Ten green habits for a lifetime

It is time to let our children adopt and adapt to the ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ lifestyle to sustain our planet

Cut down before we are cut off! With summer in full swing, the earth is set on a furnace with our obsessive use of resources to make our space cooler and cosier. To make life comfy we indulge in a massive consumption of power, plastics and products. With summer on, we all realise the heat and threat of global warming. Instead of sweating over the rising temperatures, let us make it cool with our green habits.

Green habits are environmentfriendly and economically valuable. To have a ‘go-green’ attitude is to be frugal and responsible in the use of everyday resources. It’s time to let our children adopt and adapt to the ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ lifestyle to sustain our planet.

Now, how green are your habits? Read the list carefully and tick the items that you follow mostly.

1. I am a zero plastic user

I take my own bags to the supermarket. I reduce the use of plastic bags. I refuse plastic bags when offered because these bags are usually not recycled and environmentally costly to produce. I am a trendy shopper with cloth bags, jute satchels, totes and paper covers. I avoid buying packaged water bottles which end up in dustbins. I carry my own water bottles.

2. I turn off and unplug

I turn off the lights when I leave a room. I use only the necessary lighting when in a room. I change my light bulbs to CFLs which use less energy over about seven years than a normal bulb uses in less than one year. I opt to use dimmers whenever possible. Also, if there are two or more sets of lights in a room, I try to use only one. I share airconditioned spaces and combine the use of fans. I turn off and unplug appliances when not using them. I unplug chargers from cell phones, tabs when not using them. When I use a washing machine I opt to hang-dry the clothes on a clothesline. I think twice before I take a print out. I check if it is absolutely necessary. I make the margins and font smaller, for personal use printouts so it takes up fewer pages.

3. I am a no-rubbish person

I dispose of my waste and rubbish properly. I organise separate garbage bins for degradable and non-degradable wastes and discard them appropriately. I make kitchen compost from the vegetable waste and use it for my garden. I never trash any waste in toilets. I make sure I don’t litter in public spaces. I mindfully dispose of E-waste in assigned places. I think twice before I throw anything and take time to reuse the stuff resourcefully.

4. I count every drop

I turn off the tap when brushing teeth, using soap or shampoo during shower. I take shorter showers. I never let the water run and go down the drain while hand-washing dishes, clothes or cleaning bathrooms. I use waterefficient washing machines and dishwashers. I check water taps and pipes for leaks to conserve water. I use drip irrigation to water my garden instead of a hose.

5. I am a reflective shopper

I unclutter, reorganise my wardrobe, grocery shelf, snack stacks before I go for shopping as not to overbuy. I resist freebies and stocking of mass-offer goodies if they are unnecessary. I avoid my best to accumulate clothing, overbuying accessories and other popular stuff. I cut a little less down junk food. I buy more of authentic, farm-grown organic food, home-made and hand-made ecofriendly products. I use less of tissue papers, use back-side of typed papers, envelopes, wedding cards and bills for writing grocery lists.

6. I have a green hand

I have a green patch even within the small space of my home. Cactus pots line my window sills and I let a creeper entwine a grill. I have a balcony garden and promote a community terrace garden. I use waste water from the kitchen to water the plants. I throw unwanted ice-cubes in potted plants instead of putting into the sink. I use only organic covering and manure for plants.

7. I am a car-pooler

I car-pool quite often with my friends and neighbours. I also opt to take the bus or cab instead of driving alone. This helps in less carbon emission, reduces fuel consumption and maintenance costs of the car. In addition, I maintain a well-tuned vehicle to reduce fuel consumption. When I drive, I stay within the speed limit to increase fuel efficiency.

8. I am organic

I try to buy fruits and vegetables from the local market than in a store or mall. I choose to buy seasonal fruits and vegetables for freshness and to encourage local production. I decide to eat and host dinners at home which are cheaper and healthier. I opt to be more and more of a vegan. I avoid frozen and packed foods which consume a lot of packing material and fuel for freight and are hard on my health in the long run.

9. I have a green make up kit

It is not completely possible to go green with personal care products due to its less availability. So I volunteer to buy at least 2 home-made cosmetics. The kitchen has it all. Beetroot for the lips, cucumber for the eyes, curd for the skin and fruity hair packs. I choose gluten, paraben and petroleum free products.

10. I gift green

I make or buy hand-made jewellery or craft a card for gifts. I cook special menu or bake cookies or cakes, paint a portrait, write a poem or a song and create a montage or audio album to create worthy memories as gifts. I plant a tree or gift a plant for special occasions and celebrations. I gift a worthy annual newspaper subscription or a summer class to make it a cool one. I reuse gift wrappers and make my own best wishes card.

Now to make these habits an integral part of your daily life tick the most often practised routine from the above.

*If you have 8 or more ticks then cheer up – you are one among the ‘Earth-friendly’ people who still save the earth. Encourage your family, friends and people you know to follow your ‘green path’.

*If you have your ticks between 5 and 8 then you are already on the right road. Just select 2 more ‘green habits’ and try to practice it for a ‘greener environment’.

*If you have ticks less than 5 then it is high time to start practising environmental friendly habits. Check for atleast 3 and start with them right now!

Green habits when cultivated and internalised become a habit for all seasons to leave behind a greener earth, resourceful and richer for our children. We need to encourage children to consume less stuff, develop a reusable attitude and shun the ‘use and throw’ outlook.

A lot of damage has been already done. But there is still hope. We can organise local monthly Earth Hour, encourage developing cool green habits and stay responsible as an eco-warrior.

Green habit is about taking time to reflect on our consumption, cutting down on the excess and sharing our spaces. We need not starve or cut off but cut down slowly, constantly and mindfully reduce, reuse and recycle.

(The writer, Dr Jayanthi Manoj, is an assistant professor of English based in India)