Let’s be serious about going green

THE number of floodings and devastation in our country and the rest of the world in recent years, are a result of how we have treated our planet.

We continue to exploit nature and the environment with hardly any thought for the well-being of future generations.

Planet Earth is our only home and it makes sense that we respect, care, nourish and cherish it.

We must be serious about stepping up efforts to keep our drains and waterways clean.

Go into “green activities”, like hanging flower pots with unwanted coconut shells. Have a place at home for newspapers and aluminium cans and make sure they are recycled.

Also note that water used to wash our rice can be used to water plants.

When going shopping, do prepare a list.

Buy only what you need, as it is one way to prevent wastage. It also saves the environment.

There are some environmentally friendly activities that should be encouraged.

These include reducing the use of plastic bags, having rooftop gardens and growing our own herbs and vegetables.

The Cabinet approved the setting up of “green neighbour- hoods” and “low-carbon cities”.

These are commendable measures and demonstrate our commitment to reduce the national carbon intensity by 40% by 2020.

We need electricity, but we should not abuse it. For a start, we could switch off air-conditioners, or better still, follow the suggestion that air-conditioners be set at 24°C.

Be a power saver. Make it a point not to waste electricity. Turn off electrical appliances when not in use.

If there is no need to charge your phone daily, don’t.

As for the laptop, it is best to switch it off when not in use. Also, once your devices and gadgets are charged, you must remove the plug from the socket as that prevents the flow of electricity.

While it may be difficult to do away with air-conditioning in commercial buildings, why not design houses that provide a comfortable environment with just fans for circulation?

Builders of energy-efficient buildings have advocated the use of “green walls” to insulate the exterior of buildings, to reduce the electricity consumed for cooling.