As Makar Sankranti approached in January this year, the smell of til-gud filled in the air, new clothes were ready to wear and the invitations had gone out for haldi-kumkum. Shrihari Suthamally, a software engineer, who lives in Pimple Nilakh, received a message on his WhatsApp that did not surprise him.

It was from somebody in the locality who was planning a get-together in their house for Makar Sankranti. Could Suthamally provide a dozen steel plates, bowls, and glasses for the event? Suthamally said yes as he usually does. He got the utensils ready to be picked up. He knew that his phone would keep buzzing with the same request – and he would send out the plates, bowls and glasses again and again.

Suthamally is not in the business of renting out tableware. He is a part of a growing tribe of people in Pune that is confronting global warming with a simple change. Each person has a collection of steel plates and other tableware that people can borrow for parties, pujas and other small get-togethers at home.

That way, the houses do not buy single-use plastic plates and other disposable tableware that will end up in landfills. Every week, at least 200 plates are borrowed for small household functions. The initiative does not involve payment of any kind or deposits. Once the party is over, the utensils have to be cleaned and returned.

“The ‘Share To Save’ initiative is short for ‘Share your resources to save mother earth’. It is an initiative started by volunteers of Vasundhara Swachata Abhiyan, an environmental action group based in Pune. It has been an endeavour of Vasundhara volunteers to think globally and act locally when it comes to solving environmental issues,” says Shailesh Valvaikar, who started the initiative.

He adds that the idea was partly inspired by Nipun Mehta, who creates social movements rooted in small acts of service. Mehta’s Karma Kitchen, for instance, revolves around people eating at a restaurant and receiving a zero-price bill. “Your meal was a gift from someone who came before you. A stranger who believed in the power of generosity and wanted to share it forward. Now it’s your turn. You’re invited to contribute whatever you wish for future guests. The chain continues, rippling generosity outward,” says the Karma Kitchen website.

“The plate-sharing initiative is meant to propagate the idea of trust based community sharing of resources,” says Valvaikar. Currently, there are 30 members of the group, who operate the utensil bank from their homes. In a small and quiet way, the movement has spread across the areas of Baner, Pashan and parts of PCMC. “Vivek Agrawal, Suthamally, Dinesh Gadewar, Vidhya Anantwar and Pushpa Helwade have been instrumental in spreading the movement by becoming donors of utensils,” says Valvaikar.

It was another Makar Sankranti, when Valvaikar’s eyes opened to a colossal waste being generated under his nose. “My wife does haldi kumkum, for which she invites 10 women from the housing complex. Those 10 women, then, invite one another for haldi-kumkum. Every time they had a party, there were at least 10 plates, bowls and glasses used. In a span of a week, the10 women generated a waste of 100 plates. I realised that even a small group can generate a huge amount of waste even without knowing. Now, add birthdays and other social gatherings that happen at home and you get an idea of the amount of waste we are, indirectly, sending to some village to be disposed of or dumping into rivers,” says Valvaikar.

He and his wife, Dr Pallavi Valvaikar, went out and bought a set of two dozen dinner plates, plates for snacks, bowls and glasses. The next Makar Sankranti, in 2016, the plate-sharing initiative came into life, targeting small functions.

“While parties at home are a short lived enjoyment for people, the trash it generates will stay on the planet for centuries. There are many people who are worried about the environmental impact of their actions. The Share To Save initiative was born for environmentally conscious citizens. It is a utensil bank that people maintain at home and share with anyone who wants to celebrate a zero-waste party for free,” says Valvaikar.

The initiative operates through a WhatsApp group, where people specify their requirements and dates. The nearest available donor responds to the requirement. One can become a part of the community by borrowing tableware for small functions by reaching out to the donors on WhatsApp; become a donor by starting a small utensil bank at their premises; or by spreading the word. “Hopefully, enough people will catch the bug and start thinking of solving global problems in small effective local ways,” says Valvaikar.