Environmental activists chip away at our social conscience everyday hoping that we can stall, if not reverse, the damage that's been inflicted on the planet
Environmental activists chip away at our social conscience everyday hoping that we can stall, if not reverse, the damage that's been inflicted on the planet. More brands and consumers have warmed up to the idea of environment-friendly, carbon footprint reducing products. Carbon footprint measures the amount of green house gases emitted by an individual, event or a product (go to www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx to calculate yours). Turning the air conditioner to 24 degrees, recycling bags, cycling or walking across to short distances, using public transport and carpooling are some of the commonly known ways to reduce consumption of fuel and electricity. Saying no to imported food items, be it fruit that goes into our shopping basket or vegetables and ingredients that are a given at a fine dining restaurant, in turn cuts down on the fuel consumption involved in flying down these items.
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"Preliminary levels of involvement are low," says Rishi. Since carbon footprint is directly linked to an individual's energy consumption, even simple steps such as switching off electrical appliances when they are not in use and unplugging them even after they've been switched off, go a long way in energy conservation. "Just cut away frivolous consumption," says Rishi when he refers to ways to reduce carbon footprint, "Everything consumes energy even the production of something extra that you throw away. So act responsibly before you buy those extra clothes, food or perfumes."u00a0
There aren't enough green options around, argue some. "I have the money to buy both a car and an AC, and sometimes I'm really tempted to buy a car. I'd like to own a car but considering there are no good environmentally-friendly options, I don't want to. Reva is the only option available but it's a two-seater and it isn't a viable option for me. I'm waiting for that green car to come in," says Rachel Peter, who heads the promo production department at a TV channel, "Yesterday I read about a green sports car from Toyota. It doesn't fit into the common man's pay packet. Nobody's thinking of a good, economically viable green car."
Rishi, who's onto the next level of carbon footprint reduction suggests switching to LED (Light Emitting Diode) bulbs instead of CFL (Compact Fluroscent Lamp) and also using solar water heaters in residential buildings. "In a city like Mumbai especially, where there's no smoke wall (blocking the sun's rays) it's a criminal waste of solar energy," says Rishi. In fact the government offers waivers to societies on the amount spent on investing a solar water heater. It's both easy on paper and in practice if it's turned around into a lifestyle, suggests Rishi.
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