Imrongkumla
CCL Nagaland
When a woodmaker upon finishing his work do not tell his son to break it and use the wood as firewood. Instead he cares enough that the piece he made is utilized from one generation to another. Therefore he keeps it waxed and dusted to prolong its life.
In the book of Genesis, we see that God displays a responsible fatherly act by assigning mankind in the person of Adam to take utmost care of the Eden garden (“Garden of life”). Ref: Gen.2:15. In this verse God expresses His wish that Adam take good care of the garden. With Adam we all play a role as caretaker of this Earth. Let us look back at our actions & habits every day. Is it leading to a low carbon economy? Are we robbing much more than what we need? Are we leaving air to breath and green earth to live in for future generations? God has asked His mankind to keep and tend the Earth. Time to think and act!
We live in a land which is blessed with beautiful terrains, mountains and rivers. People invest in lakhs to spend valuable time in such land. Couple of years ago on one of my trip to Khonoma, I learnt from a young man from the very village that tourist from UK and other European countries come in good numbers every year to Khonoma Sanctuary for Eco- tour, and most of the tourist spend time bird watching. If we want to learn how caring our mother Earth can make us happy, ask the hunter in Kohima who has become a rescuer since he hung his gun in 2002.
We all deserve to share and relish the joy and beauty of nature. We call ourselves good Christian, lover of earth, and a caretaker but are we really doing our part? Are we as a good Christian playing the role of stewardship judiciously towards our environment? On this World Environment Day- 5th June, I hope and wish that every citizen resolve to kick some habits towards “low carbon economy”.
WED was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972. It commemorates with an international exposition through the week of June 5. WED is to stimulate awareness of the environment and enhance political attention and public action.
Easily Green Your Daily Routine:
This year’s theme for World Environment Day (WED) is Your Planet Needs You! UNite to Combat Climate Change. But too often we are presented with environmental problems without being given the tools to act. WED is about taking action to be a part of the solution.
We can all do our part to protect the planet by using less and acting more. Going green is not as difficult as you might think. Here we walk you through 30 easy ways to green your daily routine.
Make your WED commitment today. But don’t stop at today and don’t stop here. Try to incorporate all of these into your life as a matter of routine. Get others to do so the same. And get involved!
IN GENERAL:
• Plant a tree! Help achieve UNEP’s Billion Tree Campaign target of planting seven billion trees – one for every person on the planet – by the end of this year! Three billion are planted. Five billion are pledged. On every continent in the world trees can be planted in June.
• Find needy homes or charitable organizations for things that you no longer need or want rather than throwing it away.
DAILY ROUTINE:
AT HOME:
• We can save water in simple ways like not letting the tap run while shaving, washing your face, or brushing your teeth.
• Insulating your water heater will help save valuable energy.
• Using an electric razor or hand razor with replaceable blades instead of disposable razors goes a long way to cutting back on waste.
• Use towels for drying your face and hands instead of tissues that are used and thrown away. Also, hang your towels to dry so that they can be reused several times.
• As you leave the house, don’t forget to switch off all the lights and appliances and unplug chargers as they continue to consume even if they are not charging; saving energy helps reduce air pollution.
GETTING TO WORK:
• Don’t go anywhere without your shopping bag so you can just say no to plastic whenever you shop.
• The easiest way to reduce your carbon footprint is by avoiding driving altogether. instead try biking, walking, carpooling, public transport.
• If you’re among the majority of drivers who spend their mornings stuck in traffic, consider turning your engine off if you will be idling for long periods of time.
AT WORK:
• Do you have a morning hot drink routine? Using a washable mug is an environmentally-friendly alternative to non-biodegradable styrofoam or plastic cups.
• Leave a cup and reusable bottle for water at work to eliminate plastic cups, or bottled water. 80% of plastic bottles are recyclable but only 20% are actually recycled.
• When you need a pad for lists and messages, turn over an old document and write on the back of that instead.
• Recycling our trash actually contributes to reducing global warming emissions. And it is estimated that 75% of what is thrown in the trash could actually be recycled, though currently only 25% is.
• When you print a copy, make sure you default your printer option to use both sides. This is an easy tree-saver!
• Most computer accessories like ink cartridges and CDs and DVDs are made of materials that could be reused. Computer cords and speakers are fairly standardized, meaning they can be used for a variety of computer models and makes.
• Lower your office’s carbon footprint by seeing computers, monitors, printers, copiers, speakers and other business equipment to their energy saving feature and turning them off at the end of the day.
• Turning off all unnecessary lights, especially in unused offices and conference rooms is an easy way to save energy.
AFTER A LONG DAY:
• In the summer/warmer months, consider using an interior fan in conjunction with your window air-conditioner to spread the cooled air more effectively through your home. In winter, lower your thermostat
• Don’t place lamps or TV sets near your air-conditioning thermostat as it senses heat from these appliances, which can cause the air-conditioner to run longer than necessary.
• When cooking dinner, match the size of the pan to the size of the heating element to lower energy wastage.
When you wash, use only eco-friendly products in your home. It’s best for you and the environment! And plant a tree!
The Nagaland CCL’s invite you to respond to this article on-line at www.morungexpress.com or email ccl.nagaland@gmail.com
