Have you ever participated in a plantation drive or taken pledge to save the environment on the 5th of June and forgotten all about it the very next day? Well, you are not alone, most of us are guilty of it! However, the good news is, people are becoming increasingly conscious of the need to save the environment and some examples come as a ray of hope which proves all isn’t lost. A lot of it is inspired by the way of living our ancestors followed, because they lived in harmony with nature and environmental friendliness was their way of life.
Let us look at few examples:
1. Modern Mud Houses: Our ancestors lived in mud houses because it was naturally cooler and cheaper and a large population in rural India still live in such houses. The good thing is that a lot of environment conscious people have realized the benefits of it and now we have companies who can build you your dream house using mud which is durable, cost effective, environment friendly without compromising with the looks.
2. Clay Utensils: People are moving back to clay utensils- you can find a lot of ecommerce sites like Amazon, Flipkart, Etsy, etc. selling these. Best thing about clay is it is full of nutrients which when used for cooking makes a person healthier and its biodegradable nature makes it good for the environment.
3. Eco-friendly toiletries: People are becoming more aware of harmful impact of parabens and chemicals found in our regular soaps and shampoos and moving towards more eco-friendly ones and a lot of businesses are catering to it.
Our grandmothers and great grandmothers used to swear by the goodness of natural products like Reetha (Sapindus mukorossi), Amla (Indian Gooseberry) and Shikakai (Senegalia rugata) for healthy hair, and it is good to see that people now are embracing these natural ingredients once again.
4. Rise in use of solar energy: Solar energy is one such renewable energy source which has seen exponential growth across the world. Our ancestors used sunlight as an energy source to cook and also heat water. Now, the solar power is being harnessed to produce electricity. As per alliedmarketreserach.com, in 2018 the global solar energy market was valued at $52.5 billion and it is estimated to reach $223.3 billion by 2026. This is a good sign, as Governments across the globe are moving towards clean and sustainable energy resources, which would help reduce the carbon dioxide emissions and harmful impact of non-renewable energy on our environment.
5. Eco-friendly disposable cutlery and packaging: Use of plates made of Sal (Shorea robusta) leaves and eating in banana leaves was always prevalent in the Indian society and packing vegetables and food in leaves can still be witnessed in some places. Thanks to the rise in awareness to go-green and reduce plastic usage, disposable cutlery made of leaves is now gaining popularity across the globe. As for packaging with leaves, many supermarkets of Vietnam and Thailand have replaced plastic packaging with banana leaves to pack vegetables, this need to be adapted on a large scale by other countries as well for a significant reduction in plastic usage.
6. Opting for non-plastic bottles: People nowadays are increasing choosing bottles made of stainless steel, glass, copper, etc. and ditching the onetime plastic bottles.
7. Vegetarianism gaining popularity: Being vegetarian or non-vegetarian or turning vegan (no animal products including milk and milk products) is a personal choice. However, many people across the world are becoming vegetarian or lowering their meat intake to care for the environment, which as per studies has been proven to reduce carbon emissions.
8. Growing your food is the new cool: There is something very satisfying about growing your own vegetables, fruits and herbs. This has now become a trend and is catching up and it is all for the good. Lack of space has not proven to be a constraint since many people are growing herbs and microgreens in their limited space or kitchen gardens. Growing as little or as many foods as you can is beneficial for the grower and the environment.
All these are examples of some favorable changes which are reassuring to us, we know we have the ability to reverse and repair the damage that we have caused to the environment. As the famous lines from the poem Little Things goes, "Little drops of water, Little grains of sand, Make the mighty ocean And the pleasant land". There are many small things which we can incorporate in our daily lives that can collectively make a bigger impact in saving the environment, we just need to start from somewhere.
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