Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Green thoughts

My first thoughts today -- on World Environment Day -- is how hot my city, Bangalore, has become. Of course, anyone who has just landed here from any other city would rubbish my statement as absurd, but there is no denying the fact that every place has become hotter than before. High-altitude summer tourist locations, like Ooty, too are no longer as cool in summer as they used to be.

Concern for environment used to be merely fashionable; no longer. Many, with be benefit of hindsight, realise now that all the noise environmentalists used to make many years ago, might have been worth it, after all.

Like most issues this too needs to be tackled at two levels: micro and macro. If each individual does her or his little bit to care for the surroundings, we'll definitely achieve a lot. As Aditya suggests in this post, what is demanded of us are very simple steps like:

-- switch off unwanted light, fan, computer etc

-- do not waste water

-- use CFL lamps instead of ordinary filament lamps

-- do not litter, use the wastepaper basket

-- when there is a choice go for biodegradable material

But, unfortunately, more than lack of awareness, the problem lies in our inability to adopt the right method. Educated, knowledgeable people throwing on to the road wastepaper and the like from their cars is a very common sight. They do that not because they are are not aware that they shoudn't do it, but because they don't care; or more precisely, there'sn't a trigger that makes them care.

A good majority of people belong to this category. That's why awareness campaigns haven't yielded what they should have. This is where we need a strong administration that will force such people to take care of the environment. If people don't care, the government must force them to take care.

PS: If the government too doesn't take care... God help us!

4 comments:

  1. pradeep,
    i agree that bangalore has become literally hot.
    nice tips. and thanks for the link.

    plz visit a related post in RwB.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Just like we are not civil in our behaviour, majority of us also are not bothered about cleanliness almost loving dirt as it were. That's what I think looking at our refusal keep our surroundings clean.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Pradeep,

    It is really nice to see some people show concern about the environment and the general condition of Bangalore.

    When I was returning from the US, a couple of months ago, I befriended a guy who was coming down to India for a vacation. He spoke about the lack of infrastructure in India, the general poverty levels, the unclean surrounding etc., I thought all this was genuine concern for his Motherland.

    But when this guy walked out of Bangalore airport, he tore up all the luggage tags and threw them on the road outside the airport! So much for genuine concern!!

    I did give him my piece of mind.. I also asked him if he would dare to do such a thing in the US!!

    Now guys, it is our fault that out City is so unclean.. so it is naturally our duty to clean up!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Once upon a time, before the advent of plastic, virtually everything was recycled, in India..paper, bottles, paste tubes...what not. If you ask me, that is the bane of todays civilisation - plastic...

    as far as weather & global warming...i had a lot to say..check my blog

    ReplyDelete

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