Arti Jalan, a freelance writer and creator of Forage and Sustain was part of our Fall Photoshoot and here are the answers she shared with us in our series - The Life & Style of Interesting People.
Q/ How would you define your lifestyle?
A/ In recent years, I’ve moved away from the busy, party girl I used to be, and have adopted a more conscious way of living. I intend to live as sustainably as possible, care about the impact I make on the world, and have as many slow days as I can. I’m not sure if there is one word to describe it, but I do things with intention, I try to put only green and clean things on my body and in my body, and I’m trying to live as minimally and consciously as possible.
Q/ Is spending time in nature important to you? Tell us why!
A/ It definitely is! I don’t feel like I do it enough because #citylife, but I always have such a renewed sense of self when I take a long walk surrounded by greenery. There’s this term surfacing called “forest bathing” and it stems from Japanese culture. It literally means to immerse yourself in a wooded area as a way of healing your spirit, mind and body. I’d love to forest bathe more!
Q/ On a scale between 1-10, how “green” would you say you are?
A/ I’m probably sitting somewhere around a 4. I try to choose better wherever possible, but I definitely have a long way to go when it comes to being truly zero waste.
Q/ What excites you about choosing a sustainable lifestyle?
A/ To me, the fact that I’m actively contributing to a bigger purpose is the most exciting thing. Choosing sustainable means I’m using my power as a consumer to do better by the earth, animals, and marginalized humans. I’m supporting small businesses, and I’m connecting myself to a more intentional way of living. Everything really is connected, and I love choosing to live with purpose.
Q/ Was there an “aha” moment you recall where you realized you wanted to put more effort towards sustainable living?
For me, rather than an actual moment, I think it’s been a slow buildup. My parents were always big believers in natural, Ayurvedic and homeopathic medicine, so growing up, I was exposed to that quite a bit. I lost a bit of it when I went to university, but it came back to me after realizing how much better I felt when I used natural medicine to heal myself. This spread into skincare, then food, and since launching my website, it’s been a bit of a takeover in all aspects of my life.
Q/ If you were to give advice to others about embarking on a “greener” life and style, where/how would you tell them to start?
A/ So, this is something I mention quite a bit on my website and in conversations with people - the most important thing to remember is to choose progress over perfection. A lot of people don’t even start because overhauling your entire way of living is so daunting. I like to encourage people to make small manageable changes (switching to a bamboo toothbrush or bringing a reusable bag to the store, for example). Soon enough, the choices that seemed so hard will begin to become second nature, and you automatically will want to choose better.
Q/ How did you hear about Logan and Finley?
I was just walking in the neighbourhood one day, and was thinking about what gift to give my sister for her birthday. I did a quick search to see where I could find Keep Cups (she’s an avid coffee drinker), and Logan and Finley popped up! I went in and instantly fell in love, and was super inspired by the total commitment to ethical and conscious living.
Q/ What place do you think Logan and Finley has in helping Torontonians live a greener life and style?
A/ It’s not common to find stores completely dedicated to sustainable living in the city, so by just existing, you’re already providing an accessible option to people that might think these kinds of products are hard to find. I think with the recent movement to go plastic-free, the awareness is spreading and an increasing number of people are looking to improve their consuming habits. The education you provide both in store and on social media is a great motivator!
We love following Forage & Sustain on Instagram - especially her beautiful stories with round ups of what progress is being made around the world. We're excited to have Arti from Forage & Sustain as one of our upcoming guest contributors to a series we're working on about building and maintaining your wardrobe as part of your sustainable lifestyle and thought you might enjoy her perspective on the recent Marie Kondo craze.
