A Doctor runs a free "Crockery Bank Vadodara" to help reduce disposables
August 15th , 2022 | Dr. Dhwani
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How we Started
Initially, Crockery Bank concept was started in Gurugram, Delhi and slowly the word spread to different parts of India and more eco warriors like me joined in the initiative. I am a Dentist by profession and an environmentalist by choice. My journey towards the protection of environment started when I was a kid and saw my parents’ being involved in tree plantation drives and following an eco-friendly way of life whenever possible. I realised that our switch to the increasing use of plastics was dreadful for nature. I knew that we cannot complain as we are the reason behind this pollution.
My upbringing taught me to give back to the society and so I decided to start Crockery bank during college and do something for nature rather than sitting and complaining about climate change.
We started Crockery bank Vadodara in 2019 with the support of friends and family. Over the period of 3 years Crockery Bank Vadodara has been able to stop more than 4,00,000 units of Single Use Plastics ending up in landfills and Oceans. Currently along with providing this service, we are involved with more such initiatives, provide educational sessions at schools and organizations to educate people on this topic. Deepika Bhalavat and Lomesh Bhalavat (my parents) are the people managing Crockery Bank currently.
Why choose Sustainable Lifestyle
Plastic Pollution is increasing day by day and the sad reality is only 9% of the plastic produced and used till date has been recycled. Segregating plastic waste is not enough for it to be recycled. When this is the scenario, then why not switch to old practices of using reusables and choosing eco- friendly alternatives. All the Crockery banks’ across India lend reusable steel plates, glasses and cutlery for free. While we started in 2019 with the same concept and received increased response from eco-conscious people, we added bamboo trays which provide support for the non-sturdy leaf plates. People sometimes prefer disposable alternatives as they are cheaper and so we motivate people to utilize Crockery bank Vadodara’s free service of reusable plates or bamboo trays. We have given presentations and seminars at several educational institutes and made students understand about the problems of plastic. Since our beginning, Crockery Bank Vadodara has been featured on several social platforms like Prasar Bharti- Doordarshan, regional newspapers, magazines, Online platforms of social influencers on Instagram and facebook.
Alternative to Plastic
Understanding that people want alternatives to plastic for them to easily switch, I associated myself with an organization named Better Tomorrow Co., which provides eco-friendly swaps to daily use items like toothbrush, earbuds and pencils. This company donates its earnings towards the education of underprivileged children. I associate myself with actions that can help others around you grow and progress. While giving that extra money to house helper will help them to earn, educating underprivileged children will give them a glorious future. We understand that disposables are convenient to use for everyone but the expense of using those is extremely alarming. We also understand that everyone is not interested in doing something for nature, but what if you are given great eco friendly alternatives to the things that you are already using.
A bit about us
Crockery bank is a nonprofit initiative which helps to reduce the consumption of *Single Use Plastics. We lend reusable utensils to people for their events, functions, parties etc free of cost to encourage them to reduce their usage of plastics. The reason for providing this service free is we want maximum number of people to understand why we should not use plastics and how can people come together as a community and protect nature. We motivate people to save money on buying disposable plates, glasses and cutlery and use that amount to pay extra to their house helper and give them an opportunity to earn a bit more.
You can know more about Dr. Dhwani or Crockery Bank Vadodara on their instagram handle Click here
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