvest, the pursuit of farm life is as rewarding as the dream, Harsh Valechha tells us.

Treewear – Making the everyday organic

Made of organic ingredients that are often good enough to eat, TreeWear provides chemical-free alternatives for everyday articles

This Mumbai couple is setting goals for an eco-friendly urban home

Having made a few conscious switches towards a sustainable home, Prashant and Vibhuti are always exploring ways to make their home an urban oasis.

Reinterpret jugaad with LataSita’s upcycled fashion

Team Ethico spoke to Fashion entrepreneur Meghna Nayak about her company LataSita, which upcycles one’s existing wardrobe to weave a brand new story – all while leaving no new trail

Arrested development – How Aarey protest landed me in jail

One of the largest citizen action movements protesting the felling of 2,000 trees to build a metro carshed, the Aarey protests have been a show of strength and spirit in Mumbai. And for some of us it has been a defining lesson in fight and forbearance.

The great Indian zero waste wedding

From dodging questions and comments to single-use plastic, Deepa and Prashin set a fine example of a sustainable wedding

Meet Karan – the music therapist you must lend an ear to

Therapeutic music practitioner, Karan Sajnani speaks of healing sounds as the mindful, holistic and perhaps more effective alternative to Western medicine.

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Meet the king of zero-waste cafes, Eat Raja!

A local eatery owner in Bengaluru’s Malleshwaram, Raja is a cheerful and much-loved ambassador of the zero-waste life

Our tryst with trash: The Ethico story

Ethico founders Indranil and Rabia, together also the founders of the #MahimBeachCleanUp, share their trials and triumphs of exposing one of Mumbai’s neglected beaches from under piles of trash.

Starting from scrap! Meet the upcycling entrepreneur

Made entirely from upcycled material, Hamsini’s creations are a riot of all things pretty

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green carpet

Amala Akkineni

Actress Amala Akkineni rescued her first animal at the age of six, and hasn’t stopped since. After her marriage to Telugu star Nagarjuna, she moved to Hyderabad in 1992, where the paucity of animal shelters or animal welfare services spurred her into founding Blue Cross Hyderabad. Now in its 28th year of operation, Blue Cross Hyderabad has rescued and treated over 435,000 animals, worked with government departments to improve animal welfare, inspected and supervised animal trials in labs, trained government workers and other people involved in animal rescue, and conducted many outreach and awareness programs. While animal welfare takes centre stage in her life, Akkineni has, at various points of time, also been involved with organisations taking up a wide spectrum of causes, ranging from HIV to child and widow empowerment. Her dedication and compassion towards both humans and animals is worthy of our admiration.

Don’t be a trashy tourist, clean up after yourself

A good traveller is a mindful traveller. Do you follow these simple green travel tips?

Virtual reselling takes centre stage

Leveraging small-scale closed social networks to provide pre-owned products a new lease of life is a simple, effective solution to our consumption problem.

Go green with these New Year resolutions

It’s that time of the year again, when you sit and make a checklist of everything you’re going to achieve this year. How about making sustainability a priority in 2021?

Switch to a chemical-free home

Home care products permeate our lives like never before. In the first part of this four-part series, we talk about how these chemical-filled products harm the environment, and how you can start transitioning to natural solutions.

Dreaming of a green Christmas

From baking edible gifts to having ornament swaps with friends, we have plenty of ideas on how you can make this festive season a sustainable one.

Make a choice, shape the future

Plasticity asks its players to choose small acts of kindness in an attempt to make a difference to an apocalyptic world filled with plastic debris.

Here are the 5 must-watch films at IKFF 2020

Among the 150+ films airing at this edition of the International Kids Film Festival, these films expose children to the environmental problems and solutions facing humanity today.

For the love of Earth

A virtual film festival celebrating our planet aims to create a fresh experience for viewers interested in the social and environmental issues of our time.

Ethico Bookshelf – December reads

Here’s what our reading list looks like this month. Pick a title of your choice and join us!

Shooting for change

Can something as simple as using a camera help draw attention to environmental problems? And can children find solutions to the climate crisis? All this and more was laid on the table at a panel discussion held as part of the International Kids Film Festival.

5 must-try apps and games for every nature lover

Whether you want to help researchers document plant and animal species, or simply try your hand at being a wildlife DJ, this list appeals to a wide range of ages and interests.

What is happening to our urban wetlands?

A recent WWF India webinar brought together panelists to answer questions about why water bodies in our cities are vanishing, and what the government is doing about it.

A comprehensive guide to sustainable packaging

How does one navigate their purchasing decisions around packaging to ensure sustainability? The terms and options available only serve to further confuse us. Here’s the packaging guide you didn’t know you needed.

Ethico Bookshelf – November reads

Here’s what our reading list looks like this month. Pick a title of your choice and join us!

What’s in my trash?

A week-long analysis of this correspondent’s trash can reveals the gap between how sustainable he thinks his household is and how sustainable it actually is.

From drones to mobile apps, how tech is conserving nature

A webinar by WWF India puts the spotlight on latest technological innovations that can help protect wildlife, track climate change and make the planet more sustainable.

Yoga for the earth

Want to do some good for the planet while performing your asanas? Here’s your guide to sustainable, eco-friendly, and socially conscious yoga clothing and gear.

Is bamboo really sustainable?

In a time where the durable plant is being hailed for being resourceful and sustainable, it would be wise to stop and question whether this is yet another example of greenwashing.

Cans vs Bottles: A beverage container saga

Would the environment prefer that you drink your soda out of a can or a bottle? Turns out, it actually would rather you make lemonade from the many lemons it gives you.

Ethico Bookshelf – October reads

Here’s what our reading list looks like this month. Pick a title of your choice and join us!

5 ways to be an eco-conscious pet parent

We love our pets, but we can’t ignore the fact that the way we choose to nurture them has a sizeable impact on the environment. Here’s how you can give your pet the best life while also caring for the planet.

Make your #LockdownArt more sustainable

A lot of us have taken to making art during the Covid-19 pandemic, but we don’t realise that art materials have a negative environmental impact. Here’s how you can make it a more eco-friendly activity.

Sustainability lessons we can learn from our grandparents

You don’t have to go the extra mile to find eco-friendly solutions. Just use some of these life hacks that served our older generations well.

A forest a day keeps climate change away

Urban forests are suddenly springing up around the world, many of them grown using the now-popular Miyawaki method.

Check out these online stores for pre-owned treasures

Kinder to the pocket and the environment, these online spaces for pre-loved goods are shedding the taboo of second-hand buys to emerge as preferred shopping alternatives

Putting pollution to paper

Air pollution destroys the environment and annually kills millions of people worldwide. But Graviky Labs has found a way to capture carbon emissions and convert it into commercially viable ink.

Ethico Bookshelf – September reads

Here’s what our reading list looks like this month. Pick a title of your choice and join us!

Slow is sustainable

The climate crisis is accelerating like never before. Our only hope is if we all slow down.

Is it time to change your toothbrush?

Every year, millions of toothbrushes end up in our landfills and wash up on our shores, most of them made of plastic. What can we do to improve this situation?

How to wildschool your child – in the city!

Out of our confines and into the open environs of green spaces, Wildschooling is a great way to let your children connect with nature.

Water is the Problem

Continuing our azaadi series: Freedom from water-based personal and home care products can help make Earth a greener place.

Bidding Ganpati a green goodbye

From ponds-on-wheels to the recycling of PoP idols, Ganesh visarjan is all set to be a more environmentally friendly affair for Mumbai this year.

Making Dehing Patkai a household name

One of India’s last existing rainforests is under threat. From creating art to joining Twitter storms, an activist tells you how you can save it from destruction from the comfort of your home.

Revisit your neighborhood trees with this delightful book

A charming retelling of the history of our trees, Cities and Canopies offers precious insights into our social and cultural past.

Ethico picks: 10 products that grant you freedom from unsustainability

Freedom from colonial rule allowed India to develop into a prosperous and self-sufficient country, albeit at a cost primarily borne by the environment. In the spirit of independence, it’s now time to take stock and make sustainable choices for our future.

The carbon footprint of email

Your inbox can have a shockingly large carbon footprint; it’s time to hit those unsubscribe buttons.

Two-wheelers are leading India’s clean mobility race…for now

Longer battery life, leaner and stronger built, and lesser registration hassle has touted low-speed e-scooters as a popular transport choice for conscious riders.

Would our yogis approve of athleisure?

Laced with plastic and spun out of synthetic fibers, the fast-fashion favorite is a huge faux pas for the environment .

How sustainability is driving my parenting decisions

Are you a to-be or new parent confused about how to raise your baby sustainably? Read on to find out how you can make some easy changes without breaking the bank.

Your (e)waste is your responsibility

From a respectful farewell for your once-loved iPad to guidelines that must govern your next headphones purchase, here’s what you must know about your electronic waste, according to Dr. Uttam Doraswami, Founder & Director at Elxion Private Limited.

Trends don’t last, cultures do

Join Ethico as we celebrate our independence month with curated articles which urge you to choose better. Our first article in the azaadi series is to look within our own cultures.

Ethico Bookshelf – August reads

Here’s what our reading list looks like this month. Pick a title of your choice and join us!

Sustainable gifts your sibling will love this Raksha Bandhan

On the day celebrating the bond between siblings, look beyond chocolates or mithai and consider one of these environmentally friendly gifting options.

Say goodbye the sustainable way

While it is easy to defer to tradition when it comes to planning a funeral, here is how we can change our approach to death and take a more eco-friendly route.

Wildernest, a sustainable getaway

An ecotel wedged between the tri-state boundaries of Goa, Karnataka, and Maharashtra in the lush Mahdei Bioregion, Wildernest is based on the sound principle of minimal interference.

The rustic love of DIY hair care

Our kitchens are repositories of natural hair care goodness. And if we get past the initial apprehension of going chemical-free, it’s a beautifully organic journey

It’s never too late (or early) to start sustainable menstrual hygiene

Roughly 6,000+ plastic menstrual pads can be replaced with sustainable products if one of us makes the switch. Have you started yet?

Today’s readers, tomorrow’s climate leaders

Fun and fascinating, these books about the environment are engaging and drive home a strong message.

Will you join the Plastic Free July campaign?

If you haven’t already begun your journey towards sustainability, here’s some inspiration for you to get started and take up the plastic-free challenge.

Ethico Bookshelf – July reads

Here’s what our reading list looks like this month. Pick a title of your choice and join us!

Clean Beauty = Amazing YOU

Follow these amazing global influencers to get your daily dose of green, sustainable beauty recommendations.

Compostable, eco-friendly, biodegradable – don’t let the wordplay get to you

Information is the first step towards adapting a sustainable lifestyle. Poonam Bir Kasturi helps us understand the implication of some of the buzzwords in the space

Ethico Bookshelf – June reads

Here’s what our reading list looks like this month. Pick a title of your choice and join us!

Why we must think like the Japanese

A modern society that is rooted in traditional philosophies, Japan looks into the future while borrowing generously from its past. We must too.

Ethico Bookshelf – May reads

Here’s what our reading list looks like this month. Pick a title of your choice and join us!

Eco-documentaries for lockdown viewing

From ocean pollution to animal cruelty and global warming, here are our picks for some gut-wrenching, eye-opening and sometimes, heart warming films.

Confessions of a serial meditator

How Vipassana changed the way I engage with my thoughts

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5 simple munchies you can stir up at home

We love the crunch of a crisp as much as we hate the rustle of the plastic packet that it comes wrapped in. With these home-made recipes, you can skip the noise.

Ethico Bookshelf – April reads

Here’s what our reading list looks like this month. Pick a title of your choice and join us!

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Simple Steps for a Greener Home

It’s always the little things, isn’t it? Follow these simple steps to make your house more sustainable

Three reasons why your child must grow up with wooden toys

From sparking imagination to making the child more mindful, wooden toys are so much more than their plastic counterparts

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Exfoliate, naturally

Fix yourself a DIY face scrub that is good enough to eat

Recycle guide for the lazy Good Samaritan

If you have the heart to donate but not the time for it, here are a few good ideas to turn to.

Plastics explained: What you need to learn and unlearn about the problem polymer

The first step to solving a problem is understanding it. Here, we break down the complex world of plastics so you can navigate your way through it better.

Here’s what we took away from Dysco’s very woke Y3K

A shared space for anyone and everyone working towards a better planet, Y3K – Planet Lost and Found, garnered pertinent environmental voices and conversation.

Ethico Bookshelf – March reads

Here’s what our reading list looks like this month. Pick a title of your choice and join us!

What I took back from a clothes swap…apart from the clothes

…a brand new perspective on hand-me-downs and a closet space that no longer hosted items that didn’t serve a purpose

Only electric cars can drive sustainable change. Or can they?

Electric cars can stop global warming. Or can they? Girish Karkera clears the air around these haloed machines.

Here’s why you should start composting today

Humans are the only species to generate waste that can’t naturally decompose, making composting not just a crucial but also necessary part of urban living, says Rajeshwari Phadtare Mahadik.

To bee or not to bee – isn’t a question. Pollinators are begging for our attention!

Often dismissed as pests and now facing the threat of decline, it’s high time we recognize pollinators for what they are – life savers

Why Fast Fashion must go out of style

The fashion industry is one of the biggest in the world, accounting for 2% of the global Gross Domestic Product. It is also one of the biggest polluters on Earth—second only to oil.

Give your baby the comfort and hygiene of a cloth diaper

Disposable nappies are a nightmare for our landfills. While nothing beats the classic (albeit labor-intensive) ‘langot’, the cloth diaper is your next best bet

How many Earths would we need if we all lived like you?

The Footprint Calculator offers a reality check on the consequences of our actions – ecologically

The radical goodness of green volunteering and why you must try it

Enriching and enjoyable as any other holiday (if not more), this one comes without the guilty indulgences of one – at less than half its cost. And a whole other world joy!

How to speak to a climate change skeptic

Despite the melting icebergs and plastic-laden fish bellies, there are those who diss the environmental talk. Talkback, smartly

How to be a conscious consumer

Mindful consumption is the first step to conscious living. Start now.

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