When I read terms like zero carbon emissions, carbon neutral, green energy, etc., I always instinctively feel that this is something we need to address as a nation; the government needs to do this. They must do it. What can I, as a working professional, mother, wife and daughter, possibly do to make a difference on this front?

Switch off electricity when I leave a room (and bark at my children to do the same) – done.

Turn off the water from the tap as I brush my teeth (and bark at my children to do the same) – done.

Walk or use public transport – sometimes done.

Segregate garbage – done.

That’s as far as I went, honestly. I washed my hands off the matter feeling like a responsible citizen. This was as much as I could do. I was busy. This was for the country or the world to fix. Someone would come up with some solution. It didn’t keep me up at night.

Then COVID-19 raised its ugly head, and busy, bustling Mumbai was shutdown. It was all a bit uncanny hearing the resounding silence of our streets, and seeing no one as you looked down from out of your window. Social media was full of posts of people who took to baking bread and other goodies, Dalgona coffee became a thing of envy, and live videos on social media became a rage. I’m sure you watched your share of them.

I started doing yoga off an app (I still do!), started doing book readings to schools online (who would have EVER imagined!), and tried to get some semblance of normalcy in our home (this sounds a lot easier when typed here!). You see, I’m a children’s book author. I worked from home a lot before COVID-19 made this a cool concept, and suddenly I had my husband and two children in MY workspace. Not fair! But who could I complain to?

On one such evening, entirely frustrated with everyone living on top of each other in our home, I stumbled upon a Facebook Live video by a friend. She was teaching children how to grow microgreens at home. You needed nothing fancy – a disposable food container, some hay from a mango peti, soil, and seeds. Simple enough. I watched with keen interest and then I tried my hand at it with mustard seeds after the video ended. The microgreens grew fast. In today’s world of instant gratification, that’s important to mention. Soon, they danced about in that black, disposable container in which they’d been planted. They tasted delicious in my salad, and as a garnish over our food. And, I was intrigued.

One thing led to another, and I soon called the friend. She’d mentioned something about composting, and I wanted to know how to go about it. Remember, we were in lockdown, and I could not order a composter. I wanted to know if it were possible to compost without a store-bought one. Could I compost with a home-made composter?

The answer was a big, resounding YES. So, here’s what she said, and here’s what I did.

- I took five plastic bottles and cut off the bases. The wider the mouth of the bottle, the better.

- I retained the lids of the bottles. This is important, to maintain the temperature within the bottle, and also to keep out rodents.

- I then stuck the bottles, with the cut-out bases, into a pot with soil.

- I stabbed a few holes randomly around the bottles. This is needed for air to get in.

- And, lo and behold! I had a home-made composter. In fact, I had five.

It’s simple, it’s inexpensive, and all the hard work is actually done by gravity. Gravity pushes the waste towards the soil in the pot. Any leachate (the liquid that seeps from the decomposing matter), goes into the soil in the pot. It remains mess-free and odour-free. It’s a winner!

Once the bottles are in place, all you need to do is to cut up your food scraps and waste, and push them into the mouth of the bottle. The smaller you cut your waste scraps, the quicker they decompose. Since the bottles are made of transparent plastic, you can actually see the waste disintegrate. Mango scraps, for example, are great to watch. My children and I observed the mango peels as they turned from bright orange to black gold, over the span of just a few weeks. It was such a visual process. As a complete side note, you will be amazed at just how much waste can be pushed into a one-liter plastic bottle.

When one bottle gets full, you move on to the next. And, you keep an eye on the colour of the food waste in the previous bottles. You get your signs from what you see.

For us, I only put fruit and vegetable scraps in my home-made composters. We have a dog, and I refused to chance meat scraps or cooked food scraps, and tempt her. By the time our fifth bottle was full, I could see that the waste in the first bottle was ready for use. I had compost! I just scooped the compost out, with a chopstick, onto a newspaper and left it to dry for a few days. I then added, just a teaspoon of this compost to my plants.

The difference was visible. My rose plant, my adenium plants, and my frangipani flowered more than ever before. My balcony looked delightful; a colourful palate that brought me so much joy. My basil plant, my rosemary bush, my lemongrass, my mint, and my lemon balm thrived. The fragrance of their leaves made my average dinners taste just a bit better. My balcony looked greener, happier, healthier.

When lockdown ended, I rewarded myself with a store-bought composter. I still have my home-made one, though. I can’t get myself to do away with it. Honestly, it’s more hassle-free than the store-bought one, and works just as well. It’s also something that I’m a bit proud of.

And, hey! I can now add it to the list of things that I’m doing to play my role in reducing carbon emissions:

Composting – done.

Nalini Sorensen is an award-winning children’s author, who loves spending time with children and looking at the world through the wonder of their eyes. She believes that life is too short to not laugh and seems to always attract highly humorous situations in her real life. She lives in Mumbai with her husband, two sons and dog.

Nalini has written numerous books, across various age groups, for children, and has been published by several publishers in India. She has contributed to anthologies, to children’s magazines, and has written readers for schools in India. She is a TEDx speaker, and has attended and presented at numerous literary events across India.

She’s on Instagram (@nalinisorensen) and on Facebook (@NaliniSorensenAuthor).