Family goes green for Planet Earth

Photos by SAMUEL ONG 

ALAM Flora contractors who pull over to pick up trash at a double-storey bungalow Lorong Titiwangsa 4 in Taman Titiwangsa are no longer surprised when they discover that there is hardly any trash to collect. 

On their part, the house owners no longer have to deal with queries like “Where is your garbage”? or “Is that all you have?”  

The Nesadurai household is known for its creative efforts in reducing waste as a means to protect the environment and it is something the family has been practising for over 30 years. 

Garden work:Nithi attends to thecompost heap asNesadurai looks on.

“We try to maintain a minimal ecological footprint by simply ensuring that nothing goes into the trash,” said Nithiyananthan Nesadurai, 47.  

Nithiyananthan, or Nithi for short, said his family’s lifestyle has been to live well and sustainably with a low ecological footprint. 

“We consider waste to be a resource that is unutilised and has value,” he said. 

All organic waste from his home goes into a compost heap located at the back of the house.  

A compost heap is basically a place where anything organic in nature is left to decompose.  

“Everything from grass, leaves, twigs, vegetables and kitchen waste goes into the heap where it will decompose naturally and transform into a wonderful fertiliser,” said Nithi.  

“The insects love it. We have all these lizards and insects going through it. It’s like a natural sauna for them,” he added.  

Being vegetarians, a large part of the Nithi’s household waste is organic in nature and therefore compostable.  

Imagine if every Malaysian household had their own compost heap, then there would be no need to rely too much on landfills. 

Waste thrown in landfills receives very little air and takes a long time to decompose. 

Also, the decomposition processes releases methane gas and sulphur, so apart from polluting the air, it contributes to global warming.  

Nithi is quick to point out that you can make your very own compost heap even if you’re living in a terrace house.  

Apart from ensuring that everything organic goes into the compost heap, Nithi recycles everything else at home. 

‘”We minimise on other waste and since our maid is also big on recycling, we let her take everything from paper, magazines and tetra packs to the recycling centre,” he said, adding that it was a way for her to make some extra income. 

While taking action at the individual level, Nithi also had a desire to contribute to society.  

“It was this drive which led me to join the Environmental Protection Society (EPSM) as a volunteer in 1983, one year after I started working.” 

Natural: Nithidoes not believein air conditioningor mosquito coilsand use mosquitonets instead.

Nithi who was EPSM president from 1999 to 2004 is not the only person at home who is serious about preserving the environment.  

His father S. Nesadurai, 81, a retired engineering consultant and mother Ambiga Nithi, 75, have inculcated and inspired their children to respect Mother Nature since they were children. 

“I remember Mum telling me to treat everything as a vital resource that one should not waste,” he said. 

Nithi said it distresses him to read about people polluting rivers and littering despite all the awareness campaigns.  

“I guess these values and principles need to be instilled in a person when they are young,” he said.  

When the family moved into its Titiwangsa home, the Nesadurai’s planted trees all over their house and set up the compost heap.  

Mango, nangka, guava, banana, rambutan and drumstick trees are planted all over the garden.  

When the house was renovated in 1998, all light points were changed into energy-efficient ones.  

“We constantly audit our lifestyle and see how we can reduce our footprint. This includes plans to plant more trees and cool down the house with shades and by insulating the roof to reflect the heat away, instead of opting for air-conditioners. Roof insulation, shades and trees deal more effectively with the root cause,” he explained. 

Nithi and his two sisters grew up without cooling systems and mosquito coils.  

Insects and mosquitoes were kept at bay with mosquito nets.  

Nithis’s sister Dr Kalanithi Nesaretnam is a scientist with the Palm Oil Board and introduced the family to the goodness of hibiscus juice – a good source of anti oxidants. 

“We don’t consume any fizzy drinks at home, only water and the hibiscus juice. Our body produces a lot of oxidative stress due to exposure to pollutants in the environment, including motor vehicular emissions and second hand cigarette smoke,” he said.  

“Antioxidants scavenge these products of oxidative stress,” he said, adding that the hibiscus plant in their garden provides the family with flowers that are blended and made into a refreshing juice. 

For those seeking more information on preserving the environment, take note that EPSM is organising the Sustainable Living in Malaysia (SLiM) 2007 conference on June 15 and June 16. Both forum and conference are being offered to the public at no charge.  

For details, email [e-mail]  

 

How to make fresh Hibiscus juice

Pluck Fresh Hibiscus flowers in the evening. 

Check that the flowers are clean and have no insects in them.  

Wash the flowers and place in pot on gas stove. 

Fill with enough water to the level of the flowers and switch flame on. 

When the water reaches boiling point, switch off flame and leave overnight. 

In the morning, strain the water. 

Squeeze fresh lime into it. (The colour changes from pale pink to a rose red). 

Add brown sugar if you wish  

Cool in refrigerator and drink.  

Note: The red variety of hibiscus has the highest levels of antioxidants.