I believe we can all lead real, abundant, sustainable and joyful lives that are in harmony with nature.
Together, we can become more aware of our habits that create waste and consumption, and create change. Small steps, sustainable swaps, intentional choices, all can have a big impact on our collective well-being.
Choose what's good for us, and the planet too. Here's how.
Good Food, Healthy Planet
Your Kitchen Companion to Simple, Practical, Sustainable Cooking
Fun, Frugal and Hyper-local: Grow Microgreens
How to sprout your own microgreens at home Farmers’ markets are winding down, and so is Canada’s growing season. As we go into the winter season, people are worrying about rising grocery prices once again. Puneeta was on CHCH Morning Live on Oct 7 to discuss a fun, frugal and hyper-local way people can eat green, and grow it themselves too. Microgreens! HERE’S WHY: Many of us know that seeds like lentils, beans and many spices are nutritious powerhouses; what we may not know is that when we sprout them, we TRIPLE the benefits and make it easier on our...
How to Avoid Burnout
In this time of unpredictable chaos, I am offering two grounding practices that have helped me enormously over the last few years. As we continue to move forward and navigate through these times, I hope these practices will be helpful to you as well. This blog post is part of Puneeta's Staying Grounded Fortnightly-ish Newsletter. Edition May 26, 2025 How Religious are you? It may surprise you to learn that I am not a religious person. I was raised a Hindu, I still follow many Hindu practices, I feel at home in many temples, I check the box ‘Hindu’ when...
We need the boreal forest. And not just for wiping our bum.
The boreal forest covers 1.9 billion acres of forested lands. That’s 14% of earth’s land, of which 28% is in Canada. That's a lot of numbers and the covered area has changed a lot over the decades. Today, it starts just below the Arctic Circle, and spans nearly the entire Northern Hemisphere. With some breaks, it encircles the globe, like a crown. A green crown. Boreal forests occur in the more southern parts of the taiga ecoregion that spreads across the northern parts of the world. Artwork by Mark Baldwin-Smith, Wikipedia This area stores 30 to 40 percent of crucial land-based carbon,...
An Open Letter to Canada’s New Leader – Mr Mark Carney
Congratulations, Mr Carney! We are thrilled to have you as Canada's leader. I voted for you and I confess, last night, I prayed for you too. The alternative terrified me and has kept me awake for weeks.My name is Puneeta and I am a writer. I'm also a builder of a safer, healthier, happier world for all. CBC/Radio-Canada News tells me you will be declaring your cabinet in < 2 weeks and I have a couple of immediate requests.Please separate the Energy and Natural Resources portfolio! Nature is far more than just sources of energy, and as such should not...
Redefining Good Food
I believe food is so much more than fuel. Good food fills us up and tastes good, and is good for us, yes but our life is about more than just us. For good food to be truly *good* it must also be good for the planet. I learned at an early age in my childhood to use what we have and reduce what is thrown away; you’ll see these principles in my cooking and videos. You’ll learn quickly that I waste very little in my kitchen. 58% of the food grown and produced in Canada is thrown away, so...
Facing wildfire smoke and poor air quality? Here’s what you can do
There are 400+ wildfires burning in Canada. Currently a third of them are in the eastern province of Quebec. If you live in North America (especially on the eastern side) you have experienced the orange sun and smoke, and haze too. It was so bad this week that around the country, school kids were instructed to stay indoors and avoid outdoor activities. (This article was written as a follow-up to the Maple + Marigold newsletter, June 10, 2023 edition. Sign up for your copy.) Here are some personal health tips and advice to maintain your wellbeing and to navigate this...
Dear Canada, Our Forests are Burning. Here’s what we can do
This post was written for Puneeta's 'Staying Grounded' series at the time of the 2023 'year of wildfires.' You can sign up for her fortnightly-ish newsletter here . It's June 2023, and the scope and severity of this year's wildfires, the catastrophic floods a few months ago, and the UN IPCC report released recently, all keep me awake at night. Today though, it isn't fear that drives me, it is the clear-eyed optimism of and an undeniable urgency. With over 400 wildfires burning in Canada the impacts of climate change are clear. Impacts that cannot be contained by a nation’s...
Break. Up. With. Plastic.
Every year, Canadians throw away more than 3 million tonnes of plastic waste, and a mere 9% of this waste is recycled. The remaining plastic waste breaks down into smaller pieces, polluting our environment. The recent single-use plastics ban is a positive first step. But, bolder, community-supported measures, particularly regarding food packaging, are needed to make a substantial difference in protecting our planet. In a TV Segment on CHCH Morning Live Puneeta talks to Annette Hamm about some practical ways we can work together to cut out single-use plastic. Watch the replay. Achievable solutions to reducing plastic: Do a trash...
How to tackle those almost-empty jars
Frugal and sustainable habits in the kitchen Peanut butter is trending on Instagram, in particular it is the peanut butter that’s cruddy and left behind on the bottom of the jar. Food & Sustainability author, Puneeta Chhitwal-Varma, goes back on CTV's The Social and joins Jess Allen and Cynthia Loyst on October 20th to take this trend many steps further. In this segment, Puneeta shows how people can adapt two of the tenets of sustainability to use what we have and to reuse the rest, and regain control of their fridge, all at the same time. Creative ways to use...
Paper or Plastic? How about neither!
5 Easy ways to choose low-waste. One of the good things to come out of our home renovations is that I have been able to reorganize my kitchen to reduce what I use, and throw away as little as possible. These low-waste habits are grounded in the same spirit of use what you have and reduce what is thrown away. Start with the big step: no more single-use plastic products Now you may think, “But Puneeta I recycle….” The truth is our recycling system was never meant to handle the volume and variety of plastics that exist today. And the harsh reality...
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