The group Green Goddesses is an environmental organization that was formed on June 19, 2019 by five like- minded women from diverse backgrounds. This group comprises – Nina Reddy, Preethi Thiagharajan, Jayshree Vivek, Manju Mudit and Anju Agarwal. It was Nina Reddy who brought them together. Their main objective is to clean and green the earth, one house at a time. They believe in creating awareness as a first step since changes cannot happen overnight but over a period of time.
They try to foster sustainable living practices by use of solar energy, rainwater harvesting, waste management, promotion of eco-friendly products etc.
As each member is from a different field, they have different strengths. While Nina is the Managing Director of Savera Hotel, Preethi is a talented working woman, Jayshree is into fitness, Manju is a trained psychotherapist and psychologist and does events and Anju conducts workshops on how to grow vegetables, segregation of waste etc.
They have formed a Green Club that has 100 members and they meet up every month to engage in a number of green initiatives. Some of their activities include celebrating the harvest festival and other festivals on organic farms, conducting workshops with Indra Narayan known as the ‘’Millet Magic Queen’’ and the author of 1500 millet recipes, conducting wellness trips and hosting talks by environmentalists like Arun Krishnamurthy who restored more than 175 lakes in the country. They also have regular eco park walks and try to learn from each other. They recently learned how to draw kolams from a kolam expert at a monthly meeting.
The Green Club has a travel wing called Beanstalk travels which helps organize their wellness trips.
Every year on June 19, they conduct a one-day shopping festival called Naturally Chennai. It features eco-friendly, organic, handcrafted and traditional products. A wide range of products ranging from organic cosmetics, fashion jewelry, food, skincare products, apparel, bags, handicrafts, accessories and garden products are put up on offer. Naturally Chennai also serves as a launch pad for homepreneurs as it bridges the gap between consumers and vendors. Most of the stalls are put up by women entrepreneurs.
They also give out Green Awards every year as a mark of recognition to silent eco warriors be it individuals or organizations who make significant contributions to the environment. In the past years, they have honoured achievers in the field of resource conservation, COVID -19 grassroots efforts, Green Club member initiatives and Kindness Awards for those who rescue and care for animals. This year, they gave out Green awards to 21 people for their significant contributions to the cause of sustainability.
By Juliana Sridhar is a lawyer and columnist
