Through workshops and a digital platform, Heena Shah is promoting everyday sustainable practices and challenging perceptions around reuse
RAMANDEEP KAUR | NT BUZZ
Bingo may be better known as a number game of chance but Caranzalem-based sustainability advocate Heena Shah will use a game of bingo to introduce practical low-waste habits through Sustainability Bingo, a 60–90 minute session at Doolally, Miramar, on July 5, 11 a.m. onwards.
It will include discussions and a question-and-answer segment on topics such as reducing single-use plastics, carrying reusable cutlery, waste segregation, composting, and reusing household resources.
The idea for the session came after Shah was invited by W.E. Community, a women’s networking group in Goa that she is part of, to conduct a session on sustainability. She says, “They wanted me to work on sustainability and I thought, ‘How can I make it more fun?’ That’s how it came about.”
She has since conducted sessions in collaboration with Zero Posro and Silver Linings: Guidance and Counselling Centre in Margao.
The session is based on 25 sustainability actions. It begins with concepts such as sustainability, zero waste, carbon footprint, greenwashing and the ‘10 Rs’, before moving on to practical measures such as refusing printed receipts, reducing plastic packaging, reusing water from washing rice or dal, composting and segregating waste.
Participants mark the sustainability actions they already practise on a bingo card, with those completing the most squares winning prizes, ranging from compost and mango saplings to bottles of bio-enzyme. Shah says, “It could help someone get started with sustainable living. Others may already be practising many of these habits but it also reminds them of what they’re doing and shows them a few more things they can do.”
Shah, who was recognised as a Zero Waste Champion by the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP), has been practising low-waste living since 2017. Her interest in sustainability grew while living in Japan and running a small business, where she began reusing packaging instead of buying new materials. She later formed Reusing Empties, a WhatsApp group for people to share and pass on such materials. “The group now has around 79 members who share glass bottles, paper bags and bubble wrap,” says Shah.
She has now expanded it into Treasure Circle, a free web platform for passing on anything that can be reused. It allows users to list items they want to give away or receive, communicate through a built-in chat feature, and earn points based on whether the item is reused in its original form, upcycled or recycled. The platform, she says, has grown beyond just “empties” to include a wider range of items.
According to Shah, one of the main barriers to reducing waste is the stigma surrounding reused products. “People think, ‘I have money, so I’ll buy something new’. That’s the biggest challenge,” she says. “What is really important for me is the product and its function, not the packaging.”
Shah plans to take Treasure Circle outside Goa and set up a library of things as well, where people can borrow infrequently used items instead of buying them. She also plans to organise community repair events while continuing to conduct Sustainability Bingo sessions.
