Ashwath Narayanan
Carbon footprint in layman’s language is nothing but the amount of carbon dioxide generated due to our actions and personal effects.
As the world modernizes at a breathtaking pace, many have wholly ignored the detrimental effects on our planet for decades if not centuries. This apathy not only makes me upset but also strengthens my resolve to adopt sustainable changes in my lifestyle. The big corporations are the main culprits in accelerating climate change and global warming. As someone who is passionate about the environment and the planet’s well-being, this steady deterioration is our collective distress. I can only hope that my readers are empathetic to my state of mind.
The advent of the ‘modern’ human race is one of the worst things that has happened to Earth, despite our civilization. Being self-centred, greedy, and irrational are the hallmark of the human race. One ought to think of the many future generations that are yet to arrive on this blue planet, that is slowly turning inhospitable to all living forms. I urge you to ponder over these suggestions and adopt these practices diligently. We can do our bit to arrest this decline.
Top ten ways to reduce our carbon footprint with ease:
- Use dishwashers and washing machines sparingly. If not, do not let your washing cycle continue after the first water cycle and instead, let your clothes soak for a while and then use the ‘dry only’ option. This setting saves about 200 litres of water monthly per wash per household.
- A simple action of turning your tap off while brushing or washing your face can do wonders for this initiative.
- Turn off lights, fans, and other appliances when you leave the room or do not need to use them. If possible, sensible investment in LED bulbs and 5-star rated appliances would be excellent. The higher costs would be offset by the energy savings that accumulate over time.
- Avoid cosmetic products with micro-beads, most found in products to wash your face. These may appear minuscule, but they clog up your drain over time and harm aquatic life when released into oceans.
- Embrace sustainability. Maintain a set of cloth bags for groceries and other things. Reduce the use of plastic in your life as much as possible. Use glassware for storage instead of plastic containers. It even improves the quality of the edibles.
- This point may be a tad surprising for many. Permanently deleting your junk and spam mail can reduce the need to store unwanted data in data centres that guzzle power! Also, explore settings on your smartphone to save energy to prolong the life of the battery. I manage my mail daily, which in turn gives me the added advantage of an up-to-date inbox.
- Unplug your device after it is fully charged. Leaving your devices plugged in after it gets a full charge is wasteful. I call this ‘vampire juice’. This ‘vampire juice’ drains up to $19 billion in energy!
- Exercising your body occasionally by walking and avoiding vehicles for travel is a lifesaver, pun intended. If not, invest in E-bikes and cars powered by electricity.
- Reduce your consumption of meat. This dietary choice that supports the meat industry is a significant contributor to climate change, no matter what the meat lovers tell you!
- In the future, choose environmentally conscious brands and support organizations that do not test their products on animals. Daikin, a Japanese company, manufactures ACs with R32, which does not harm the ozone layer, unlike other brands that use conventional R22 and R410A, which are less energy-efficient and depletes ozone. I’m sure that by now you know which brand I use at home!