im trying to keep up with my resolution to blog every sunday. so far so good.
hmm.. what should i ramble on about this week??? hmmmm...
prolly something i've been thinking about for a while now.. just something that's been toying around in my mind for a few months.. all the stuff about global warming and stuff..
im not sure how to write about this topic.. coz usually my topics are all stuff that originate in my head. or during the course of my life.
i dont want to pretend that im a big environment enthusiast or power saver or anything like that. i know for sure that im a definite polluter of the earth and i probably shamelessly will be for the rest of my life. sad, not funny. i know that too.
sometimes i feel guilty. sometimes i feel i just cant help it. my lifestyle just demands i do a few things that are not friendly to the environment in any way at all. but sometimes i look at the people around me. and i realise im not so bad. i see people who will never turn off lights in any room at all. who will insist on using a/c in cabs inspite of the lovely weather outside. who will spend thousands of rupees on electric bills just because they can afford to. and be proud of it as well. who have not powered off their PCs in months and have no plans to do so. who will use a car to travel short distances that could easily be covered on foot or public transport. then i dont feel im so bad.
but that doesnt stop me from feeling bad. i feel bad at how oblivious we have become. how less we care about what happens around us. how self-absorbed we have become that we have no time to spare to think about the world around us. we spend so much on escaping to beautiful locales and getting rid of stress but we never realise that we have to play a part in preserving all the beauty. true, resorts can replicate a bit of nature, but nothing can replicate what is natrual and god-made.
i dont mean to get preachy. something else in me tells me that all this has happened sometime, a long time before. and all this has to happen again. history repeats itself. we humans do not learn from our mistakes.
something destroyed the world before and something will again. perhaps the end really is near. perhaps this is how things have to be. perhaps the levels of selfishness, evil and terrorism will reach such levels that living here will be not be possible anymore. perhaps the earth will explode or implode, unable to bear the burden of the parasite that is the human race. or it may just break down and cease to function like an old, used, abused car.
okay, so now i sound freaky. and some people refuse to believe that global warming even exists. changing perceptions is indeed something unbelieavably difficult. even if perceptions change, old-habits die hard.
what's my point, u ask? what am i trying to get at? honestly i dont know. im pretty confused about it myself. but in the meantime, i do try my best. here's some of the things i do on my part, whenever i can:
- i always always switch off my monitor/pc/laptop if im not going to come back to it for more than an hour.
- i dont let water simply run down when im brushing or washing my face.
- i dont use a shower, i use a bucket and a mug.
- i make sure that taps dont leak and are properly closed.
- i use CFL lamps at home.
- i dont use the a/c when i know i can live without it.
- i dont use any vehicles when i know i can walk.
- sometimes i walk a short distance before i take an auto to go somewhere far.
- i dont leave appliances plugged in when they are not in use.
- i always switch off lights, fans and all electrical appliances when they are not in use.
- i try to use cooking water to water plants instead of throwing it down the drain (eg. water used for washing vegetables, rice, etc.)
- i avoid using plastic bags, bottles and paper cups as much as possible. where ever possible i carry a cloth-bag and water-bottle from home. i use washable spoons instead of plastic, disposable ones.
- i dont use chop-sticks. ( i cant even if i wanted to :-))
- i try to research and find out what other small, easy things i can do on my part.
it's nothing so great. but i know im trying to do my part. atleast i make an effort to. another part of my part would be to try and create an awareness. but im skeptical about how many people would be willing to follow these. or if they would even be interested. i know people who are extremely lavish when it comes to polluting the environment.
im not perfect. and i know that very well. i dont like creating a hype or an image of a very environment-friendly person. that would make me a hypocrite.
i just try my best to be a responsible citizen of this world. its not too hard. and it doesnt take too much of my time. just a bit of concious effort.
if all the educated people of the world tried to do this, probably we could make a small difference. probably preserve the earth and its natural resources for a few more generations to enjoy.
or we could just be this way and see the world deteriorate under our excesses and exploits. it wouldnt really affect us in any way, just the next generations to come. we would be dead and long gone by then anyway. why bother.
its just a choice really. we could preserve the beauties of this planet for centuries to come, or save a lot of money for our decendants with no world to enjoy it in. incidentally, saving power, gas and pertol also saves money.
its just a choice, really.
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