Climate Action Figures

Season 2, Episode 29: Harvir

• John Whidden • Season 2 • Episode 29

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John Whidden introduces Harvir, an international student from India studying Sustainable Innovation in Canada. They discuss slow fashion, circular economy, the environmental impact of cosmetics, and practical steps for sustainability.

00:00 Introduction and Welcome

00:37 Quick Fix: Slow Fashion

01:06 Harvir's Perspective on Sustainable Fashion

02:42 Harvir's Background and Program

03:33 Sustainable Practices in Everyday Life

04:54 Harvir's Cosmetics Project

11:00 Differences in Climate Perception: India vs. Canada

13:36 Harvir's Climate Action Focus

15:40 Innovative Solutions and Hope for the Future

17:35 Conclusion and Farewell

Harvir on Insta: hnyforever06

Harvirka.11@mymhc.ca

climateactionfigures@gmail.com
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Harvir:

Al, it's Hello in Punjabi and my name is her. I'm from India. Today we are in climate action figure with John.

John:

Well, hello and welcome to the 50th edition of Climate Action Figures. Can you believe it? 50 episodes. My name is John Whidden, and this week on the show you get to meet Harvir. First, this week's quick fix, this comes from Hillary Inwood, who, as you may remember, was a guest earlier this season. She gave us a quick fix when we talked with her, and she said that she invests in slow fashion: repairing, reusing, and buying vintage clothes rather than buying into the fast fashion trends of today. Well, welcome Harvir.

Harvir:

Hi.

John:

What do you think about that quick fix?

Harvir:

So according to me, like as I'm studying in Canada, in Medicine Hat College, so during my own research, I find out like we should go with recycle and a circular economy as compared to buying a new clothes Like in this modern era, we need to reduce our carbon emissions because fast paced fashion is one of the top polluters. Choosing reusable and long-lasting clothes, reduce the demand for mass production, which in turn lower emission from factories shipping and synthetic, uh, fabric creation. As well as it also saves water it takes around 2,500 liter of water to make one cotton shirt and slow fashion encourages uh, conscious consumption, which help conserve these precious resources. So I'm in a favor of that.

John:

Wow. We asked the right person about that quick fix. Didn't we?

Harvir:

Yeah.

John:

studied this, obviously 2,500 liters for one cotton shirt.

Harvir:

Yeah, it is.

John:

that's

Harvir:

Yeah.

John:

I didn't know that. So thank you for the information. Now, now we know why we should reuse clothes rather than buy new.

Harvir:

yeah. And now there are also many companies which already exist, like H&M and Patagonia who's providing these, uh, kind of services, like we can give our clothes to them and they can figure it out, how we can replace it or how we can, uh, like make it new so we don't need to buy any new clothes. So we can just adjust that.

John:

Great. Well, our listeners may have guessed that you are an international student. You gave us a few hints from India who is studying in Canada now. Correct.

Harvir:

Yeah. Ah.

John:

That's great. We are hoping to speak with a couple of your uh, colleagues who are also international students in your program. Could you tell us a little bit about that program?

Harvir:

So my program name is, uh, Sustainable Innovation Diploma. It's a kind of business and as well as the science, stream. In this course, I learn about how we can give a hundred percent into the environment and also to sustainability because. If we didn't find anything, like something new for saving our earth, so we will finish. So we should do that like in each and every, so we should start from our home. Like for example in my project I did a regeneratives designs like we can plant our favorite flowers or plants at our home, like decor the walls and we can use, uh, reusable water and also we can use as a that things to make organic fertilizers

John:

Right. So, so many different ways we can make our

Harvir:

all a lot.

John:

our lives more sustainable, right?

Harvir:

Yeah, because it's also good for the soil condition if we, like in Canada, we have a spring season and then all leaves are gone. So we can just take those leaves and then compost with that and then put into the garden so it'll be increase and power the soil health. So

John:

right. I see so many of uh, people in my neighborhood who rake up their leaves in the winter, put them in bags and throw them in the garbage or maybe best put them in their, uh, city composting programs, uh so that they get used somewhere else. But there's so many things we can do with the leaves in our own yards, in our own compost bins if we have those.

Harvir:

My father and my family used to do these things because we have our own farms, so it's a very simple, it takes time, but it's a simple, so yeah.

John:

So Harvir, my understanding is that in your program you got to do a project and yours involves cosmetics. Is that correct?

Harvir:

Yeah, it's correct.

John:

So, why don't you tell us a bit about what you learned about cosmetics through that project.

Harvir:

So through that project, I spend my four months on that project each and every person use cosmetics. If either it can be men or women, any of them. So these things are, include so much chemicals and plastic, which is harmful for marine and aquatic life. It has around 5 billion chemicals contained in one product. It has a paraben and a lot of chemicals which are not suitable for our skin also. And when we use those products and then throw into the landfill, it makes a climate direction also.

John:

are the benefits of those chemicals to the product? Why do they put those in the product in the first place?

Harvir:

so companies wanted to make profit. First of all. And they wanted to give a variety of collections to their people so they can buy the right skin tone and in every color, make it variety so they can sell them and then make a profit. So this is the only thing.

John:

Okay, so how do we mitigate that? How, how as consumers who maybe use makeup. I, How do, uh, we look out for the right things. So we're not buying products that have all of these, uh, bad chemicals.

Harvir:

really good question. That's why I spend my four months in it. I used to make organic and sustainable skincare products at my home like my face was literally full of pimples. I cannot say anything about that. And then I made my own face bag and everything, and then I use it. And then I learn everything from learning about the, uh, how we can create organic things by the herbs and soil. Also, we can use some grains to make the powder and some leaves of fruits and then make powder and then use it. So this is the best thing, I guess, because it doesn't have any chemical in it or we each and every person can afford it. So. In my project, I made these three of the main objectives there where I make the one website, but it's not launching. But I put all these things on there. So we saw like each and every packaging in the plastic container. So to remove that I use unused clothes, which is, uh, just at my home. And then I use a needle and thread and then make a bucket from them and then make, uh, some kind of beautiful bags and then put my own stuff in there as a sample and then give it to the people.

John:

Okay, so we have the chemicals that go into the cosmetics, which is one of the biggest problems. We have the packaging, which is another problem

Harvir:

Yeah.

John:

if people are listening to you today and thinking, I really want to change my cosmetics. What would you suggest for them? How, how would people go and find better cosmetics or, uh, a website maybe that helps them create their own cosmetics so that they can become more sustainable in their use of cosmetics?

Harvir:

To maintain our skin care routine and also to know about skin tone, then people can each and every person have phone so they can do a Google or research about that. And then in case if they want, then they can contact me. This is the only thing.

John:

Okay, well we can put

Harvir:

Yeah.

John:

Contact information in our show

Harvir:

notes today. Yeah.

John:

And in your research, was there anything else, uh, that was very interesting that you learned about cosmetics?

Harvir:

whenever a new cosmetic thing is launched in a market. Then first thing they just implement on the animals. They apply that on animals like do a practical thing like how it works. Sometimes animal they die, but they don't have care, anybody. So these things I wanted to mention, like. If there's something that people already know it has a chemicals, then why they use, so it's a money maker mind. That is it. So people should leave these things. It's their own perspective. I don't want to just block the themselves to buy any cosmetics, but at least they have to think about these things.

John:

I've seen, uh, certain companies who have said, not tested on animals, so is that something we can look out for as well?

Harvir:

If they do not do the testing on animals, then they do a testing on plants, another species, But without testing, there is no product which we can sold out in the market. So

John:

what's the

Harvir:

is fishy in everything.

John:

so what's the solution to that, do you think?

Harvir:

first of all, if people know about their skin tone, according to my perception, like whatever I am reading according to that people should use on themselves, not anybody. Because if they really want to use cosmetics, like they have a samples, I just wanted to know these things like why people use on like testing on animals or birds or any creatures. So they should apply on themselves. If they prove like it's a good, then after that people apply on themselves

John:

so just don't test on anything at all except for ourselves.

Harvir:

Yeah. This is the only way, because I don't want to kill an anybody for ourself.

John:

right, and like you say, it's not as though it's saving someone from a certain type of cancer. It's just how we look.

Harvir:

Yeah.

John:

Hmm. Interesting. Uh, Coming from India, Harvir, I'm curious to know if you see differences in the way people view, uh, the environment and the climate crisis in India versus the way we see things in Canada. Have you noticed differences since you've been here?

Harvir:

In India almost for eight to nine months there is a summer and heat waves continuously. And in Canada it's especially in the West, not too much. This is the one difference which I found. And drought. Drought is a major issue in India, in agriculture, and uh, for the water access also. But in Canada it has some areas like. In 2016 or 17, maybe in Saskatchewan River when it's very low. Now, it's also very low, like a water level. So it can be predict to be a drought very soon. But, yeah, these kind of crisis, which I really see here, or in India.

John:

right, so you, you see it more acutely in India because the temperature is so much warmer already. Is

Harvir:

So much warmer and also Indian together is a pollution,

John:

Right,

Harvir:

a lot pollution as compared to here and over there. It's a very industrial area, so that's why.

John:

Do you think that the Indian people are taking climate more seriously because it is so much hotter there or not? I.

Harvir:

It's just depend on people. Like if they're working in environmental sector, they are just curious about it. Otherwise, they're like, it's none of our business. People are just keep going, keep going. Whatever they are doing, they have no idea how much climate action we need to take and how much climate change we are facing already. We need sustainability.

John:

When you go back to India, do you feel like you have a message for your fellow people there?

Harvir:

Yeah, of course. Because. Before when I got here, I have no idea like what is sustainability. So I spent already two years in it. And so yeah, whenever I go India, I will give them a message like we should do. I promote as much as I can, but to be apply on their lives, it's their decision or otherwise the outcome will be near.

John:

Now, uh, we should ask you what you have chosen for your climate action today.

Harvir:

For my climate action first of all, I just wanted to focus on plastic and the landfills because 50 to 60% of landfills are full, all over the world. Because of the plastic this is my practicum phase and I went, uh, two or three parks during this last week, and then I saw a plastic waste in the park. People just throw their drinks everywhere and then garbage bag, napkins, they have dust bins just ahead, but they didn't put anything on there. It's a, a lot of things into the water, into the sidewalk.

John:

So what do you do about that?

Harvir:

every day we just go for a walk to another places and then pick the garbage and then people. You know what, like everyday people watch us and they're like, oh, good luck. I was like, literally, this is your trash, which we are picking. You should do it. But they're like, thank you for our community. I was like, you should come here. Like I spend almost five uh hours and it's so much heat. And then I was like, oh, thank you. I will do it. But you are not.

John:

So you hope to inspire others by them seeing you do this.

Harvir:

Yeah, with my another students, like with my classmates and also with my supervisor, Martha. We went so much places and uh, we will have to go another and where I study about plants and how to clean our environment. So yeah, these kind of things. And then we make a posters and we have a lot of presentations.

John:

Well, it's great that you've come to Canada and are showing people in the local area how to do things

Harvir:

Yeah, it's really dirty.

John:

now when you see garbage, you think about plastic in the landfills. You think about the issues with cosmetics that can kind of get us down. What gives you hope today

Harvir:

so according to my perception technology because really people really, really indulge in the technology Each and every person is just like with, they cannot live without their phones. During my second semester, me and my colleague, we, uh, were in a group presentation where we made one recycle bin. It's, uh, three type of functions. First, it's sort the material. And it crushed the material. And then from crush material, we can use the, uh, that plastic crushed material to make a decoration thing And then third one is from those garbage, we can just do it a reuse. For the bottles and for the cards, we can reuse it and then people can earn the point from them. Like, you know, when we go to Tim Horton's and wherever they have a point system.

John:

Right.

Harvir:

introduce that in those machines, like people have to book an appointment for them and then the garbage worker go to their home. And then pick the trash and then they will get a point, and from their point they can pay their bills for electricity bill. So these kind of innovations, give me the hope. And one more thing, like in my last semester, there are a lot of companies who use drones to deliver their, skip the dishes or these things. They're not riding any bike or no cars because of the pollution. They just put all the information on their, laptop or computer and then track the location and then drone just give to the people. So I really like these things because people just use the technology. If they use it wisely, then they can clean their environment too and then save their lives.

John:

Lots for us to think about today. We thank you so much for joining us today, Harvir.

Harvir:

Thank you. Thank you so much. I really appreciate you give me a chance to describe all these things and then apply my experience here.

John:

And thank

Harvir:

Yeah.

John:

viewer or listener. We love to hear your feedback and we read every bit of it. So send us an email at climateactionfigures@gmail.com or post a comment on YouTube or message us using Instagram. We will be back again next week, same time, same place to hear from another climate action figure. Until then.

Harvir:

Go Figures!