Two women engage in battle against plastic

By L. KanthimathionMar. 09, 2015in Economics and Technologies
Founders Arul Priya and Geetha, Nammabhoomi, which produces eco friendly products, at Mettukuppam, Vanagaram, in Chennai
Founders Arul Priya and Geetha, Nammabhoomi, which produces eco friendly products, at Mettukuppam, Vanagaram, in Chennai . Photo: R. Ravindran

Arul Priya and Geetha Indravel say they started Nammaboomi to put an end to the throwaway culture

Arul Priya and Geetha Indravel want to put an end to the throwaway culture through their enterprise Nammaboomi which manufactures and sells environment-friendly products. They claim that Nammaboomi’s products can be an alternative to thermocol and aluminium foil containers which are widely used in parcelling foods and for functions and parties. “Once, I attended a seminar and the photograph of a carcass of a cow lying in a landfill was shown, to explain to us the disastrous effects of plastic products on our lives. This photo and the seminar as a whole had an impact on me. I wanted to do something. I started campaigning in a small way advising people I knew to carry cloth bags, use steel plates and tumblers,” says Arul Priya, a resident of MRC Nagar.

Arul Priya also thought of becoming a blog writer on environmental issues, especially on the hazards of using plastic. Realising there was a a lot of literature on the subject, she gave up the idea. She settled on starting an enterprise which would manufacture environment-friendly products. Arul Priya came to know about Geetha Indravel during a campaign. Geetha aspired to become an entrepreneur, running an enterprise that would benefit society. She also decided on making environment-friendly products. The two founded Nammaboomi in August 2014.

Besides palm plates and bags made of cloth, paper and jute, Nammaboomi also has pencils and paper which are recycled products. Another interesting product is edible spoons made from corn kernels.

“Our pencils are an alternative to wooden pencils. Trees were not felled to make these pencils. They were made from newspapers,” says Arul Priya. At present, Nammaboomi is working on developing tumblers and parcel boxes. For details, call Arul Priya at 98408 94992

First published by The Hindu

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