Sustainability Begins at Home!!!

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!!!