Time is important and what is important is always in shortage. We all struggle with time management. Every day, we find it difficult to take care of our own shelves. So the question would arise who has the time to take care of this planet! But, if we take a moment to pause and think, then we would understand if the place where we exist perishes, then what would we do! If not us then who, if not now then when?

We have to understand that this planet earth is our only home. And the environment is the only protective layer that helps in keeping us alive. But we as a race have taken it for granted and continue doing so every single day. And the time is not far when the repercussions will be so alarming that we will be left with any options left. But before it is too late, let us take a pledge to contribute in our own small ways so that we do our bit of responsibility towards the space that we occupy on this planet. The efforts might seem very trivial. But when we over 1.2 billion collectively commit to bringing in a positive change, the results can be surely impactful. The below ways can be inculcated by us easily in our day to day busy lives that can save environment which is degrading with time.

1- Reduce – Reuse- Recycle: Being mindful of our choices can go a long way. To bring in effective changes we can consciously try to minimize our own carbon footprint on this planet by modifying our choices & curbing our consumption. If anything can not be reused, it can not be recycled and hence becomes hazardous for our environment. So, to keep this little idea embedded in our minds can really help in making this world a better place to inhabit.

2-Choose reusable options: Avoid straws, plastic water bottles for drinking and switch to anything that can be reused. Even cutting down on the dresses that we wear can go a long way because if we understand that the resources that go into producing that one T-shirt we would understand that even fashion needs to be ethical for our long-term sustenance.

3- Switch off – This is a small step that we can easily make a daily habit. Whenever not needed, the lights & fans of each room must be closed. As trivial as it can seem, but it can really help in the consumption of energy. The world is already struggling with an energy deficit crisis and there is an effort to switch to a renewable source of energy and phase out fossil fuels or our dependency on non-renewable sources of energy.

4- Go – Public- Carpooling or using public transport is one of the best ways to cut down on harmful carbon emissions and to some extent help in reducing the massive air pollution that is plaguing the congested Metro cities.

5- No Plastic Bags– Remember the time when you are about to make the final billing and you remember that you have forgotten to get that cloth bag and end up paying extremely high for that one bag! It hurts a lot. Imagine how much would it hurt mother earth to be taken for granted. Only if it could tell, we would know!

6-Support NGOs that work in protecting the environment -Sometimes, the best we can do is to support people who have expertise in solving something. There are many NGOs who work relentlessly to save planet earth yet struggle for funding to keep themselves afloat. Sometimes, the requirement is not money but manpower and the willingness to bring in change. If we can support monetarily or by becoming a volunteer as the need be, then we can certainly do our responsibility towards saving our mother earth in a big way. Few NGOs that help in this regard can be found here.

7- Gift a tree– Nothing can be ever useful as replenishing the forest cover that this earth is losing every single day. And to do so, planting trees is the only solution. Where there is no denying that the government’s focus on having plantation drive should be increased manyfold, but the individual effort to plant more trees in our own vicinity should also be simultaneously taken into consideration. A small change can also be made when we encourage to gift plants on auspicious occasions and encourage them to take care of the growth of the plant.

8- Be conscious when you travel– We all love traveling and tourism is a thriving business. But with the rise in understanding the importance of travel for our healthy living, we also have to sensitize ourselves of the waste that we generate while traveling and how we discard it without harming the pristine locations that we visit. Most of the time, we find people throwing away plastic waste and leaving the place untidy and sometimes even to the point of making it a garbage dump. Emphasis on ecotourism and spreading awareness about the change in behavior is the need of the hour.

9-Support local– We use many items in our daily lives. But if we think about the path that this product takes to reach us, we will understand how the environment is affected. The fuel cost combined with the packaging takes a toll on the environment. To reduce this effect, we can always support local farmers and favor that is available locally be it supporting the farm to table restaurants or buying a piece of art from local artists or supporting indigenous art & craft items

10- Save Water– We all are aware of the water shortage that we will be facing in the near future. Earth is livable for many reasons and one of them is water. So if we do not consciously use the water today, we will not have any answers for future generations to come.

What do you personally do to save the environment? Do let us know!

Love,

Chinmayee

This post is part of #CauseAChatter with Blogchatter