Be A Conservationist

GLOBAL WARMING, climate change, environmental pollution--these are large-scale, global problem and it is easy to feel overwhelmed about making a real change. But the truth is, even small efforts made by a single person for households or neighbourhoods can make a big difference in the war against climate change. Here are a few ideas:

BUY THINGS THAT LAST

Today, all of us, plagued by pollution and its grave consequences, understand and support the motto to reduce, reuse and recycle--the idea of producing minimal waste, reducing emissions by buying less, choosing durable items over disposable ones and repairing and donating rather than discarding things you no longer need.

PRE-CYCLE

According to a UN report on plastic, nearly 50 per cent of the plastic waste generated globally in 2015 came from product packaging. Vast amounts of resources and fossil fuels are used to produce the paper, plastic, glass, aluminium and styrofoam used for wrapping goods. While some packaging is essential, manufacturers often add extra layers of unnecessary plastic. Give up veggies that are packed individually at superstores and speak to their staff about switching to paper bags. Or take your ownto avoid the need for polythene carry bags. Let stores know you object to such excess by boycotting their products and speaking out. Rally friends and neighbours to do the same. When possible, buy in bulk and look for refill packs or refillable containers.

RECYCLE

Many cities have facilities for collecting and recycling paper, glass and plastic. Participate in community recycling efforts or start one if there aren’t any. In Al Gore’s book An Inconvenient Truth, the author posits that if 1,00,000 people who currently don’t recycle began to do so, they would collectively reduce carbon emissions by 42,000 tons per year!

Adapted from Prevention India. © April 2015 Living Media India Limited.