Friday, January 28, 2011

Back to the BASIC!

Green revolution, Organic Food, Organic Cotton, Organic fuel, Renewable sources of energy: It is all about moving forward to go back, to go back to the basics.

I have been a avid reader and a staunch follower of the technology. The more I read, the more I ponder about the journey of the civilization moving forward. Its quite amazing to see how the zero sum game works here! The civilization started with the invention of fire and there has been no look back. Its quite amazing to see how this spark electrified and created the wealth of nations. And now, we are struggling to save electricity, save fuel, save nature- save our basics.
Standing in New York City- the hallmark of the civilization's progress today, one wonders where is this civilization going?? Every big corporation, city, nation, government is working towards " GREEN", "ORGANIC", "RENEWABLE".

But I question: How far is far and how green is green? We sing and laud about wearing organic cotton and eating organic food, but we wrap them in a plastic! We plan our policies and projects on alternate sources of energy sitting in glass houses that throw tones of light to heat up the atmosphere! So much heat that it alters the cycle of seasons, the sea levels and coast lines, altitudes of mountains and course of rivers. Where are we heading to?? Are we really revolutionizing? Are we really changing? Are we really saving the planet?

I feel, we -every individual is the revolution, the change that we foresee and work on. So, let us not use dryer for one cycle and air dry the clothes, car pool to office one day, shun plastic for a day, reuse the printed paper and let us step one foot forward in the crusade to save our planet.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree and to add to that we the citizens should stop complaining about governments not bein upto the task and start a grasroots movement of our own

Anonymous said...

Agree with you,mankind has abused/spoiled the world but still we can do a lot at our individual level & we will

Megha Desai said...

Completely agree! The steps taken by the government and corporate houses seem very superficial.
It is when individuals, at the grass root level, make efforts, that we will see a considerable change.

pearl said...

very well written sister.Proud of you.I have an idea, we can start up small project where people can put their comments and suggestions on how to reduce the use of technology and save our planet.
I am listing very basic and small things if done in bulk, helps save lot of energy.
1)Skip rinsing dishes before using your dishwasher
2)Do not pre-heat the oven.Turn it on when you Put the dish in.
3)Go vegetarian once a week.
4)Use cold or warm water.
5)Use one less paper napkin.
6)Reuse gift wraps, bows and make something creative out of it.
7)Maintain your vehicles.
8)Go to car wash instead washing it on your own.
9)Do not over charge your electronics.It also damages their battery life.
10)Please keep the chain on, and please try to IMPLEMENT.

Sudha Desai said...

I agree with you...High thinking..
I am really impressed by you
& your thoughts{From your childood !!!}
As you said we can do it at our individual level...

Zeal said...

Yes, grass root level is the place where change gets evolved and implemented correctly

Megha: Thanks! :)
Pearl: Impressed with your thought! To start- I will be avoiding paper and plastic and reusing a cloth bag for groceries!

Mamma: Your words are invaluable inspiration to write more. Thank you so much :)

Pearl said...

very good...I will reduce the use of bounty...

Pearl said...

very good...I will reduce the use of bounty...

Bhavya Pande said...

It is indeed a thought-provoking cum thoughful post,Zeal.I really appreciate your efforts on writing this post.

You know, last year I had attended an international conference on 'Organic textiles:Ensuring product integrity'...It was a real eye-opener ,Zeal- a hair-raising experience!...The point is unless and untill there's no human integrity,product integrity remains a distant dream.You are absolutley right when you emphasize on working at the grassroot level,at the individual level -only then we can bring about a positive,radical change towards sustainable development.There's no other way!

I find 'Organic textiles' to be a very good concept-but then you are absolutely right-nothing is 100% organic...and here your question on how green is green or how organic is organic is totally justified...Some companies are just using this concept as a marketing strategy to lure the customers and nothing more...I would say,it's high time we should educate ourselves as consumers...Especially in case of textiles,there's an upcoming concept of eco-labeling which is a step worth taking.Eco-labels will really educate the consumers on how organic or eco-friendly their product is.

As I am more conversant with textiles,I would like to bring into light another alarming issue which is the disposal of textiles-a big threat to the environment.I feel product design with an end in mind must be an initial consideration in the development of new products-the cradle to grave approach as we call it.

As individuals,we should dispose off our used garments to NGOs working for the needy or to organizations which are into textile recycling...These are all pinching topics Zeal...:)...and it's about time we must start thinking about them at least...


Thanks for motivating us through this post.
Let's contibute in our own possible ways!
Together we can,together we will!:)

Kudos!

Adi said...

well expressed...i share quite similar views...steps i take r using public transport instead of my own vehicle (public transport always tread the roads...why congest and pollute more)...using a bicycle for short trips...using a cotton carry bag whenever i move out to the grocery store....its pretty convenient once u get used to it....and ya...rightly said...every man is a revolution...we must take small positive steps!!