Jaanvi and Paavani: Intersectional Environmentalists

Tell us a bit about your background?

We are both British Indians. Our roots lie in Gujarat but our parents were born in East Africa and then moved to the UK over 50 years ago. We both work in healthcare, one of us is in primary care and the other is in secondary care.

What triggered your journey into Sustainable Living?

The short answer is our love for nature. We think without the love and understanding for nature, we wouldn’t have this drive to want to change for the better, and try to inspire others to do the same.

Our passion and love for nature led to the birth of our platform, and led the drive to educate and inspire others to help protect the planet, and all its inhabitants. We have taken a little different approach to fulfill our dream, and that is educating the minds of the younger generation. We trust and hope that they can help us spread this knowledge within their own households, and spark the much-needed change, even further. 

In addition, recently one of us decided to adopt a vegan lifestyle. 

Paavani says:

The spark of this journey began about three years ago when a friend recommended watching Okja; a film essentially about a young girl fighting to stop her best friend, Okja, from being slaughtered.

From that point onwards, eating meat was history, and I naturally became more conscious about any issue concerning animal welfare.

What are you most proud of?

We have been fortunate to make quite a few impressions on our followers but our biggest successes in the sustainability space to date include raising awareness about traditions that are unsustainable. Via our Eco Rakhi we are attempting to make a sustainable solution to age long traditions. 

Our efforts got recognition by the well-known conservation organisation WWF (UK) and then got featured on BBC News and BBC Radio, something so far beyond our wildest dreams! 

How did your family and friends react to your choice of making these lifestyle changes? Did you face any backlashes? 

Not backlashes but ya had we taken this stance 10 years ago when studying for A-levels, then yes, there most likely would have been issues. 

However, in certain ways we do wish we were inspired to act earlier on in life. We think in that case a career in ‘healthcare’ wouldn’t have been our first choice, something like Environmental Science or Natural Sciences would have been a better choice. 

What Advice Would You Give to Younger Generations in Relation to Sustainability and the Environment?

Watch documentaries with your family and friends about the reality of what’s happening to our world, as it only takes one nature documentary to realise that our Earth and its inhabitants are worth fighting for.

Use this knowledge as your inspiration. Your fuel. Your energy. And don’t forget to share your thoughts and concerns with your friends and family, keep the conversation going. Empower them to care. Talk about small steps you can take collectively in your lifestyle to minimise your impact. Research how you can make more sustainable choices.

Lastly, remember that these changes won’t happen if people do not understand why they need to be more sustainable. For us, that’s always the best place to start.

To find out more about Jaanvi and Paavani: https://linktr.ee/sustainability.sisterss