WHERE ARE WE REALLY HEADING TO?
LIVE IN JOY AND PROGRESS
OR
DIE IN MISERY AND REGRESS???OR
ARE WE SELFISHLY ENJOYING OR DO RESERVE ANY FOR OUR CHILDREN????
LET LIFE FORM IN THE PLANET DISAPPEAR?????
The EARTH is
our home that we have been taking it for granted. Before the industrial age and
age of steam engines with plumes of smoke, life was a lot simpler. There was
harmony: each species had enough to sustain and the good mother earth was kind
to all of us. Our forefathers had wooden cottages and mud walls, fuel was
gathered from the woods, and lived peacefully with their neighbours.
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| Peaceful Village Life in India in the Past |
And, decades later……
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| Modern Kochi City_Skyline |
We live in a
so-called ‘prestigious township’ housing hundreds of premium villas or apartments
and yet would not know our neighbours. We generate millions and millions megawatts
of electricity, blocking free-flow of water in the hills and rivers, to consume
unlimited energy to keep our luxury appliances and equipments running, 365 days
in a year. Today, when we step out of our house we see smog. The air in most
Indian cities is polluted and in the number of asthma patients, who are mostly our
friends and relations, is on the rise!
Whatever
changes we have seen earlier and see today are man-made. Changes made for enjoyment by man himself. And, nothing has been done by us for making
the Mother Nature happy! In fact, we
only have been stealing her freedom, happiness and beauty!
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| Our Pristine Planet Earth |
Changes we
make in the name of socio-economic development and improvisation of our conveniences
but we actually don’t seem to have gained a lot. Rather we have undone the nature a lot. There is
inherent greed in everything; the modern international trade and economics is
tilted heavily in favour of the mega corporate who only believe in the word ‘consumerism’.
They build reservoirs, undoing forests, and then sell drinking water to us in sealed
bottles! They build apartments, undoing trees,
lakes and fertile farming lands and digging rivers to draw sands, and then sell
the space to us! They produce
fertilizers and chemicals to support farming and living beings, but mercilessly
pollute rivers by dumping chemical wastes on the river banks.
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| Pollution is Killing the Holy River Ganges |
We have lost
our way. Look at the junk we throw on earth – computer waste (ever wondered where
all those used printers or diskette or RAMs are thrashed!) They are not
biodegradable as are plastic covers.
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| Deadly and Non-Biodegradable E-waste Yard |
Once born,
we all will have to live on this planet, whether we like it or not. Planets
were designed for all the beings including us to live happily in;
the sun rises each morning, the planets keep moving in their constellations and
orbits, the days and nights constantly follow a rhythm, seasons change and
nature fills our tanks with water and heat, support
us with the essential elements of our lives – earth, air, water, space and fire.
But we modern
men in our heedless shortsightedness have corrupted the environment and stays
undoubted proceeding in that direction.
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| Five Basic Elements that Constitutes the Universe |
Global Warming is fast becoming a
reality. A top American scientist on climate
changes said “there can be no question that the increase in greenhouse gases
are dominated by human activities, simply put, we are releasing too much
pollution into the world”.
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| Global Warming is Destroying Life on the Planet |
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its fourth
assessment reports was unequivocal in the increase in greenhouse gases and
rising temperatures. Some of the key observations make for disturbed reading.
- "Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide have increased
markedly as a result of human activities since 1750 and now far exceed
pre-industrial values.
-
The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in 2005 (379 ppm) exceeds by far the natural range of the last 650,000 years (180
to 300 ppm).
-
The amount of methane in the atmosphere in 2005 (1774 ppb) exceeds by far the natural range of the last 650,000 years (320
to 790 ppb).
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Nitrous oxide concentrations have risen from a pre-industrial
value of 270 ppb to a 2005 value of 319 ppb.
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| High Rates of Toxic Emissions Fill Our Atmosphere |
Warming of the planet
- Cold days, cold nights, and frost events have become less
frequent. Hot days, hot nights, and heat waves have become more frequent.
Additionally:
-
Eleven of the twelve years in the period (1995–2006) rank among
the top 12 warmest years in the instrumental record (since 1880).
- Warming in the last 100 years has caused about a 0.74 °C increase in global average temperature. This is up from the 0.6 °C increase in the 100 years.
- Observations
since 1961 show that the ocean has been absorbing more than 80% of the heat
added to the climate system, and that ocean temperatures have increased to
depths of at least 3000 m (9800 ft).
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| Nature Violently Reacts at Times Destroying Lives |
Ice, snow, permafrost, rain, and
the oceans
- "Mountain glacier and
snow cover have declined on average in both hemispheres."
- Ocean warming causes seawater to expand, contributing to rising in
sea levels.
- Sea level rose at an average rate of about 1.8 mm/year during
the years 1961-2003. The rise in sea level during 1993-2003 was at an average
rate of 3.1 mm/year.
We all love the sight of a beautiful
beach. The warm sands, clear blue waters, and receding waves at our feet as it
makes it to the shores and the breeze transport us to a new world of health and
fun.
Unfortunately those gorgeous beaches
are fast getting despoiled. Trash in the form of packaging covers or plastic
bottles is infiltrating even the most remote corners of the world; even the
Himalayas are not spared.
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| Even Himalayas are Turning into Dumping Yards |
All these excess have damaged the
environment to the brink. Mother nature has started reacting to our
unscrupulous actions. Now we are already
seeing its effects. Haven’t we from our own experiences seen how nature has
turned violent? The recent storm in New York had turned even the world’s
greatest superpower powerless before the forces of nature. Cyclones, earth quakes, tsunamis are ever more
frequent.
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| Massive Cyclones Sweeping Through the Planet |
Flooding has gone hand in hand with
drought – dry regions have got drier and wet regions are getting wetter. Dams built by man to feed man, are ultimately
turning a tool to de-link the relationships between two neighbouring states
creating tense situation among the inhabitants in those states.
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| Scarcity of Water and Drought in Many Areas |
All these problems are caused by man.
And so we must fix it. We must take responsibility. Nature keeps warning us to
change our consumerist mindset. We need to go back to a simpler and sustainable
way of living. We have no choice but to repair the damage caused to the
eco-system; else coastal cities like Mumbai could be submerged within our
generation.
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| Sea Levels Rising Threatening to Sink Sea-Side Cities |
IT’S OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO
LIVE ALIGNED WITH
AND WAKE UP TO SAVE NATURE...
So even while you are busy in your
routine life, spare some moments to think of the planet and realize that it
needs your care and attention.
SOME SMALL STEPS YOU CAN ADOPT TO SAVE THE NATURE!!!
Science has proved
conclusively that the earth’s fragile environment is in danger of tripping over
– rising temperatures, rising sea level, cyclones and earth quakes are the signs.
They are indirectly warning us to get to our act to reverse our actions.
We do need a daily
warning of things going out of control if only the media can get over its
fascination for the stars of movie & sports. The earth has never been
threatened to this extent in its entire history. The dinosaurs were extinct and
now it will be our turn. Yet, the corporate world with its consumerist mindset is
pushing us to consume more and more new cars, air conditioners and
refrigerators!
But we as a consumer do always have
a choice. We can contribute in small ways and effect policy changes. Our
leaders would listen if we put “the health of environment” at the top of the
priority list. Small things like switching off the computer monitor, or
recycling water or using natural foods will go a long way. If one person
affects a change, then hundreds would follow and pretty soon everyone would be
aware of living in harmony with nature.
In the
long run “environment aware” consumer will force the market to deliver along
those lines! That's the power of WE, the consumer! Let’s remember, if one can be
a good person, two can be better, and few can be the best!
Let me
enlist simple/ healthy efficient way of living that I try stick on.
Rethink
transportation.
Our daily transport needs a lot of fresh thinking. Forget
the hybrids and SUVs, they are gas guzzlers. Yes, using public transportation is important.
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| Various Options of Public Transport |
Use car only when it is
absolutely necessary. Walk down to the nearby grocery store. Try to see if you
can get used to a bicycle. It provides good exercise and is very environment
friendly as well. Frequent walking and cycling practice must replace your car
travels. Stick to this transportation preferences as far as possible: walking/ cycling,
2 wheeler, 4 wheeler in that order.
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| Bicycling is a Healthier Way of Transport |
Explore with your neighbours opportunities to share your/ their
car to commute between your home and work place. Check the mileage of your
vehicle and have it serviced regularly; get the filters of the AC cleaned
regularly. It is advised to check the vehicle emission test twice a year.
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| Our Vehicles Add a Lot to Polluting the Air We Breath |
SAVE ELECTRICITY
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| Electricity Wasted Will Crush Our Lives Too |
Every one
of us can contribute to minimize consumption of electricity. One of the many ways usage of energy saving
CFL bulbs.
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| CFL's are Better Options to Save Electricity |
We should
habituate to switch off lights/fans when we are not in the rooms.
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| Switch Off is the Best Option to Save Electricity |
Normally most
of the family members spend their time in the living room and women folks of
the family spend most of their time in the kitchen when we can avoid using lights/fans/AC in other
areas. Use zero watt bulbs in the areas
like balcony, open veranda, etc that could do with basic lighting.
The myth
of "turning it off uses more energy than keeping it on all the time"
exists for just about every device that exists, and it's wrong in every single
case, in practical terms. You will always save electricity by turning your
device off when you're not using it (or sleeping it, if it's a computer).
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| Putting to Sleep is Best to Save Electricity |
Standby
power is electricity used by all appliances and equipment while they are
switched off or not performing their primary function. Almost any product with an external power
supply, remote control, continuous display (including an LED), or charged
batteries will draw power continuously.
So, if you aren't frequently using a device, unplug it.
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| Unplug Your Devices When NOT in Use |
Use a
switchable power strip for clusters of computer or video products. That way you
can switch everything to zero with one action.
You will certainly be surprised at what you discover and this exercise
can save a lot of energy for the nation and money for you.
Did you know that heating and cooling can make up to 50
percent of your energy bill each month? If you heat and cool your home more
efficiently by fixing leaks, you’ll save money and reduce your impact on the
environment.
Go solar for your hot water requirements. We installed it and we saw a 250 Rs drop in our electricity bill from the next month!
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| Usage of Solar Energy is Eco-Friendly Living |
SAVE WATER
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| Water is as Precious as Life Itself |
Restrict use of water
Make sure
you or any of your family members don’t leave the taps open when not required, for
example while shaving or having a face wash or performing any every day chore.
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| Turn of the Taps When NOT in Use to Save Water |
I have
read somewhere that Sachin Tendulkar does not use the shower! Showers do drain
a lot of water.
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| Avoid Usage of Showers for Bathing to Save Water |
Beware of kitchen queens!
It is
important that you train your servant maid on water conservation. When using a
fully automatic washing machine, use it at full load as much as possible. Ask
her to fill water in a tub and use that to wash utensils, instead of drawing
water directly from the tap continuously.
This way you can save gallons of water!
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| Use Dish Wash Tubs in Place of Taps to Save Water |
Get rain water harvesting done at your
building/apartment complex. It is inexpensive but easy, efficient way of
re-charging the ground water.
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| Rain Water Harvesting is an Essential Water Conservation Policy |
Fix
water leaks in the bathroom, kitchen, landscaping, etc.
You know those tiny leaks you’ve been neglecting inside your
house and in your landscaping? Guess what? That water loss adds up over time
and can cost you big money in addition to wastage of natural resource. Protect
our fresh water resources and save money by fixing those leaks immediately!
It’s also one of many great ways to save the earth.
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| STOP Minor Leakages to Save Gallons of Water |
Consider switching to a low-flow toilet.
About 41% of our indoor water usage
in the home goes toward flushing the toilet and 33% goes to bathing! Replace
your old sanitary wares with modern wares which are designed to use water
efficiently.
Join your neighbourhoods
Lastly,
if possible form an “eco-club” in the neighborhoods. You all can jointly plant new saplings native to
the soil before monsoon and grow trees,
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| Panting Sapling Around and Youth Involvement to Save the Planet |
save
old trees from mindless chopping
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| Awareness of RIGHT action is Important |
and
most importantly keep the streets and atmosphere clean & clear.
These are small steps that go a long way in preserving
the health of our planet and sure our species too!!!
IT'S HIGH TIME WE RETHINK NOW
DO LIVE IN JOY AND PROGRESS IN LIFE...
NOT DIE IN MISERY AND REGRESS IN LIFE...
NOT LIVE SELFISH, BUT DO CONTRIBUTE TO OUR CHILDREN...
LET LIFE FORMS IN THE PLANET CONTINUE AFTER US...
All the readers' valid comments and ideological contributions are invited:
