CONNECTOR.AE 50 CONNECTOR.AE 51 Lifestyle Lifestyle her first book called ‘Prized Words’, which is targeted at children and serves as a reminder for them to use the magic words, please and thank you. Himakshi, on talking about the inspiration for her book, said, “I remember growing up, I read books and would get really thrilled when I saw animal characters, so that is what I wanted to incorporate.” The Sustainery Co was launched at the Litfest with Magrudy’s, and the products were sold alongside the books from participating authors at the event. Along the launch of her brand, Himakshi also continues to raise awareness on the importance of climate action, and is also the Head of the Environment Club at her school, Dubai College, where the group dedicated time to organising Earth Hour, banning the use of plastic in the canteens and have organised beach cleanups. The brand uses all recyclable materials to create the products, and the first line released included a range of pens, tote bags and notebooks. The inspiration for the brand came to Himakshi one day as she was at school, paying attention to her geography class and learning about plastic pollution. Himakshi said, “I realised when I was sitting in my geography classroom, learning about plastic pollution, that I was using stationery that was basically made out of all plastic. So I thought, you know what, we need to change that. We need stationery that is not plastic, something that is recyclable, eco-friendly and something that is trendy, because I am a student and a teenager at the end of the day, and I wanted something that is cute and quirky, in its own way.” time, will contribute to the betterment of the environment. Currently Himakshi has launched her new venture called The Sustainery Co, where shoppers buy guilt-free from a range of sustainable products, that help contribute to making the world a more eco-friendly place. After her realisation, Himakshi headed straight into doing her research at the age of 14, and spent two years trying to come up with fun and sustainable pieces for youngsters. Although being born and raised in the UAE, Himakshi is from India and visits a lot, with some of the products being manufactured there, while some are made locally. Himakshi mentioned, “Sustainery Co is new and fresh. I would definitely want to keep improving and make it as climate-friendly as possible. However, some of our production is done in India at the moment. Hopefully, we can make it fully local soon, as a future incentive.” Having launched Sustainery Co in February at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature in 2023 during the Year of Sustainability, the festival holds a special place in her heart as at the age of 12, while her grandfather was a speaker at the event, Himakshi launched
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