By: Smitha R Atherya
"A deliberate attempt to consciously conserve this planet- A simple life by me"
Since childhood we have been reading in our Environmental Science classes about the three R’s which is Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. But how many of us have totally been able to implement it? Also, every year on June 5th we celebrate “World Environment Day” religiously promoting awareness about the importance of conservation of our environment.
This year on June 5th I also attended a programme by an organization to celebrate “World Environment Day” and observed these things. Dignitaries who attended the programme spoke in depth about the conservation of our planet through various means but they forgot what they were preaching and what they were doing in action over there. In fact, I have attended many such programmes and other social functions where I have observed the same things.
Water was served in plastic bottles, use and throw caps for all participants and snacks in boxes, big plastic material banners, bouquets to the guests etc. I was wondering whether to accept the water bottle and snack box or deny it. Such is the irony of these programmes. People seldom follow what they preach.
Visiting such events made me ponder as to whether I am doing my bit or not. Then I sat down and I wrote in my diary about what I have done and must do in future.
I have been following some principles from many years to follow the three R’s and contribute a little towards sustainability , environment protection Every time I go the market, I carry my own bag. Even the vegetable vendors know that I get annoyed if he offers to give something in plastic bags. Then I try to avoid plastic usage at home, being it storage containers or other things. Things which have been bought years ago are still being used in my house. I don’t fall to the trap of buying new stuff for my kitchen whenever I see any discount at shops “Buy 1 Get 1”. If 2 or 3 clothes are discarded , only that many are bought to accommodate them in my wardrobe. Most of the times I am able to succeed. This requires lot of will power as nowadays designs and offers are too tempting.
Decluttering the house and giving away the unused ones or old ones is the best way to contribute towards cleanliness of our surroundings and also give away things for recycling. I normally use used sheets (one sided) for my personal work. Make sure to plant trees and take care of the plants in my garden. I advocate giving samplings instead of bouquet to friends. I prefer to buy cotton clothes than synthetic ones which have less bio degradability. Old stuff is normally recycled at my home be it wedding cards, or ceramic ware or bottles. Every small thing finds a suitable place of its own. I try to talk about sustainable development goals to my students and tell them that each one can do their little to make this world a better place to live. I consciously close opened taps in school and try to fix leaking ones at home. I teach students to think of projects helping conserving environment as EARTH IS THE ONLY LIVING PLANET for all of us. I also plan in future to reduce e waste from my home which is a major concern nowadays.
The small things which I am doing may not be very big to brag about or many people like me may be doing , but since I do it consciously, I feel proud about the fact that I can say that “Small actions lead to big reactions” and “Being a role model is better than to be a preacher”.