As I walk down the Great Allegheny Passage in the majestic Appalachian mountains (USA), stroll along serene lakes in Nassjo (Sweden), stare at the curves of the beautiful Elbe as the train winds its way from Dresden (Germany) to Prague (Prague) or row a country boat in a coastal forest (mangrove) in my home country (India) I am reminded of the fact that we all share such amazing treasures from the natural world. We share a world that is still extremely alive and green. A world that connects each one of us through the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat and increasingly the economy we share. Yet, I sometimes stop to wonder, how green is this economy currently? Am I included in it? How can I contribute to a green economy?
As I try to educate myself about the consequences of my consumerist actions for future generations, I realize that I do have a huge role to play and so do all of us. Terms like ‘climate change’ and global warming have leaped out of high school textbooks and academic journals to our day-to-day household conversations. Creative and passionate people across the globe have invented ways to reduce our impact on the planet. Today one can safely say that there are ways to achieve these ‘green goals’ (without having to pay high costs) for those who have the will to do so. Are you willing to be part of this initiative? Please see the link below to learn more:Perhaps the easiest way to start is to make a humble attempt to go back to the basics- the roots. The biggest of problems often have the simplest of solutions and anchoring the economy to sustainability is no exception. At an individual level, the small choices we make- the morning coffee or tea, the chemical cosmetics we apply, the mode of transport we use and even the clothes we wear can make a huge difference to the planet. One can ask for fair trade and recyclable products and focus more on ‘needs’ than ‘wants’. For example here is a good website to check out: http://www.storyofstuff.org/
Let us slightly extend the concept of a life cycle (from birth to death) to stuff around us. Take the example of old wooden furniture, which we often blindly send to the landfill. It may still be recycled into fuel wood or for making matchsticks. The main message here is to take a moment to think about the earth before each action (however big or small).
Though efforts have been made in the past by people across different cultures to preserve, protect and nurture our planet, the responsibility on our shoulders is certainly higher than ever before. Growing human population, rapid development in globalization of agriculture and technological development in natural resource extraction, have tilted the balance from the green to the brown in several regions of the world. We have to at least try to set it right by collective action, don’t we? The power of economy is wide ranging and if coupled with environmentally sound choices, the results could be highly rewarding. Visit the website and join us in Rio:
http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/. Let us take steps (be it small or big) towards this giant leap. Register your activity here to show the world what you did towards green economy:
We have only one planet. Lets do all that we can for sustaining it for our kids and their kids for years to come. Cheers!
