Swechha: A Green Office Showing the Way Forward for Delhi

At a time when the city is struggling to bring down its air pollution levels, the presence of Swechha’s green office {an NGO which works on environment and social development issues}, tucked away in Khirki extension comes as a silver lining for Delhiwallas.

Bookshelves of milk cartons and colourful cycle wheel desk partitions will attract your attention the moment you enter the Swechha office. Tin lamps light the warm yellow walls of the two-storeyed office. In whichever direction the eye moves, you’ll spot ‘garbage’, which you don’t think twice before discarding, in a new, upcycled avatar, which was precisely the idea behind the office.

Creating a sustainable society is one of the core principles of Swechha and when they decided to shift their office, founder Vimlendu Jha decided to incorporate green innovations and utility in designing the new interiors. He wanted to create a transparent, open space, made from scraps. Inaugurated three years ago on the eve of World Environment Day, it also claims to be India’s first upcycled office.

There are organised garbage markets from where all the material for the office was sourced. Tetra packs and juice cartons were collected from local kabadiwalas, specific items like tyres were purchased from Sadak Bazaar. The interiors are a visual delight with everything from lamps made from discarded car silencers and old wooden trunks as tables, to cushions of tyre tubes and old computer motherboards adorning the office.

When asked what green practices we as individuals can incorporate in our lifestyle, Vimlendu feels that this generation does not think twice before discarding objects. He suggests that we borrow a leaf from our granny’s generation and engage in creatively upcycling.

If you’re looking for creative ideas to upcyle or wish to decorate your home with upcycled products, check out Green The Gap , the retail wing of the NGO, which sells unique products from waste.