Tap to Read ➤

Tips for Eco Friendly Living

Mrunal Belvalkar
Eco friendly living does not call for such drastic measures to be taken that they will be difficult to embrace. It calls for simple steps that will help better the environmental condition.
I used to always believe I led quite a responsible life, and that I am quite aware about environmental issues. But then I saw An Inconvenient Truth, and my perception about environmental issues was never the same again.
I heard a lot of people criticize some of the claims made in the film, and how the film was poorly researched and had got some major facts wrong, etc., and I felt a deep pity for all these people. Sometimes the whole purpose of an artist is so lost among piles of humbug.
Did Al Gore create the film to earn money? No. He did it to make people aware. Okay so he got a few numbers wrong - but is that really important? Is that really the point we should all be discussing? There are far too many environmental issues than we are all aware of, and can handle. But did these issues materialize out of thin air? No.
They are the consequences of our own actions. And just as we say 'sorry' to someone if we have hurt them, we should take responsibility and charge of the situation we are finding ourselves in today. It is in our hands to save our Earth from any more damage than it has already been inflicted with... after all, where else do we have to go?

25 Eco Friendly Living Tips
It is not as difficult as we think it is. Eco friendly living requires very small lifestyle changes that will help you live a life of better quality. To lead an eco friendly life is the crying need of the hour. Here is how you can do your bit.
➦ Always take the stairs while walking down the building. You are saving electricity.
➦ Let repairing a leaking tap take higher priority than catching the episode of your daily soap opera. Water is life.
➦ Carry water with you when you step out of the house. Avoid buying packaged drinking water.
➦ Carry shopping bags with you when you go out shopping, Avoid using plastic bags.
➦ Support recycling. Reuse bottle, jars, cartons, boxes etc. Buy recycled goods whenever possible.
➦ Avoid using colored bathing soaps. They contribute more to environmental pollution.
➦ Prefer to car pool. Carpooling has many benefits - environmentally, it saves fuel.
➦ Use mechanical pencils instead of wooden pencils. Save trees.
➦ Skip the speakers. Use headphones. Minimize sound pollution.
➦ Use efficient cooking methods. Cover food while heating on a burner - it heats up faster.
➦ Walk to places whenever you can. Saves money, saves fuel, helps you stay fit. If the distance is too much, use a bicycle.
➦ Avoid using leather. Prevent poaching.
➦ Do not smoke outdoors. Better still, do not smoke.
➦ Encourage kids to plant trees.
➦ Use solar cookers to cook food. Use solar water heaters instead of a boiler. Use renewable non-conventional sources of energy.
➦ Do you really need a new phone? Do you really need another laptop? Do you have to burn that DVD? Electronic waste is most difficult to recycle. Think again.
➦ Carry a napkin or a hand towel with you when you step out of the house. Avoid using tissue paper.
➦ Aid recycling - separate your garbage before you give it to the garbage collectors.
➦ Compost. It will take care of your wet garbage, and give you 100% organic fertilizer for your garden.
➦ Choose organic veggies over traditional ones. Save land pollution.
➦ Avoid using body deodorants. They contain CFC. Use body splash, talcum powder or speed-stick instead.
➦ Restrict the number of light bulbs in your house. Avoid light pollution.
➦ Wear eco-friendly clothes.
➦ Do not just watch movies like Wall-E, Happy Feet, 2012, Avatar, The 11th Hour for the entertainment factor - take the message home.
➦ Inculcate responsibility among yourself and your children. Earth is the only place we got to live. We can't go anywhere from here. Wake up.
➦ Everyone only thinks for him/herself these days. But at the rate at which we are going, 2012 looks exactly like how our future is going to be. Maybe not 2012, maybe 2022. But the end may really be that close. It is time we wake up and rise to the situation we have ourselves pulled upon us.
Yes development is crucial and necessary. But it is time we ask 'At What Cost?' when we say that. Together we can, and we should do whatever it is in our power, in our hands to make Earth a little cleaner and greener than what it was yesterday, and keep making it better and better for a brighter future.