Friday, April 24, 2009

Going green should be easier to cause desirable impact!

I have come across enthusiastic appeals to contribute towards saving the environment by modifying the way I go about my everyday life. For example, I am piling up dozens of used batteries simply because I am yet to find an environmentally safe way of disposing them, even after actively searching for a recycling plant or safe-disposal facility close to Hyderabad. The same predicament applies to anything that can be connected to electricity from cellphone chargers to television sets. More importantly,

I find it very difficult to avoid using plastics. I buy juice in a tetrapack as against a plastic bottle, only to find that even they use plastic linings to make it waterproof. After little research I come to understand that there is no environmentally safe, affordable water-proofing alternative to plastics available to common man. If such a solution is not available, how is one going to avoid plastics?

Often those who make the transition to the green lifestyle would be forced to spend more on a regular basis!(either as cash or as time trying to figure out a green work-around). As a result, such a community will always be small. Worse, there will always be someone who says, "You know. Its too tough to be green" and will get back to the bad-old ways! (Consider the poor. They generate a lot of waste, but don't participate in waste management in proportion. But is it their fault?)

On the other hand even when solutions are available for an environmental problem, common man is not effectively sensitized. Consider the case of disposing kitchen wastes. Composting them to manure and using them as manure for plants is a tried and tested solution. However, the process of composting or the fact that such small compost bins are available in the market are known only the to environmentally conscious. Good intentions of appeals to be environmental consciousness not withstanding, a tangible impact can be achieved only if proven green alternatives are available and affordable so that common man doesn't really have to subscribe to the green movement to be green

6 comments:

Unknown said...

become entrepreneurial mate! Why not start a recycling unit? I was always wondering how much we can recycle and re-sell?!?!?!

ranjit nair said...

It's actually possible to avoid plastics..just a bit of pain in everyday routine.
This time when I went home , I went cloth shopping. Consciously took my back pack, said no to plastics & came home.
No mineral water buying.Get good solid plastic (ya plastic!) bottles and use it fr a year. Fill water before leaving home and carry.
Say no to packaged juices, buy fruits and mash 'em up in a mixer.

Ya agreed that all these might result in a bit of pain initially, but then all habit changing activities induce some pain.

Unknown said...

recycling causes more problem than it solves. the amount of chemicals and energy used in recycling a product is more than what it takes to make a new one. esp with plastic, recycling results in a poor quality product and results in lot of pollution. products should be designed with re-usability in mind.

in my prev comment, the word "recycle" can be replaced with "repair" or "rebuild" or "replenish"...

Unknown said...

badri, can u send me the link to the compost bin you wrote about in the article?

Driver said...

Being green doesn't necessarily mean avoiding plastic. If you buy a beverage in a plastic bottle, try to "re-use" it. That is a step towards being green. Try getting fountain sodas as opposed to bottled sodas, if you can't live without sodas. Even better - buy fresh fruits and make your own drink. It not only makes you green, but also makes you healthy. Promote green concepts like self-sustainable lifestyle. Grow your own vegetable and herb garden, if space permits. Carry your re-usable cloth bags when you buy your grocery.

Basant Singh said...

I think mineral water bottles are the biggest source of pollutants. It has become a fashion to flaunt one even though we don't know what quality of water is inside it, as mineral water packaging units are mashrooming in every corner of the big cities!