Make Earth – A Green House
A couple of decades ago when we used to talk about going green or ‘GREEN REVOLUTION’ the term, in our minds automatically got related to the villages that is the rural areas only. Exercises like growing more and more crops, preserving our grass lands, irrigating properly and effectively, sensible rotation of crops to keep the soil fertile and intact, adequate use of fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides and many more. These concepts are to be obeyed today also but the fundamental definition of ‘GOING GREEN’ has totally changed in the modern, industrialized and high-tech savvy world. To go green has now become the responsibility more and more of the urban people as compared to the rural one.
Let us take the most current example which is in the headlines of newspapers all over the world ‘THE BROWN CLOUD’. It is a noxious cocktail of soot, smog and chemicals suspending in the atmosphere and hovering over a vast part of our earth. Scientist has declared that it is caused by urban pollution such as vehicle emissions, soot and burning of bio-fuels like wood and crops. Its impact below is really there atoning in numerous ways mainly.
– It has cut down the rice harvest by about 11%
– With less sunlight coming through the cloud, some of the biggest cities are under a haze and got darker by 10-25%
– It is causing melting of glaciers causing acute water shortage across the area below it.
– If this so called brown cloud mixes with the green house gases it will change the whether patterns and destroy the crops all over the world.
Doesn’t it sound more devastating than terrorism or nuclear arm race or religious racial and regional conflicts?
Yes it does.
Whenever such subjects are talked about me quite simply blame the whole issue on to the welfare associations, civic and government organizations ( NGO’S), corporate houses and the UN sponsored agencies but do we ever think, what we as an individual are contributing towards the cause? Unfortunately we don’t. But the now the time has come for us to think and act, Sooner the better.
‘GOING GREEN’ just does not restrict only to the pollution. It means much more than that for the urban people. It includes preservation and conservation of energy (both natural and man produced) and efficient utilization of water resources etc. The concepts is just not for ecological and biological. It concerns about the health of you and your family and well being of your generation to come.
I do not urge the modern city people to feel any type of bondage, compulsion or of any sort. Wear black, go blue in discotheque’s and late night parties or go and paint the town red on your hard earned weekends but just please try to go green in your normal day to day activities. We should
– Plant and nurture plants and trees.
– Conserve water/ power everyday.
– Harvest rain water.
– Use compact fluorescent lamps (CFL’S) home, offices and everywhere.
– Install solar water heating/ lighting/cooking systems.
– Save oil/energy everyday.
– Switch to clean fuel like CNG for vehicles.
– Opt for battery operated systems rather than diesel combusted ones.
– Adopt green building technology.
– Segregate household garbage and make compost.
– Not burn leaves but makes compost
– Not litter but use dust bins.
– Use jute, paper or cloth bags instead of plastic bags
– Always dispose off the electronic waste safely and properly and
– Prefer walking shorter distances than using vehicles.
Friends, remember the game is not yet last. Never ever gets confused between one defeat and the final defeat. The time is not to panic but to act wisely with a cool head. A bit from me, a bit from you and bits from all of us can make the difference. There is no bigger room than the room for correction and improvement. Past is gone, think about the future.