In this episode of Sustainably Curious, I sit down with sustainability manager Kashika Madaan for an inspiring conversation over Brewing SustainabiliTea.

We talk about what it means to live in a home where almost nothing is considered waste, where even a screw is saved, shirts last decades, and plastic boxes are reborn as planters and art.

Kashika shares how growing up with field visits in CSR, getting married into a low-waste household, and her own love for plants and resin art have shaped the small, conscious choices she makes every day.

This episode is full of delightful hacks and a gentle reminder that living mindfully and sustainably is possible if we start noticing the value in what we already have.

We talk about:

• A blind-led NGO in Latur that turns old sarees into woven mats
• Family heirlooms that include screws, irons, and 1980s shirts, still in use
• How quick-commerce spending went from ₹25,000 to ₹3,000/month
• Reusing cardboard boxes, ice cream tubs, wedding invites, and beer bottles
• Homemade composting using 5-liter water bottles and tea leaves
• Making resin art from Jai mala, beach sand, and old packaging
• Using glass bottles instead of plastic
• The quiet joy of growing avocado plants and talking to money plants

🌱 If you’ve ever wondered what reusability can actually look like at home, this episode will leave you smiling, and maybe even composting.

📍Chapters

00:00 Introduction
00:44 A Home With No Waste
01:51 Upcycled Mats and Field Learnings
06:22 The Shirt From 1988
08:56 Creative Reuse and Resin Art
13:59 Composting in Plastic Bottles
15:01 Reducing Quick Commerce Spend
20:31 Conscious Ordering and Takeaway Tricks
22:04 Wine Bottles, Avocados & Plant Joy
25:16 Easy Composting Tips for Beginners
27:53 Milk in Glass Bottles & Local Dairies
29:22 Growing Plants in Small Spaces
30:31 Talking to Plants and Cooling the Balcony