In the August Company of Mariam Begg

How did you decide to move towards a plant-based and sustainable lifestyle?

“When you learn something early it sticks with you, and Sustainability was engraved in me since childhood, which began with passed-on clothes from my 3 older sisters. Growing up, I was a hardcore City Girl but was immensely attracted to farms and the concept of farming. I started spending my Sundays with like-minded people who would practice organic farming and sustainable living, that’s how my foundation called Pre-loved, eventually came into existence. The main problem in acceptance of Sustainability is the mindset of people while buying fast fashion, which in a general sense seems to be so exciting that people have forgotten to reflect on its true impact on the environment.”

‘Sustainable Lifestyle helps at an individual level apart from helping the ecosystem’ What are your views on it?

“150 years ago, there were 100 varieties of apple and now there are just around 8 or 10 and most of them are the hybrids of the original and the hybrids that we consume lack nutrients, unlike what our ancestors used to get earlier. We do this even without realizing it. People ask me why I promote Superfood so extensively and the logical explanation of it is that everything we eat today is watery and devoid of nutrients. Hence, in the space of nutrition, consuming organic/ locally-grown plants and veggies helps keep your health and nutrition content in check. ”

‘The amount of food that we intake, is not required by our body’, do you agree?

“I have introduced 3 days of cleanser to educate people about the amount of intake necessary. More important than the amount of intake, the way you chew it matters, because that’s what helps you with digestion, and keeps you fit.”

What are some of the steps taken by people who want to follow the route of Sustainability?

1.  Try consuming a fruit/vegetable in its entirety. – For example, If I were to consume a lemon, I’d use the zest of a lemon for cooking, I’d add lemon seeds to my salad and even soak the skin in water to make a vitamin drink out of it.
2. ‘Food that is organic needs to fight their own battle, they are street children’, they learn and fight because they need to build their immunity to heal without pesticides, which is of ample nutrition to consumers.

3. Recycle as much as you can- Don’t be a hoarder or an extreme buyer, be more conscious about your shopping and lend your clothes to your friends or ones who need them, that in itself is a sustainable approach.

4. Always support your small-scale producers, like farmers and local weavers, I love the initiative you have taken as a brand to support it.

What is the one piece of advice you want to share with our viewers?

Be true to your purpose; the more you voice the things you believe in, the more you will be a part of the change, and I love that The August Co. does that as a brand in propagating Sustainability as it’s the need of the hour. You are empowering the artisanal community by voicing your views on Sustainability.