How I started My Zero Waste Journey- Anuj Ramatri

Growing up, I have always been conscious of the environment, though it took time to realize just how deeply those habits were established in me. I believe all of us share this awareness, especially if you grew up with siblings. You will relate to me a little more if you have a sibling. For example, I have an elder brother, and I never got new clothes. I always had to wear my brother's clothes. Because when my brother’s clothes used to get smaller, I used to get them. I remember the school uniform especially. My brother wore it until it was too small, and then it was mine. If it tore, my mother wouldn’t buy a new one- she had to get it patched up. When it was too short, she had turned the pants into shorts, and eventually, they became dust cloths. From here, I learned to reuse. But I am sure that this must have happened to all of you as well. 

There is another story. Once I went to my mother and said, Mom, this toothpaste is over. My mother said, No, the toothpaste is not done yet. And she squeezed it all out. Again, a day's toothpaste came out. The next day, I went to my mother again. Mom, the toothpaste is over. Give me a new toothpaste. Mom said, Wait. Mom took out her favorite tool - A rolling pin. Then she took out the toothpaste from the rolling pin. And again, a two-day toothpaste was made. If you look closely, we have practiced reduce, reuse, recycle and repair right here. And when it comes to the environment, we have been doing this for ages and this was established in us from childhood. As I grew older, and my knowledge expanded, I learned that tissues are made by cutting down trees, so I stopped using tissues. I discovered that leather is made from animal skins, so I stopped using leather. And as time passed, I realized what things I should and shouldn’t use. That’s how I became environmentally friendly. 

So when I started, basically I started with films that had a message, but I hadn't thought about leading a Zero Waste Journey. It just happened that as I kept making films, as I kept reading, as things kept unfolding, I gradually realized that this is harmful too, I should let go of this as well, this is also causing harm. But those weren't such important things, like drinking tea with tea bags. I started avoiding many such small things in my life.

After that, I moved into corporate films, where I learned how we sell things. I worked on ad films and commercials, and through that, I understood the art of selling. After doing this for 5-6 years, I realized that something was missing—the message. But there wasn’t really a message being conveyed. So, I thought, "Let's do something. These days, short films are booming, everything is going online, and since comedy short films are trending, I started making comedy short films." After making comedy short films for three to four years, I realized that even in short films, there was the same problem—there was no message. Comedy short films were just making people laugh, but that wasn’t why I got into this. I came here to deliver a message.

One day, I was sitting with my friend, and I said, "There’s a problem. We aren’t delivering a message through our films. We aren’t bringing about any change in society. We need to do something about it."

My friends started using tissues. I told him, don't use tissues, keep a handkerchief in your pocket. It's a simple thing you can do. He said, as long as you give me knowledge, nothing will happen. I realized, this is what I knew how to do. This is the thing that I can do for the environment. Because I used to make films. Corporate films, in which I knew how to sell things. So I said, let's do one thing. From today, I will support those startups and people who do anything for the environment. I will make films on them. And from that particular day, my life changed.

And I feel that a zero waste journey isn't practically possible. It's just something people say, like if someone claims they're zero waste, but being completely zero waste isn't possible.

But we mostly try to ensure that more things are recycled and used as little as possible. It doesn't mean that everything becomes completely zero waste. There are many small things, and when you realize and observe them, you'll notice that there are many such small things. So, starting with one is also enough.

Every day I feel like... many times it feels like I won’t be able to do it. Why am I doing all this? Can I really convert so many people to a Zero Waste Journey? Can I even tell them, even a little, why they should be doing this? It’s not like people always follow this a hundred percent. But every day, I wake up with a positive thought: no problem, today I’ll try harder than yesterday to make more people follow. I'll keep myself more motivated. Then I started my own company Eco Freaky- Best eco friendly Product in India to motivate people. We have more than 40+ eco-friendly products today.