Earth and soul | 10 Indian ways to reduce your carbon footprints

Man is an extension of the planet earth. Whatever activities he does, he does in and on the environment of the planet. There is a continued interaction of human beings with the environment of the planet earth. So, it is natural that any human action may either add to his carbon footprints or can work to reduce them. For example, when he breathes he exhales CO2 in the planet, or when he uses water he is using the resources of the planet. A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases (including carbon dioxide and methane) that are generated by our actions. You will be surprised to know that the average carbon footprint for a person in the United States is 16 tonnes, while globally the average carbon footprint is closer to 4 tonnes.

The following are the Indian ways to reduce carbon footprints at an individual level:

Minimalism

As human beings we buy and hoard mindlessly. As per one study, we will never be able to use 75 per cent of items in our wardrobe. Minimalism is a way of life. It means that you live with what you actually need and not as per human tendency to possess more than what is needed. Minimalism is not discarding the needs of life but living with your essentials. Indian ancient knowledge speaks of Apragrihya (minimalism), which simply means that the use of resources in life should be need-based and not greed-based. Each resource we use has a cost in terms of the environment. So, you should make a list of your essentials and try to stick to that. This will help you reduce your carbon footprints to a large extent. Imagine, if one person saves one resource each year, we have 130 crore resource-savings in a year in India only.

Declutter your home

Man is by nature a possessive animal. We try to possess more than what we can hold on to. We are privileged, especially when it comes to our material things like comforts of life such as clothes, daily utility items, stationery and many more. The resources of nature are limited. One ideal way is to stop buying things so that there is no pressure on the resources of nature, the other way is to declutter what you do not need. De-cluttering is therefore getting rid of those things which are not required in terms of their cost of space, time and finances. This will help you identify your needs, discard or give away what is not needed and help you to be a rational shopper. You will buy less and thus will have less carbon footprints.

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Carpooling

As per one study, there is one death every eight minutes in India due to air pollution caused by diesel vehicles. So, until and unless we reduce our vehicular pollution, we will not be able to contain air pollution. Carpooling is one of the easiest ways of reducing your carbon footprints. Carpooling means sharing your car with other passengers who all are heading towards the same way and destination. Carpooling can be for traveling together to work or school in a car, usually taking turns to drive. One of the simplest yet effective ways is car-sharing or ride-sharing. Carpooling allows you to share the cost of petrol, toll and parking, reducing your expenses and carbon footprints by nearly 50 percent or more; the more occupants in your carpool the more you save.

Being paperless

Man is the only creature that will cut trees at first and then write ‘do not cut trees’ on the paper made from cutting trees! Is it not strange? We use paper for wrapping and packing, printing and writing, newsprint and sanitary. If you save paper, you directly save trees. One of the easiest ways to reduce your carbon footprints is to use both sides of the paper. It can save you 50 per cent of the paper. You can also cut down your paper use by using thin paper. This can help to save up to 20 per cent of paper both in usage and cost. Start using used newspaper as packing material. It is a very common practice to use paper tissues for cleaning hands. Replace using paper tissue with cloth napkins. Use rags instead of paper towels.

Home compost

Compost is any living waste that over time decomposes or breaks down and produces nutrients. Compost is any organic material which can be added in the soil for nutrients in plants. Food waste makes up for more than 30 percent of what we throw away. This can be composted. Home composting is easy and simple to make and one of the best ways to recycle. Composting is the best way to reduce and reuse as organic material contains 30-50 percent of over household waste. Instead of adding your carbon footprints, compost can reduce your carbon footprints.

Power off non-essential electronic equipment

Do you know approximately 40 per cent of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are emitted from electricity generation? Turning off the lights, equipment and appliances when you are not using them is a simple, costeffective way to reduce your carbon footprint. As per a study, you can save Rs 3,240 a year by switching off 10 bulbs in India! This habit is very easy yet highly rewarding in terms of environmental and financial savings. You can use this habit not only in your home but workplace and even at public places.

Plants in home and workplace

As per ancient Indian wisdom, the plant of Tulsi (India basil) is always kept at the entrance of every house so as it purifies the incoming air. The ancient Indian houses used to house Panchvati which has Panch (five) Vati (trees) native and ancient trees namely Bael, Amla, Ashoka, Peepal and Banyan. As per a study by NASA, houseplants can remove up to 87 per cent of air toxin in 24 hours! They can increase productivity up to 15 percent and reduce stress levels and boost your mood. Even if you live in a small apartment, or a large house, plants are a must for any house for  overall happiness  and health of the occupants.

Reduce your food waste

As per the ancient Indian wisdom, food is hailed as nectar and wastage of food is considered a sin. It suggests that we should always eat a little less than what fills our stomach. Do you know that 1/3 of all food globally goes to waste?  That’s enough to feed 3 billion people! If food waste was a country, it would be the third-largest greenhouse gas emitter on the planet! If we all stop wasting edible food it would be the equivalent of taking 1 in 4 cars off the road. The average person in India wastes 137 gm of food every single day. That’s 0.96 kg per week or 50 kg per year. In India, 40 percent of the food is wasted which is equivalent to Rs 92,000 crore a year. This one habit can bring down your carbon footprints to a large extent.

Get rid of single used disposable items

In this era of consumerism, we use many such daily items which we use only once. Single use disposable items are meant to be used and thrown away. Then that item goes to landfill to add to the burden of the planet. Even if it is recycled, it takes resources and energy to create that item again for reuse. You can save the planet and reduce your carbon footprints maximum if you adopt this simple habit of replacing your habit of using disposable items with reusable items.

Water saving

Water is one of the essential elements which are required by each creature of the planet earth. Excess use of water can add to your carbon footprints. One of the easiest ways is to use a bucket instead of shower to minimise the use of water. Also, you can go for eco-car washing which will use much less water. You can use the discarded water of RO (which is 2/3 of the total water used) for wet-mopping and cleaning. In a home garden, you can use drip irrigation instead of open spray.

It is the high time we calculate our carbon footprints and mind them.

The writer is an interior designer and a prominent environmentalist. She has created more than 125 urban-forests and is a pioneer in vertical gardens with waste plastic bottles. She has also started the world’s first ever free Tree and Plant Hospital equipped with tree ambulances. Views expressed are personal.

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