MAY THE FOREST BE WITH YOU!

By SHIPRA CHAUDHURY

Lend a hand to save the land. If you are familiar with this phrase, you know what Sanchari Halder is aiming for.

The founder and CEO of YourPaints is a conscientious and Earth-loving mother of two who speaks enthusiastically about her entrepreneurial journey and its relation to Mother Earth.

“We started YourPaints to change the way people use plastics. This is a brand built on the concept of sustainability and it’s our mission to help change our habit of consciously or unconsciously using plastics. We all know that a small change in our lifestyle can be a big step for reducing the effects of global warming and, refusing to use plastic, is one of them. We provide options for eco-friendly and zero waste living like reusable and silicone bags, mesh and organic tote bags, bamboo cutlery sets and many other eco friendly products to support our modern lifestyle.

“YourPaints is all about reducing, reusing and recycling as a key part of a climate change strategy to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. Products and packaging are totally plastic-free and we have been selling our products through Amazon and Etsy. Our natural cotton and muslin drawstring bags are completely biodegradable.”

Born and raised in Bangladesh, she started her career as an arts teacher after gaining a Masters degree in Fine Arts. Marriage followed soon after and then moving to Copenhagen with her husband.

“I lived there for seven years and while working as an assistant teacher in Copenhagen, I became aware of eco-friendly products which meant living in a way that is not harmful to the environment,” she says. “We need to protect our planet from man-made damage. There are various ways that an individual can make sustainable changes in order to lessen the negative effects that our daily lives usually contribute to.”

But life in Denmark was not a bed of roses, and the young couple had their share of ups and downs. In order to survive, they needed to master the Danish language.

“It was hard to integrate into Danish society as the language barrier pulled us down,” says Halder. “Social life was affected. I wanted to start my entrepreneurial journey there, but to be very frank, Denmark was not an immigrant-friendly country. So we decided to move to Canada in 2019.”

Though Canada is much more immigrant-friendly, like many newcomers, they faced initial hardships here, too, and the pandemic didn’t make things easy.

“But it also, in a way, gave us time to settle in,” she says. “My husband had secured a job in Canada while in Denmark. While he was working online, I took care of our two kids at home. This provided me ample time to research and investigate, explore and experiment with eco-friendly products to start my own entrepreneurial journey.”

How does she rate the people in Canada regarding their ecological awareness?

“I find most people not completely aware of the waste management programs that this country has to offer. Some of them do not strictly follow correct rules of disposal. I must also admit that my three-year-old son used to say that the restaurants here were not as clean as those in Denmark!

“Waste management is an important factor for taking care of Mother Earth. The rules for proper waste disposal are important as food waste can attract pests and cause contamination. So we need to be more aware of this for the future of our planet.”

Her tips for newcomers are equally eco-friendly:

“May the forest be with you! As there is no Planet B, we need to take care of our Earth and try and make every day Earth Day. We need to be the pollution solution and save the bees by planting more trees.”

• If you’d like to share the story of your arrival in Canada, please write to desinews@rogers.com or call 416-695-4357.