Mission Emission Control!
With all that talk about how much carbon dioxide is released in the air, one would wonder that something be done to control this evil release of a gas that is known to cause problems to us today or tomorrow. Since we cannot filter and control, the next best thing is to monitor and restrict.
Thus came into being the concept of carbon credits. These credits are our attempts to keep the various green house gas emissions under check. A smart thing done by countries that came together and signed an agreement named the Kyoto Protocol. A single credit is equivalent to 1 ton of carbon dioxide or equivalent gases released in the air.
Every country is assigned a fixed credit. Developed countries, mostly European, had said that they will bring down the level in the period from 2008 to 2012. In 2008, these developed countries have decided on different norms to bring down the level of emission fixed for their companies and factories. The goal is to make companies go down the green route through mutual agreement and market mechanisms that bring about a change in the industrial processes either by way of replacement or by upgrading process, thereby making them greener.
There are also many companies that sell carbon credits to commercial and individual customers who are interested in lowering their carbon footprint on a voluntary basis. So it’s like a clan of earth loving entities that bring about change by way of contracts rather than the traditional means of campaigns.
Is your Money going somewhere Green?
With growing awareness on global environment crisis, it’s interesting to see how many businesses have been going green. It is not just limited to industries that give out emissions; the Eco- friendly bug has bitten every sector. At least, in theory, our future should be better.
Green investments are things like stocks, exchange related funds and mutual funds, in which the underlying businesses are somehow involved in operations aimed at improving the environment. This can range from companies that are developing alternative energy technology to companies that have the best environmental practices. Basically, if your green cash goes into a green business, or supplements resources for a green business, you are an eco-investor!
Green industries and business include startups that are developing new methods for creating bio-fuels or solar panels, and traditional market cap heavyweights that are expanding their product lines to include environmentally friendly products.
Green investing can also be achieved through exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which mimic the stock indexes made up of green companies. Another way is to let your professional portfolio manager take over, and choose the greenest assets to invest in based on your company prospectus.
However, since the global belief on what constitutes a “green investment” is different and uncertain, it becomes difficult to determine what investment is actually green. Either ways, the foot is in the door, all that remains to be seen is that the world is able to find a consistent meaning to the whole idea of green investments and that it promises maximum involvement from all other sectors.
The World in our Palms.
When we think of a holiday, we invariable picture a serene island with blue waters; white sands spiked with beautiful palms of coconuts trees that add to the glory of a paradisical land waiting to welcome you! Ever asked a young child to paint the beach, it always starts with those flowery palms that flirt with the sunshine up above the waters. But did you ever ponder over the fact that the coconut palm tree under which you line up your chair is one of the most versatile living entities in this whole wide world.
From the roots to leaf tips, this tree can be used in many ways. Coconut milk is used for making coconut oil as well as a medicine to treat minor ailments. Not to forget, the lovely Caribbean and oriental flavors all thanks to coconut milk! Coconut oil nourishes your scalp and can be used for soaps and cosmetics while the meat can be used in candles and as a product for many recipes.
The fiber from the coconut husk can be used to make mats; the juice is good for kidney problems while the sap, which is kind of sweet, can be fermented into an alcoholic beverage or vinegar. Leaves from the tree can also be used to make various patterns in roofs of rural and sea-side settlements and the trunk can be turned into canoes or rafters. All this while the very useful fruit keeps the Pina coladas flowing!
Something as abundant such as these lovely palms can truly serve our needs in a green manner if more of us can tap into the valuable store of resources this tree has to offer! The natives have already realized eons ago and it’s now time for the new world to systemize this process and get the most out of what the planet has to offer!
Have a Nice Day.
It’s a pleasant morning on a beautiful holiday and you plan to spend it indoors. Well mostly. Let’s discuss how one can go about spending the day on a personal level in a simple and green manner. Just some musings penned down. You start off with a stretch. Get out of bed, make a move to the kitchen counter and eat healthy breakfast. Fresh and not canned. Instead of hitting the gym go for a cycle ride around the neighborhood instead. While you are at it you could pick up the groceries so you don’t have to make that extra trip. You are set for a simple lunch at home.
Go for easy-to-cook recipes that cost you less time and get done faster with fresh stock from the local markets sparing you time to clean and wash. Cook well and save resources. A green meal for a great day. You could follow it up with a nice read by the window or some work done at your garden if you have one. An evening stroll around the neighborhood would be a great way to meet people and socialize, surely a nice way to spare some time for people instead of tasks and duties like you would on other days.
You could end you day with a simple dinner by the fireplace or candles on the table. Wrap things up with some soothing music and a dessert made from fresh fruits to call it a day. A day like this once a month and you will find that you are in touch with yourself, your soul, your inner consciousness.
Sometimes, you don’t need a fancy dinner, a party, a movie, a concert to call it a day. For those of you who do more just for doing’s sake, there is another way of spending a a day off from work. One that is much simpler, and which leaves you more relaxed that fatigued. Just a shout out to all of you out there who believe, less is more and life isn’t all about extravagance.
sMo(c)king humanity.
Smoking is injurious to health. Period. Message to the health conscious. Smoking is injurious to the environment. Message for the whole world. What would it take for one to stop smoking or never take up the habit in the first place? It is addictive, it is discomforting to others and it harms the lungs and the planet. Reason enough to reconsider? Sadly not for most people.
Smoking is a personal activity that affects us all. 4000 deadly gases in a 3 inch cylinder, 5 minutes of fumes with an hour of odor and a lifetime of damage to the environment. 1 habit worth it all? From a liking for the flavor and fumes of tobacco, to a daily requirement to ‘beat stress’, smoking has turned into a ‘must-do’ activity for many! Tobacco consumption goes way back to 5000-300 BC. But with the commercialization of cheap and easily available cigarettes, this personal activity is becoming a public problem.
The harm that a cigarette causes begins even before the first spark of a lighter. Workers working in a manufacturing unit suffer from lung ailments due to close proximity. All that land required to grow tobacco could have yielded crops instead, cigarette paper that turns wood to ash, the leftover butts that pose a problem, the fires caused each year that take up thousands of gallons of water to douse.
If you are a smoker, do think about all this before you light into your next one. If you do not smoke, well, don’t. It is not fun. The media may glorify the sight of all that smoke from the nostrils, but in reality, the picture is quite different indeed.
Abroad Minded Approach?
So the time has come for you to pack up and catch that midnight flight to a distant land. You have been waiting long for this one and now you are all ready. Looking forward to that special experience of new cultures and lifestyle! The thrill of going abroad.
The thrill is fine and makes for an active and happy camper; one that follows every culture, tradition, rule and social requirement to the best of his/her ability. This includes making sure every wrapper finds a bin and every rule is followed. But why be so concerned and compassionate towards the land of visit and not for the land of birth? This has been a notable trend seen in the travel and hospitality industry among travelers. While we support responsible tourism, it is saddening to see that the same measures cannot be implemented in the mother land all for lack of understanding and a feeling of social obligation.
We must remember that green and clean living starts from ones home. It is from there that one can carry forward these habits and make for a great living! While most of us do the right thing abroad simply to stay out of trouble, we can do the same as a duty towards our land. One of the reasons why any place fails to attract tourists is because we as citizens keep it that way.
No tourist location would ever be popular if everyone, from a local, to a visitor as well as the government takes care of the place and keeps the crowd coming for more. We are ignorant because we feel everything is ok in your own home. But your mother land is also home to many others; plants, animals, neighbors and visitors! Happy travelling. Happy living.
Opt to Adopt!
Marriage is an institution and child birth is had become like a tradition. There are a million reasons why one would like to bear a child. Apart from the joy of parenting, there is this incessant need among most to see young one who showcases traits particularly characteristic to one’s own ways!
Although it may seem like a compromise, it is quite a practical option to adopt instead. It not only lets you have the joy of parenting without the tough time during labor, it also gives a young soul a second chance at life. It is well known that a child learns a lot from how it is brought up. That pretty much sums it up judging by the way an adopted child grows up to be just as concerned about and appreciative of the parents as an ordinary child would!
If only more people would give it a thought and consider giving a life another chance, we would have lesser residents in an orphanage and more happy families instead of monthly visits to doctors for tests and remedial measures for child birth attempts, many of which may only shatter hearts of hopeful couples. The basic idea is simple and makes a lot of sense. Why worry when there are so many kids out there waiting to be nurtured and shown the way to a better more secure future? A chance at having a young one under your care?
There’s a lot of good waiting to happen in the world. It’s a beautiful place waiting to become only better. Make smarter and nobler choices now and the future will be cleaner, greener and happier!
Peace of advice.
It started with the fight against the elements. Once we mastered that, we fought for food. Once settled, we fought for land. With boundaries in place we began to fight for resources. This fight continues till date and no one seems to get anywhere. Along with everything else that goes wrong, a military operation also costs the planet a good chunk of its health!
There is no doubt why there should be no wars, no battles, no conflicts and no explosions. If land and resources are so precious to us, why destroy land and misuse resources for explosive operations in the process of trying to acquire the same? Any sort of conflict not only hinders certain important economic sectors like the hospitality industry, it also leaves behind damage that no health potion can repair. There is no question that there are too many layers in hierarchy for a common man to stop a bullet, what we can do as a race is to realize and respond. Say no to war, today and forever. It takes one to coax another.
Our collective consciousness could change the way the world works and accepts any military activity and that is what we can bank upon. Travelling is a good way to open up the mind to new cultures thereby developing mutual tolerance among people. One also realizes that there is much good in the world not to be destroyed by war and conflicts.
Stop favoring something that only leaves death and destruction. Support peace. So you can travel a world with no boundaries, so you can a world with no scars.
The Issues with Tissues
Whether home, in office or on the go, one thing we always use and misuse is a pack of tissues! It’s the easiest way to tackle colds, messy table manners and damp hands after a wash. Comfort, as always, comes at a price. Every tissue you use is like cutting a limb off a tree.
Paper is one of the biggest reasons for trees to be cut and there’s no stopping that! They are in every way, the source of life for us. These tall structures represent the living and play a major role in the eco system. The irony is that these life giving wonders die each day just so that we live on. If we could only reduce usage of tissues, we could surely make a huge impact on our global paper needs.
Sophistication leads to excess usage of comfort products that may not make for a nature loving existence, but time constraints and habitual dependence on products keeps us from trying to lead a better, greener life. Top class hospitality properties make note of this and serve meals with cloths to go along with the fancy crockery instead of tissues that will forever turn a tree to powder. Imagine if only more people around the world substituted cloth for paper. This also applies to shopping bags where cloth can replace both plastic and paper!
There is only so much we have to ourselves. Changing our ways will take us far and help us one day look back and appreciate the choices we made. This is just a shout out to all those who may try to make a change!
Tap into the Rain!
So the rains have been pouring all around you. All that water on the streets and on the roofs. And here you are, reading articles that discuss water shortage. The irony may hit you every time you look outside the window, water gushing and all.
The unfortunate truth is that there indeed is a shortage of water, maybe not for you, but the less fortunate ones not so high up the social ladder. While you can keep working on your water saving skills, give fresh rain water a chance! Collect it and use it. You will find that this is a simple solution to basic water needs. Rain water harvesting has become a new and upcoming practice for people living in regions that receive high rainfall every year.
Now a days it has become simpler and cheaper to set up a rain water trapping system. Apart from basic gardening needs, rain water can also be used for indoor sanitary usage with minimal processing. When a community as a whole practices utilization of rain water, this could really ease some burden off the water supply agencies, therefore leading to a more self reliant and responsible social set up where in we can have our own solutions for our problems.
The next time you sit by the window sipping your hot coffee watching the heavens go berserk with the rains, remind yourself that you don’t have to wait for all that water to reach you sparingly after it completes the entire water supply cycle. You could simply tap into it domestically and be kind to society. As more of you adopt this practice, water will be plenty in the town reservoir to then be spread far and wide for cheap to those in needs!
