Observe Earth Hour in right earnest

Rajkumari Sharma Tankha

As we observe another Earth Hour (March 24) today, most people will go for “lights out” for an hour, from 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm. Do that by all means, but also pledge that you will not just observe this as a ritual but genuinely start caring for the environment in a more wholesome way. Observe the day as a part of the Green Good Deeds movement, and take at least one small, voluntary green action to protect and conserve the environment and the Earth.

Earth Hour, the world’s largest grassroots movement for environment,  is the global initiative of the World Wide Fund for Nature India in which 178 countries participate.

To inspire organisations, institutions and individuals to make informed  choices to protect environment and curb practices and lifestyles that burden it, this time the WWF-India has launched the “Give Up to Give Back” initiative and Connect2Earth campaign.

“The campaign should be seen as an opportunity to adopt a shifting of the consumption culture and behaviour change towards sustainability, helping economise operations and reduce the costs,” says Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Dr. Harsh Vardhan.  The minister said that GIVE UP is a choice that needs to make smarter decisions for the nature and deliver a long-term impact.

Take a pledge to undertake at least one Green Good Deed every day. Following are five things that you can, and must undertake for  the betterment of environment. For, upon the healthy environment rests healthy human race.

1) Give up single-use plastics: Single-use plastics, like plastic bottles disposable cups or straws, clog our water bodies as well as landfill sites. Go for alternatives like earthen cups.

2) Give up fossil fuels: Give up the conventional sources of power.  Use solar appliances like solar geysers, solar lights or install solar rooftop panels and generate your own power. There is nothing better for the planet’s health than some homegrown energy!

3) Give up lonely car rides: Choked roads lead to choked lungs. Vehicular emission is a major cause of air pollution.  For short distances cycle rides are excellent. For travelling longer distances use public transport or shared taxis/cars/bikes.

4) Give up E-waste: Every old mobile phone, laptop or any electronic gadget that you carelessly discard usually ends up in rivers, ultimately making its way back to our homes through the water we drink. Learn to dispose e-waste in a scientific way.

5) Use less and less of paper: Think before you print. Every time you print a document/bill/collateral, you are consuming  a tree. Do not waste paper.