As usual, I came
from my morning walk and sat down in my balcony with the newspaper and a cup of
tea. I was going through political and business news, turning the pages one by
one when I got a surprise. The next couple of pages were full of features on
the Earth and environment! Not something that happens everyday, surely.
Suddenly I realized that it was Earth Day. I remember thinking how newspapers
just don’t forget these days. Then I wondered what would happen if media did forget
bringing supplements on these days and didn’t remind us of the task ahead. They
are contributing immensely to the cause. The fact that Earth Day is being celebrated shows how much we have awakened
to the environmental issues. We should now review our progress and commit
ourselves to future. Various articles by eminent persons in the special
supplement brought out fresh ideas on the subject and gave me a lot of food for
thought. The topics covered included biodiversity, sustainable energy
solutions, energy efficiency, water stewardship, environmental policy etc. I was
really impressed by the wide coverage of environmental issues by mainstream
papers. Three cheers to our media!!!
Much has changed
from the day when we used to remember Earth Day just for the sake of getting it
right in exams. In those days I used to think why so many days have been
created, making life difficult for students appearing in exams! After all no
body bothered about them – no celebration, or media coverage or any
conversation! Those days seem far behind now. People have become much more
conscious of environmental issues and are ready to take the plunge for a better
future. Industry is slowly, but surely, coming around to view sustainability as
imperative to growth and to create tangible value to shareholders. Governments
around the world are burning the midnight oil in formulating policies for
facilitating their development on the low-carbon path. However, the challenges
of sustainability are so huge and interconnected, these efforts, though
commendable, are proving inadequate. Every decision we take and every progress
we make, we have negative environmental consequences awaiting us unless we
internalize sustainability concerns in decision-making. Who would have thought,
decades back, that green revolution, a harbinger of food security in India,
could also have negative consequences on biodiversity. Yesterday while reading
the interview of Vandana Shiva, an ecological activist, I learnt that it
created an artificial cycle of nitrogen-phosphorous-potassium for the soil, leaving
the soil deficient of nutrients needed by the plants, and in-turn by us. This resulted
in a nutrients deficient food system where our foods are empty of essential
nutrients. I do not know whether this is true or not, but Ms. Shiva presents a
compelling other side of the coin and this is forcing me to think beyond what I
learnt in my school and college.
After finishing the daily ritual of reading
newspapers, I tuned on to Google to check my mails and what do I see! The Earth Day Google doodle! I played around
it by clicking on the sun, the moon and the clouds, seeing them move across the
horizon, rain or snow according to the weather and even the trees growing or
shedding leaves. Great animation! Thanks to Google for creating awareness among
net surfers about the need to protect environment through an innovative doodle.
I am sure these efforts to sensitize masses on environmental protection would
bring about fundamental changes in the way we consume resources. And believe
you me, such sensitization does help.
It has great impact on us, especially on young children. Have you noticed that
children in our houses are now at the forefront when it comes to saving resources?
They point out when one forgets to switch off the light/fan/TV while leaving
the room, or when the water tap is not properly closed/left open while
brushing/shaving. It makes great business sense to invest in children’s
education to promote sustainable living style.
God has given us a beautiful mind. Even if one
pays little attention to such campaigns, they remain buried in our
sub-conscious and emerge at just the right moment and help us make the right
decision. Today when we look for certain products, we have various alternatives
available in the market. For example – you have number of environment-friendly
paper brands available in the market, with little or no cost premium. The onus is on us to exercise our choice and
know that we care for our earth. By doing so, we would not only be reducing our
carbon footprint but also motivating industries to undertake more research and
come-up with other, innovative green products. Only when more and more
consumers opt for green alternative, it would make a deeper impact. Every one
of us has a role to play. I like the Unilever’s initiative with Tesco called “A
better future starts at home” to drive consumers adopting greener products and
services. As part of its initiative, Unilever advises its consumers on
sustainable living that is key for meeting our goal of sustainable society. Our
future depends on what action we take today at our home. What is stopping us from
making a good beginning at our homes? Our action to save earth cannot wait for ‘some
other’ day. After all, we have only one earth! Happy Earth Day!!!
