SUSTAINABILITY – THE GOOD OLD DAYS

The other day, someone brought home some treacle, packed tight in a dried kitul leaf. My soon-to-be fifteen year old son had not seen the packing before; the treacle packed nice and tight in a dried kitul leaf which made an excellent sustainable package that stayed long, did not damage the environment and was a wonderful example of how close our ancestors would have been to nature and its wonder.

We seem to have come full circle. Sustainability, environmentally sound principles, green strategies. Somehow, when you dig deep into village based rural community we once were, it is all there. Throughout the years, the villagers have used sustainable alternatives for packaging, long before they were converted to plastic. The kitul leaf packaging we discussed earlier, the pun baskets for carrying food products and even huluatta they would carry as a light in the night – the village always used sustainable alternatives when it came to everyday usage. Sad as it is, plastic has replaced all of it now.

The straw thatched roof and the cow dung floor compensated for heat and protection from monsoons. Every errand revolved around using environmentally sound and recyclable alternatives.

Natural resources

Recycling was not something new to them – they rarely wasted anything. A classic example is the coconut tree. Every part of the tree goes into something useful. No part of it is wasted but used extensively and diligently in adding something to the household. Life in the village was at the time, being a part of nature. Natural resources were used but not wasted and all systems employed were sustainable and caused little or less harm to the environment. Plastic was not what it is today. Rice was packed in banana leaf ,which enhanced the flavor and kept the food moist – or it was carefully stored in pan or straw boxes along with relevant curries before being taken. When travelling, they carried a straw bag instead of the now customary plastic bag. Numerous hattis and wattis were used to stock various produces.

Kitul tree

Even hair that gets stuck in the combs were used to make hawaris or wigs used to tie hair knots. Household refuse was collected to make manure and compost. Nothing was thrown away – everything had its place in a wonderful continuous cycle of use and reuse. While it is not practical for us living as are in the 21st century to adapt all of their practices, there are many we could still use today. We could always teach our children to use recyclable products.

I remember as a child the bothal paththara man who always came once a month to collect the bottles, the newspapers.

There were others, merchants who took used clothes and gave plastic basins and other utensils in exchange. The bothal paththara man was and is an excellent recycling medium and some of them still ply the streets on the bicycles.

Practical alternatives

As the modern world looks to sustainability and recycling as two practical alternatives in green practices, we can teach our children the value of such measures known for centuries to the village. The very lives of the villagers were centered around practices that encouraged and fostered environmentally sound principles. Everything was used and nothing was wasted.

Recycling and going green have become fashionable buzz words but back in those days, the villagers in Sri Lanka knew such principles as everyday practices that made their lives easier and ensured continuous and consistent usage of resources without depleting them. The resources were replaced and used with veneration and respect, so unlike the wastage of resources we see today.

As a country, we can try to bring back some of those practices. Even those of us who live in urban jungles, can resort to adapting some of those practices ,which beautifully reflect the value of keeping the environment around us sustainable.