Manju is an urban farmer and passionate environmentalist. In 2009, her family began converting their home in the LA suburbs into a community garden and educational center. Now they grow up to 5000 pounds of food annually on a few different properties, offer classes and CSA boxes to the community, and have a ton of amazing features to make use of space and keep things as sustainable as possible.
She is also president of Brush with Bamboo – a company that was ahead of the curve with lowering plastic waste, and created a plantbased toothbrush.
Read on for more on Manju’s gardens, her best advice for starting an eco company, and why flexibility is important on the journey to zero-waste.
How did you first discover your passion for the environment?
I’ve always loved creating a garden, it’s so peaceful being with plants. In 2013 I traveled for a few months in Asia, and began to become aware of the congestion waste was creating. On my return I watched a plastic documentary and realized the severity of the issue. I want to enjoy nature and its beauty, it’s something we need to preserve for ourselves and for others.
How long have you been growing your own food for?
I’ve been growing food since I got married, my first garden was one cucumber plant on my patio. My father built me a 1 1/2′ x 4′ box that was my second garden and when we bought a house, my passion grew deeper. When my son Farmer Rishi came home from college, I found in him the same passion I had, and together we really moved mountains.
What’s your favorite thing about it?
There are so many things I love about my garden, it gives me so much peace, it provides me with the most delicious food, its so beautiful, and it’s different every year. There is also a deep satisfaction knowing I’m providing habitat and food for other species. I love seeing life around the yard, hearing the birds sings and seeing butterflies and bees, seeing skunk babies, and raccoons. Nothing can replace the joy I feel sitting in my garden.
Can you tell us about a few of the eco features The Growing Home has?
We have 84 edible trees, shrubs, and bushes planted, that provide us with fruits year round. Many of our trees have medicinal values as well. Many of them are tropical and can’t be found in the market. We have a bee hive that provides us with all our honey needs. Terraces that slow down water, swales, and seasonal ponds that help return water to the ground, chicken coop, outdoor shower and sink. Water features that provide water for wildlife, grapes and strategically placed vines and bushes to cool our home in the summer and keep it warm in the winter. A grey water system for the laundry water, a black water system that cleans kitchen water for reuse in the garden, composing pits, tree guilds, and lots of mulching and incredible soil.
Do you have any advice for others who want to turn their passion for the environment into a project or business?
Find a product that we use daily and make it plastic free. There is a great demand for plastic free products. Eight years ago, we created a bamboo toothbrush because there was no substitute for a plastic toothbrush. Today bamboo toothbrushes are helping humanity reduce waste. There are so many products we use that could be designed without plastic, and without chemicals.
What’s a typical day like for you?
There is no typical day, each day is a surprise. What’s typical is my personal routine – brush with bamboo daily, have a morning chai, eggs from our chickens, cooking meals, washing dishes. I do go to the farm at least three days a week.
How do you find balance with so many projects on the go?
Being in the garden brings me balance, when I’m super tired, I go get a massage or take a day off to do nothing. Breathing deeply, and sitting down to meditate helps when I’m super agitated.
Have any waste-free tips for us?
When I started, I took account of all the plastic that was entering my space for a month, and examined, which ones were easy to make a switch with. I feel once we put our attention to it we figure out a lot by ourselves. Our resolve and mindset helps us cross so many hurdles, but remember there are others on your journey, so be flexible when it’s needed. It’s important that your target on being zero waste does not cause you or your family stress; give others time and love. Many medicines come in plastic bottles, and when you fly there is only the option of water from plastic bottles – accept what you cannot change right then, and work on the best you can. I take an empty bottle on the plane and have the hostess keep on refilling my bottle, and on short distances I pack my own food. I reuse my plastic bottle to save seeds, and make sure it goes in my recycling in a clean state. What plastic bags end up in my possession, are saved and dropped off at a location that accepts bags.
Who inspires you and why?
I’m inspired by Earth, there is so much life on this planet, so many systems, so much diversity, so much complexity, so much simplicity, so many cycles, seasons, renewal, and so much beauty. It’s so delicious too 🙂 I’m inspired by indigenous cultures, especially the ones that worship and know earth as mother.
What is your best advice for loving yourself?
Learn to know who your are so you can drop all things that aren’t you. I did this through meditation, self observation, and lots of self work. In this way you can honor yourself and know whats important and meaningful to you.
Has learning to accept yourself been a journey for you or has it come naturally?
It’s been a journey. Many things I had to overcome, many failures, heartbreaks, ah ha moments. Its important to travel both outside your country and within yourself.
What would you tell your younger self?
Learn to say NO, trust yourself. Don’t allow fear or greed to decide your life. Happiness comes to those that follow their own path, and take time to reflect on their past.
