Ever heard of the age-old adage, ‘Little drops of water make a mighty ocean?’ That seems to have inspired a movement of its own in the city. With the steel flyover project’s plan to cut down 817 trees, we now need more plants than ever. Oodi Design’s initiative called Plantt Me aims to take a shot at putting the green back into the Garden City, all by selling plants to make our homes and workplaces cleaner and greener spaces.
What started as a corporate social responsibility (CSR) by the young firm, has already homed over 200 plants! “I went to the Valley School and I guess, I’ve have always had it in me to do something green. The ‘seeds had been sown’ a while ago,” says the founder of the firm, Varun Kapoor. The idea is simple. You buy a plant and they deliver it to your doorstep. Share a photo of your plant on social media with the hashtag #IGotPlantted and get your friends to participate too. What type of plant will you receive? It’s a surprise. All that you need to look forward to is that the plant will arrive rooted, shooted and ready for some sun! “It’s also apparent to anyone living in In the city (or India for that mater) that our cities are so polluted. What we are trying, in our own small way, is to actually offer a solution to this problem by encouraging plant ownership and gifting,” says Varun, about the snowballing effect that they hope their not-for-profit venture will have.
This isn’t the first time that they have picked up innovative projects. There has been everything from a free peer to peer cycle lending platform and a platform to rent out unused office spaces to finding a befitting song for your mood.
How does this particular project then, fit into their philosophy? Varun tells us, “Our philosophy is to build things that are beautiful, functional, and on time. I suppose there isn’t anything more beautiful than nature itself.” Green isn’t the only thing this initiative is spreading through their plants that cost Rs 150 each. It’s also sending parts of the proceeds to called APD India (The Association of People with Disability).
“A part of the proceeds from plantt.me will be going towards funding training programmes held at APD to help subsidise the cost for the underprivileged and physically challenged workforce of our nation – giving them a fairer better shot in this rat race we call life,” adds the firm’s graphic designer, Santosh Melwani. Need to experience the joy of giving this season whilst literally turning over a new leaf? This might just be your pick.
