Dia Mirza on conservation, a cause close to her heart
Dia Mirza is known for working dedicatedly in the realm of environment conservation. Here’s the actor’s take on beating plastic pollution.
Being UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador for India, what do you think are the three habits that people could adopt to save and conserve our environment?
The World Environmental Day theme this year was ‘beat plastic pollution’. Waters are being contaminated by plastics, and insemination of plastic is harming the quality of the air we are breathing. It’s making people sick and also making the surroundings very unhealthy.
There are five items of single-use plastic that each one of us can so easily give up and by just giving up these, we can make a significant difference. We must all ensure to say no to use of plastic bags, straws, plastic water bottles, we should carry and use sustainable alternatives to plastic cutlery and mugs.
You led by example when you switched to biodegradable sanitary napkins. What other steps can individuals take to beat plastic pollution?
I can share with you some of the lifestyle changes that I’ve implemented. I’ve stopped using plastic toothbrushes and have replaced them with bamboo toothbrushes. I avoid buying personal feminine hygiene items that have sustainable alternatives. Instead of buying shower gel, I buy soap bars packaged in paper, or natural handmade soaps. I use bamboo ear buds. Of course, disposable sanitary napkins are a big win. I also recommend biodegradable diapers [for babies] or using cloth diapers that are washable and reusable.
I carry my own water, wherever I go. There are metal bottles that go with me – whether I am going to the gym, for a meeting, a shoot or if I am travelling. That has cut down my consumption of packaged water significantly. And of course before I order a drink, I ensure I tell the server not to give me a straw. And wherever I see the mindless use of plastic, I object... I think it’s really people’s participation and proactive participation that will change human behaviour.
We should also segregate our waste at home. This makes a big difference to the collection and disposal system. All society composts all of our kitchen waste, wet waste and only dry waste gets collected by municipal corporation and I think this is a huge step in the right direction.
Sadly, people still fail to understand that their actions can impact environment negatively...
Mahatma Gandhi had said that the planet has enough to serve every man’s need but not every man’s greed... I believe there’s a growing sense of awareness and more and more people are joining the movement to live and demand better policies, administration, infrastructure, to manage the quality of our environment, and work towards making everyday life sustainable.