They say, what goes around comes around; we've damaged our planet and now it is coming back to us in the form of disasters. The ongoing water crisis in Chennai and the potential one in Rajasthan, to floods in Assam and Bihar, are glaring results of our meddling.?The world as a whole is seeing the effects of the rapid climate change with the heatwaves in Europe to the ice melting at an alarming rate in the Antarctic.?
Our oceans have been filled with plastic filth and we are wasting water like there is no tomorrow.
We are beyond that point where climate change was reversible. The least we can do is not keep on contributing towards further degeneration.
In order to change things for the better, you do not necessarily have to be out on the roads as a climate change activist. There are a number of things you can do at an individual level, that will make a difference and help save the environment and conserve water. These methods/suggestions do not even require any kind of financial investment, just a slight change in your day to day lifestyle.?
You can save a lot of water by simply taking a bucket bath instead of using shower. Even if your city is not suffering at the moment, the world is at the brink of going dry. Several cities have already run out of water, and others have a few days or months worth of water left. Using a bucket instead of a shower is one of the things that you can do to minimise the utilisation of water.
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A 5-minute shower uses almost the same amount of water as a bucket full of water so that doesn¡¯t hurt once in a while but one should take care to avoid taking shower baths longer than 5-10 minutes.?
Not a lot of us do this. If you have RO water filter system at home, you should know that it wastes more water than it filters, and it comes out of a small pipe. People do not pay attention to it as the water comes out quite slow, but if you keep a 20 litres capacity bucket under it, you will find that to filter water to its capacity, it releases almost as much.
Now, you probably should not drink this water, but you can use it for other household activities like mopping and washing clothes. So, not only will you be decreasing wastage of water, you'll be reusing it.?Owing to the fact that so much water is wasted in RO systems (as people do not reuse it), the Delhi Government recently proposed to ban the filter system.?
Similarly, not a lot of people pay attention to the water that gets wasted from our Air conditioners. Even that water can be used to water plants or clean the house.?
This might not seem like a major issue, but leaking taps waste a lot of water. Even if you do not have the time to get them fixed right away, keep a mug or a bucket under them, so that you can use that water instead of letting it all flow.
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You will be surprised by how much water you will be able to save.?
Plastic straws are sneaky pieces of plastic, that conveniently ambush us. We use so many of them without even realising we're doing so. One simple way to do that is to use metal straws.
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Metals straws are reusable (and look cool) and easy to carry. You can simply wipe them with a napkin before use and you are good to go. Imagine? if every one starts using these, so much plastic will go out of circulation.?
Disposable coffee cups are cool and all, but they waste a lot of paper. You can carry your own cool coffee mug - one that does not waste so much paper. Similarly, you can buy metal bottles instead of plastic bodies. Avoid using disposable plastic pet bottles.?
Whenever you go grocery shopping make it a point to carry your own bags, even if they are plastic. In our households in India we all have a big plastic bag, full of plastic bags of all other sizes. We really do not need to fill in that bag anymore but start reusing what is in there.
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Do not take plastic carry bags from every shop you go to and for every little item. You can keep that bar of soap or the tube of paste in your purse easily. It is anyway a good idea to have a couple of carry bags on you, in case of emergency. The ideal situation would be to stop using plastic bags altogether and use ones made of cloth.
Whenever you go to washrooms in your office or in public - like in a mall - and you have the option between using napkins or a hand dryer, pick the latter.
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ALWAYS use the hand dryer, it saves paper and what does it save in turn? More trees that are cut for that paper.?
You will be doing yourself a BIG favor if you keep the wet kitchen waste separate from the other house garbage. The former can actually be used as compost. Mixing wastes renders the kitchen waste, useless.
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You can use that as compost even on your own. There are multiple videos and articles available online explaining how you can simply use wet waste for your plants.?
Some people are absolutely resolute on owning books, they do not like to either borrow or lend. While we understand the sentiments behind this, it might not be the wisest thing to do, in the larger scheme of things. You should donate your or your kids' books, you no longer need. Also, if you have the opportunity, use previously loved books. Not only will you be saving a buck and helping someone who cannot afford first hand books, but at the same time, you will be saving the environment by reusing.?
James Beck
Speaking of second hand stuff and saving a few bucks, you can even buy impeccable second hand furniture. And if you are absolutely opposed to it, and you are moving to a new city just for some time, you can rent literally everything - furniture, couches, bedding, refrigerator.?
We do not mean with your relationship (or do), but as far as using transport is concerned, it's a great idea. We know you have known this since you were in school, but using public transportation is the easiest and most efficient way of saving fuel and cutting cost. Apart from city metro and bus services now there are options of car pooling and using shuttles.?