An innovative idea can change the face of the entire world. Lakshmi Menon from Cochin, Aryankavau, with ‘Pure Living’ as her enterprise and passion talks to Brand Kerala and elaborates her vision and mission.
She recollects her journey with enthusiasm, “I started Pure Living in it was started mainly to address some of the major concerns affecting the environment. It came from the philosophy that nature doesn’t need people but people need nature. Pure Living stands for Products Upcycled and Recycled. It came from the conviction that the Green Protocol was our need. For that, we took the production and propagation of wedding decoration products with eco-friendly materials. That was taken up as the major task of Pure Living. Entrée is another product, which is a paper seed pen. The intention behind the paper pen branded as Rolapena was conceived as a response to do away with disposable plastic pens which are causing huge damage to the environment. These pens are made of waste paper, and seeds are inserted along with the pen. Like this, for every project or initiative of Pure Living, we try to work for a social cause and commitment.”
The birth of Entrée was from a thought generated after viewing the statistics of a pen company in 2002. The company sold its 100 billionth plastic pens. And it is just one among many. These shocking statistics led to the birth of Rolapena (paper pen) and subsequently to Entree. Entrée is also called a seed pen.
Making pens with the upcycled paper could reduce waste, but more importantly, it addresses the larger issues affecting the environment. Deforestation and tree felling are important to them, and many such issues were a cause for concern. Hence she came out with Entree- pen with seeds. It became an instant hit. Media popularised the concept from across the globe.
Al Jazeera Plus, Marie Claire’s popular lifestyle magazine of USA, Maggi Dairies, Femina, and other vernacular media of India helped popularise the concept. Many major corporate, IT Companies, conferences & seminars use Entree as a solution to the plastic menace and to show their solidarity to the cause.
With a thrust on medicinal value, we planted Agastya seed in the pens. It is rather the unique contribution that Entree has made to society. It has inculcated a feeling of concern among the youth on the necessity of keeping trees and to prevent deforestation and more importantly to stay away from plastic. It is a socio-empowering enterprise employing women, people with paraplegia and cancer survivors to name a few. The tasks have been divided into such a manner that people of all skill sets can be employed in its production.
She says, “The Paper Specialized gallery in San Franciso influenced me a lot. I started my projects with paper when I worked as a featured artist in an art gallery in San Francisco. The trash which is seen everywhere in Kerala prompted me to introduce paper pens in Kerala as a substitute for plastic pens.”
There are many plans for Pure Living. Now it functions as a woman and community empowerment organization. A clothing brand will also be launched soon. Good Karma Foundation is a trust, co-promoted by Pure Living. It is an initiative with the elders who are sent back to the mainstream to create a sense of belonging, confidence and to make a living for the destitute grandmas.
“I am a designer by profession and a social entrepreneur by passion. I do interior designing, make fashion jewelry and product designing. Pure Living is my true passion. I was born in a small town, seen and experienced the goodness of people and nature, “ says Lekshmi. She is single and lives with her grandmother and mother and holds a strong vision to bring revolutionary changes in the way of the world.
