“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” ~Native American Proverb

Think before you throw

Every day, all of us dump more and more plastic into our waste bins. Have we ever thought about the environmental impact of accumulating so much plastic on Earth? Even remote villages of India are slowly getting choked by the reckless dumping of plastic waste. The following describes the key aspects of this issue.

Plastic dump

Plastic, when burnt, creates carcinogenic fumes which are highly dangerous to our respiratory system. In our cities, plastic waste is just dumped or mixed up with other waste material and burnt on a large scale. The waste material also sometimes contains fused tube lights. How many of us are aware of the toxic mercury coating inside the tube light, and its harmful consequences?

The root cause

We cannot even think of living in a world without plastic. From packaged milk to recharge coupons for mobile phones, a whole lot of consumer goods utilise plastic. Our busy lives do not give us sufficient time to make use of proper disposal methods, and the first thing that comes to our minds is to throw the garbage along with plastics to the roadside. How many of us will spare the time for washing the used milk cover and give it for recycling? A good question to ask is: how many of the plastic packaging materials of fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) can be recycled efficiently?

Onus on industry

It is the responsibility of the industry to produce goods which can be recycled. They have to take the onus to see that the products which fetch them thousands of crores of rupees in profits do not end up killing Planet Earth. They should take steps to ensure that whatever non-biodegradable products they produce and market are recycled properly.

Individual responsibility

A few steps that can be taken by us:

{    Use your own bags made of jute (as they are cheaply available) to buy vegetables. This will reduce the number of use-and-throw plastic covers.

{    When shopping, insist on recycled paper or jute bags.

{    After use, store unwanted plastic packaging materials in old cartons and give them away for recycling.

{    Make bio-manure from our kitchen waste that is usually thrown away. The manure can be utilised in terrace gardens.

If the citizens are made aware of the environmental problems, then we can press our governments to take effective action. So, from today onwards, think before you throw!

Before it is too late, let us make a concerted effort to save Mother Earth, because we only have one.

Beautiful sky and lush green farms,

Sweet water from gushing streams,

Forests filled with sal, teak and pine,

Roaring animals and chirping birds all fine,

Clean and fresh air,

Pleasant weather all through the year,

Fresh flowers and fruits hanging all over,

Ample rainfall to help my plants grow,

My rivers to overflow,

I was full of joy and beautiful,

All my natural elements to the full,

How happy I was in my paradise.

Until one day, came the homo sapiens,

Who cut down my forests,

Fouled my holy waters with dirt and ashes,

Killed my innocent fishes, hunted down my beautiful birds,

Polluted my land and water,

Depleted my ozone layer,

Temperatures rose high, rains came down with acids,

Turning my sweet smelling earth rancid,

Left so much of smoke in the air,

That I am unable to breathe,

I am dying, dear,

Lend me an ear,

Only you can save me

And give me back my paradise.

Many of us think of ways to save money for our future and that of our children. We think of all possible solutions like tax saving investments, life insurance, provident fund, etc, to ensure a better future for our children and family. We try hard and save money for them. One thought that escapes us, and that is the topic of this discussion, is the fate of the very world they would live in. How good is money to them if they can’t inhale fresh air or live in clean surroundings free from communal strife?

Mankind is doing everything possible to spoil planet earth. Global warming, pollution, mass deaths due to natural calamities, inflation, corruption, terrorism, ozone layer depletion, toxic dumps — the list is never ending. We do hear people around us shouting slogans like "Save Green Earth" and "Help Tsunami Victims". Some of us support them either financially or morally. Our talks during teatime breaks are filled with discussions on similar issues. However, the fact is that we are hardly doing anything to safeguard our planet and ourselves.

Awareness of happenings around us and the world we live in is the key to being active toward such issues. A better society constitutes a better world. The concept in this context is that of care.

Mother Earth, getting older and fragile day by day, has given us all we ever wanted. It is time for us to give her the care she needs right now. It’s now or never. Respect her. Next time think twice before throwing that plastic garbage on to her face. Stop yourself from injecting more CO2 into her lungs. Stop the killing of her pets (birds and animals — our fellow beings on this planet). Change your lifestyle. Do whatever you can to save the world.

Here are a few tips that can help save our planet and the environment:

1.  Use your own bags for shopping. Reuse old plastic bags from your house. Alternatively, use cloth bags.

2.  Share vehicles. Take public vehicles when and where possible. For longer distances, try to travel on trains rather than flights. Aeroplanes pollute more than any other artificial vehicle.

3.  Cut down the use of paper. Maintain a paperless desk at the office. Avoid taking too many printouts just because you are not used to reading it from the monitor.

4.  Use anti-CFC deodorants and perfumes.

5.  Don’t waste water. Repair all dripping taps and leaking pipelines around you.

6.  Manage electricity usage properly. Switch off lights, fans, TV when not in use. Whenever possible, take the stairs instead of using elevators. You also get that much needed exercise.

7.  Discourage land encroachments in forested and agricultural areas. Plants and animals need their habitat more than anyone else does. It’s easier said than done but try to live as a joint family. Share the same roof with your parents even after you are married and have kids. There is nothing wrong in it.

8.  Waste management is one area where everyone is poor. Sort your household garbage into recyclable and non-recyclable content and dispose them accordingly. Dispose of batteries and other alkali-based products safely and properly.

9.  Don’t buy leather products. Don’t buy any product, which you suspect to be from the poaching industry.

10.  Plant trees wherever possible. If you are planning to buy land to build a house, plan and allocate some space for a little garden with at least one tree. Use artificial wood and plastic furniture in place of posh teak wood furniture. A single chair needs half the trunk of a ripe teak tree.

These are a few suggestions, which can contribute to "Save My Earth" movement. Like the old saying "Charity begins at home", "Saving Earth also begins at home". Look around you and do whatever you can to save the planet from extinction. So, next time when you feel the gentle rush of pure fresh air touching you, remember to make your contribution toward saving it for your kids!