Baby steps towards a eco-friendly life!
There are small steps everyone can take, wherever you live, to make your environment clean and green. Do it for yourself and it will sure bring a change in your life. These are not big life-altering steps; they just mean you have to make an extra effort, like the time you spend 5 minutes bargaining for something you like, the 5 minutes you spend waiting outside the theater to watch your favorite star light up the screen. Just a little extra effort and you can do it.
• Start with reducing your use of electricity. Turn off fans,lights, AC's and heaters when not needed.
• Change to low watt bulbs. You need to spend a little money for this but it does reduce your monthly electricity bill.
• Take your own bags when you head out to the store. Remember the days when you carried your bags to the market? Before the era of plastic bags? It is really simple. I do knows, plastic bags are extremely convenient at instances but other times carry your own bag. In the BHEL, Trichy campus there is a board that says “Carry your bags and not plastic carrybags” a good advice to follow.
If you live in the US, at your grocery store, please ask for paper bags. Most grocery stores have a plastic bag recycle program. Instead of throwing away your plastic bags, let them be recycled. Collect some bags and the next trip to the store remember to take them. Yes a little extra effort but worth it.
• If your destination is close-by, walk down or drive a bicycle. If you can use the public transportation system- please do. But if you live in a city like Houston where the public transportation system is somebody’s weird idea of joke, you really cannot help it. Try a carpool. Yes it means on some days you end up staying late at work or going early to accommodate your carpool partner but I am sure you can work around. A little extra effort!
• Plant some trees around your house or if like me you live in an apartment or a flat, a patio/ balcony garden works well. Grow a few flowering plants, few herbs and vegetables. Use natural fertilizer instead of chemicals and enjoy an organic garden.
• If you live in the US, join the recycle program. Most cities offer them free for residents. Houston has a recycle program once every 2 weeks. If your area does not have a recycling program find out where your closet recycle center is located and go ahead recycle your paper and milk and detergent containers. It costs nothing.
Try starting a recycle program in your neighborhood. Collect newspapers and other dry paper and sell them to a recycler.
• Try to use less of hot water. Invest in solar power heaters they work great.
• If you want to go one step ahead, think about eco-friendly natural materials for your carpet the next time you replace them, say no to latex paints and go for eco-friendly but more expensive paints.
No! We are not there yet. We are still at the baby steps stage. I am not even sure if we’ll graduate out of the baby steps stage. But I know we are doing our bit and it gives us a satisfaction. Think about it! And like those weight-loss programs ads on TV, “If I can do it, so can you”
A better environment, for you and for me and for the whole universe!
• Start with reducing your use of electricity. Turn off fans,lights, AC's and heaters when not needed.
• Change to low watt bulbs. You need to spend a little money for this but it does reduce your monthly electricity bill.
• Take your own bags when you head out to the store. Remember the days when you carried your bags to the market? Before the era of plastic bags? It is really simple. I do knows, plastic bags are extremely convenient at instances but other times carry your own bag. In the BHEL, Trichy campus there is a board that says “Carry your bags and not plastic carrybags” a good advice to follow.
If you live in the US, at your grocery store, please ask for paper bags. Most grocery stores have a plastic bag recycle program. Instead of throwing away your plastic bags, let them be recycled. Collect some bags and the next trip to the store remember to take them. Yes a little extra effort but worth it.
• If your destination is close-by, walk down or drive a bicycle. If you can use the public transportation system- please do. But if you live in a city like Houston where the public transportation system is somebody’s weird idea of joke, you really cannot help it. Try a carpool. Yes it means on some days you end up staying late at work or going early to accommodate your carpool partner but I am sure you can work around. A little extra effort!
• Plant some trees around your house or if like me you live in an apartment or a flat, a patio/ balcony garden works well. Grow a few flowering plants, few herbs and vegetables. Use natural fertilizer instead of chemicals and enjoy an organic garden.
• If you live in the US, join the recycle program. Most cities offer them free for residents. Houston has a recycle program once every 2 weeks. If your area does not have a recycling program find out where your closet recycle center is located and go ahead recycle your paper and milk and detergent containers. It costs nothing.
Try starting a recycle program in your neighborhood. Collect newspapers and other dry paper and sell them to a recycler.
• Try to use less of hot water. Invest in solar power heaters they work great.
• If you want to go one step ahead, think about eco-friendly natural materials for your carpet the next time you replace them, say no to latex paints and go for eco-friendly but more expensive paints.
No! We are not there yet. We are still at the baby steps stage. I am not even sure if we’ll graduate out of the baby steps stage. But I know we are doing our bit and it gives us a satisfaction. Think about it! And like those weight-loss programs ads on TV, “If I can do it, so can you”
A better environment, for you and for me and for the whole universe!
3 Comments:
Simple. yet Effective. Like whats required for our planet. Simple and effective action !
Small drops to make an ocean. If only each one of us take these steps seriously……
This is indeed a very practical solution to the environmental issue..Something that a common man can contribute..
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