Cash-for-container offer for green-conscious customers

CHENNAI: From June 1, Spirit of the Earth, an initiative to promote and encourage sustainable lifestyle practices, will be offering a discount to customers who bring their own reusable containers when they purchase organic heritage rice at their outlet in Mylapore.The idea is to encourage customers to be more environmentally conscious. So, Spirit of the Earth is offering Rs 15 off for every kilo of rice bought if customers say no to paper bags and bring their own storage containers. Launched in 2017, Spirit of the Earth is an initiative by the NGO AIM for Seva. Their immersion centre operates as a non-profit outlet that sells organic artisanal heritage rice cultivated at their 40-acre farm in Manjakkudi, Tamil Nadu.Several other organic stores in the city are also focusing on pre-cycling -- reducing consumer waste by cutting out packaging -- and plastics and eliminating trash even before it is created. reStore, an organic store in Kottivakkam, for instance, sells oil to customers only if they bring along their own containers.“We sell cold pressed groundnut, gingelly and coconut oil, as well as neem, castor and sunflower oil,” says Ananthoo, one of the founders of reStore, which was launched in 2007. “And we do not package it. Customers can buy oil only if they have got their own containers.People are also encouraged to bring their own containers or bag to buy rice, millets, dal, etc. “We also offer cotton bags,” says Ananthoo, also one of the founders of the Organic Farmers Market (OFM), a collective of organic farming enthusiasts. “We have several shops across Chennai and we follow the same principles there as well,” he adds.