Project Inara
Our college is located along the southern coasts of
India, where there is naturally a handsome amount of
coconut plantation. The usage of coconuts is also in
humongous quantities. Back on our college campus, we
noticed that 91% of coconut waste was simply being
dumped away. The husk and shell, which are
byproducts of the coconut oil and water industries,
are typically discarded or burned.
Enactus VITC decided to tackle this issue with
Project Inara, aiming at creating eco-friendly
bowls, candles, and accessories out of discarded
shells. These waste coconut shells are sourced from
restaurants, eateries, and households in &
around Chennai. Our beneficiaries belong to a tribal
community residing in Kalpakkam. They received
training from professionals from Egai Crafts to make
them adept in the shell craft and other skills
required to create a variety of products. Egai
Crafts works with the aim along the lines of
providing self-sufficiency to youths, which aligns
perfectly with the goal of our project.
So far, we have successfully procured coconut
shells from Vasantha Bhawan, a popular restaurant
chain in Chennai, and from a dealer in Coimbatore.
Right before the auspicious festival of
Rakshabandhan, the project launched eco-friendly
coconut shell Rakhis made by the beneficiaries, and
this launch was carried forth under the product
collection named “Atoot”. The launch was received
exceptionally well and made over 250+ orders across
India, along with remarkable feedback from our
customers. “Atoot '' was aimed to venture towards
promoting sustainable celebrations. The long-term
goal of the project is to implement upcycling of
coconut waste on a larger scale including other
wastes such as husks, and leaves.
