Something to think about – April 2007
Ways to make earth greener – By Gaurang Damani
In due course of time, greater power cuts and water cuts in Mumbai, may become a way of life. Here is a collection of suggestions as reported in various worldwide publications, which can be easily implemented in our daily lives.
At home:
- Use natural cross ventilation in the house or have bigger windows, to reduce usage of AC, wherever possible
- Use CFL instead of fluorescent bulbs, to save on power consumption
- Lower the temperature of water heaters
- Use low-flow showerheads
- Fix leakages in water taps in the house.
- Shut appliances like PC, TV, DVD, etc when not in use
- Pay online/ ECS and cut use of paper
- Use manual equipment instead of machines whenever possible. For eg. use natural drying and washing for clothes.
- Dont use plastic bags
- Shut lights, fans when quitting the room
- Switching to vegetarianism can save energy that goes into rearing and transporting cattle!
- Give back the extra napkins in restaurants. You can also reduce the amount of packaging used by stores, with a little consumer vigilance.
- Live simply. Meditate. Consume less. Think more. Get to know your neighbors. Borrow when you need to and lend when asked.
While using vehicles:
1. Nearly 80% of people drive to work alone; about 38% drive alone in general. Stop driving alone.
2. Use public transport as much as possible
3. Just giving your engine a tune-up can improve gas mileage 4% and often much more. Replacing a clogged air filter can boost efficiency 10%. And keeping tires properly inflated can improve car mileage more than 3%.
4. The time spent idling your car while waiting to turn against oncoming traffic burns fuel and costs millions each year. You may use a slightly longer route which has fewer stops.
In your building compound, wherever possible:
1. A tree can absorb up to a ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime, so planting one should be an easy way to mitigate climate change.
2. Plant bamboo as it soaks up CO2
3. Fossil-fuel-derived fertilizers that leak chemicals into the ground and accelerate the release of nitrous oxidea greenhouse gas. Try alternative fertilizer, from old-fashioned compost to grass clippings to homemade fertilizer to municipal waste, which contain about much lesser nitrogen.
4. Use solar power or wind power in high rises
5. Use ground water or harvest rainwater. Use recycled water or rainwater to flush toilets, wash cars etc.
Email – damanig@diehardindian.com