Water is a crucial element of our sustenance and living. However, increasingly, access to safe drinking water has become an issue on this planet. It is said that around 1 billion people around the world do not have access to adequate and safe drinking water. In India alone, it is said that 33% of the population do not have access to clean drinking water.
Each day, we use water in all forms. As individuals we need around 300 liters of water per day, for cooking, washing, in direct form. Food consumption also adds to the water intake indirectly and also the products we use have water.
“Virtual water” is the hidden consumption within everyday products and crops such as cotton, rice, coffee and sugar. For example, production of one cotton shirt requires 2700 liters of water. Even the computer and electronic gadgets we use has used water in its manufacturing process.
Do you know that, one kilo of meat takes a massive
10000 to 16,000 liters of water to produce
, Much of that used to grow the grain the animal eats. One hamburger uses 2,400 liters of water!
Do you know, it takes 7 liters of water to produce a water bottle
Do you know, it takes 10 liters of water to make a sheet of paper
We can always minimize using products we use every day and also maximize on the goods we use. The mottto “reuse, recycle and reduce” should be the norm if we are really concerned about our planets resources. Indeed, water is becoming a scarce resource particularly clean drinking water.
Access to clean drinking water is a problem for billions around the world and could be a problem for our children and future generations. we need to act! Now to make a change;.
Now the question is how do we get around doing this and save water; It is said that. Higher incidence of vegetarianism in India (approximately 30% of the population) does play a role in keeping individual water footprints lower - the water contained in our diets varies with a vegetarian diet using 2.6 cubic meters of water each day, while a country with meat based diet uses over 5 cubic meters.
Use recycled bottles and make sure we carry water bottles with clean filtered water rather than purchasing the mineral bottles always. This is a difficult task as widely traveled particularly on the Indian Trains I am sure not to get clean drinking water! But am exploring an option of using portable ZERO B filter!!!
Use paper judiciously, as we all know that paper comes from the tree and the virtual water consumption is very high.
Use gadgets until it is totally unrepairable.
Use clothes for long time or give it to people who don’t have it as they can use it. Think before buying things for the sake of fancy, peer pressure; just to be stored in the shelves!!!
Each time I drink water my thought is only that our generation and future should have this wonderful and precious natural element for easing life and not become a commodity of trade.
Just think when you take that sip of water how quenching it is and remember you and I have a role in preserving it.
Act now for “a water for all society”
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
“OUR PLANNET” WHAT AM I DOING!
It is imperative and a reality that we need to save this planet. A planet for us and our brothers and sisters. Children and millions to be born.
We have lived and enjoyed most of nature but at the rate of pollution and hazardous activities human raze has got into we need to really sit back and think about the existence of Mother Nature. As I sit and think back I have many thoughts about the environment and how each one of us is contributing to the nature’s destruction. I am really not aware about the big talk around “CLIMATE CHANGE” and the carbon foot print and others but only have felt the change through personal experience:
1. 10 years ago, I remember we did not use even a fan at home or office in Bangalore city;
2. Summers are getting hotter each year particularly over the past 3 years. You all will agree that this year was unbearable;
3. Many water bodies I have personally visited are getting polluted Cavari river in Karnataka and Mahanadi river in Chhattisgarh are two rivers which were clean and beautiful I remember even bathing in them many years ago today they are all polluted beyond imagination; particularly in places where human contact is high.
4. Rains have become lesser particularly in northern India;we hear of failure in crops. Agriculture growing patern has changed;
5. My friends and I used to go by public transport, today every one have a personal vehicle, if not a car at least a 2 wheeler;
6. Increase in having junk food has increased leading to wastage of large quantity of packaging; earlier there used to be even milk bottles which were delivered with the milk and after consumption recycled and reused;
7. People use more plastic these days;
8. Consumption attitude has increased; of gadgets, every thing one thinks of;
Can we really make a change is my question, pondering over the matter some years ago I told myself that let me make a beginning and if not a large contribution will try to at least do something to humanity and planet which I believe has given me many things; so I am trying hard to do the following:
1. Use light only when it is needed; luckily, I don’t need any light but encourage folks at home to switch off lights;
2. Use electrical gadgets only when necessary;
3. Using only one bucket of water for bathing;
4. Using cold water for bathing at least in Delhi for 9 months in the year;
5. Using a mug of water for brushing teeth and face;
6. Use rechargeable batteries for my radio, camera;
7. Limited use of plastic – recycle plastic covers and bags; we at home use plastic bags for keeping cloths, I take them on my travels and keep using until its unusable; we take cloth bags for shopping including vegetables and grosaries;we avoide taking plastic bags unless situation is unavoidable.
8. We have decided not to purchase any vehicle; and use the public transport;
9. No use of air conditioners at home;
10. Walk where ever possible and not use the elevator;
11. Use one mobile until it gets obsolete;
12. don't print stuff for reading; including emails and reading stuff; first of all i don't need hard copies;
13. use CFL bulbs;
These are small things I know, but hope they make a change in the environment in the long run. My hurdle begins now, having tried to work on saving our plannet at a small scale my efforts are not really going to make a change I think because we:
1. get all stuff in plastic in the shop lets take a simple packet of maggy,packet of bread, packet of milk, curd, all our ration “””all in plastic””” can we do away with it???
2. We are fascinated by gadgets we tend to purchase more and more and fill the shelves of our house with these stupid toys as they become cheep and affordable;
3. All recycled products come at a higher pries/ at least to my knowledge; not reached by the common man;
4. printing stuff unnecesserally;
I only hope and pray that rivers, streams should not become history, natural habitation of birds and animals should not become comics for our children, forests become entirely concrete jungle with no space for peace and sanity, air and water become tradable commodities like food and clothing.
The thought still lingers in my head every day “our planet” what I am doing: are you?
We have lived and enjoyed most of nature but at the rate of pollution and hazardous activities human raze has got into we need to really sit back and think about the existence of Mother Nature. As I sit and think back I have many thoughts about the environment and how each one of us is contributing to the nature’s destruction. I am really not aware about the big talk around “CLIMATE CHANGE” and the carbon foot print and others but only have felt the change through personal experience:
1. 10 years ago, I remember we did not use even a fan at home or office in Bangalore city;
2. Summers are getting hotter each year particularly over the past 3 years. You all will agree that this year was unbearable;
3. Many water bodies I have personally visited are getting polluted Cavari river in Karnataka and Mahanadi river in Chhattisgarh are two rivers which were clean and beautiful I remember even bathing in them many years ago today they are all polluted beyond imagination; particularly in places where human contact is high.
4. Rains have become lesser particularly in northern India;we hear of failure in crops. Agriculture growing patern has changed;
5. My friends and I used to go by public transport, today every one have a personal vehicle, if not a car at least a 2 wheeler;
6. Increase in having junk food has increased leading to wastage of large quantity of packaging; earlier there used to be even milk bottles which were delivered with the milk and after consumption recycled and reused;
7. People use more plastic these days;
8. Consumption attitude has increased; of gadgets, every thing one thinks of;
Can we really make a change is my question, pondering over the matter some years ago I told myself that let me make a beginning and if not a large contribution will try to at least do something to humanity and planet which I believe has given me many things; so I am trying hard to do the following:
1. Use light only when it is needed; luckily, I don’t need any light but encourage folks at home to switch off lights;
2. Use electrical gadgets only when necessary;
3. Using only one bucket of water for bathing;
4. Using cold water for bathing at least in Delhi for 9 months in the year;
5. Using a mug of water for brushing teeth and face;
6. Use rechargeable batteries for my radio, camera;
7. Limited use of plastic – recycle plastic covers and bags; we at home use plastic bags for keeping cloths, I take them on my travels and keep using until its unusable; we take cloth bags for shopping including vegetables and grosaries;we avoide taking plastic bags unless situation is unavoidable.
8. We have decided not to purchase any vehicle; and use the public transport;
9. No use of air conditioners at home;
10. Walk where ever possible and not use the elevator;
11. Use one mobile until it gets obsolete;
12. don't print stuff for reading; including emails and reading stuff; first of all i don't need hard copies;
13. use CFL bulbs;
These are small things I know, but hope they make a change in the environment in the long run. My hurdle begins now, having tried to work on saving our plannet at a small scale my efforts are not really going to make a change I think because we:
1. get all stuff in plastic in the shop lets take a simple packet of maggy,packet of bread, packet of milk, curd, all our ration “””all in plastic””” can we do away with it???
2. We are fascinated by gadgets we tend to purchase more and more and fill the shelves of our house with these stupid toys as they become cheep and affordable;
3. All recycled products come at a higher pries/ at least to my knowledge; not reached by the common man;
4. printing stuff unnecesserally;
I only hope and pray that rivers, streams should not become history, natural habitation of birds and animals should not become comics for our children, forests become entirely concrete jungle with no space for peace and sanity, air and water become tradable commodities like food and clothing.
The thought still lingers in my head every day “our planet” what I am doing: are you?
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