Mindful Consumption-the need of the hour

Climate change is not a threat any longer, but a reality.  Freaky weather conditions, rising temperatures, long spell of summers and flash floods are signs of global warming. Water scarcity, a sign of environment degradation, is assuming crisis dimensions in many parts of the world including India. As per Niti Ayog 21 Indian cities are likely to face severe water scarcity by 2020.  Taps running dry and people queuing up for water is already a grim reality in many cities.  Acute water shortage in many villages forces women to tread miles together for potable water. Scarcity of drinking water is scary but equally worrisome are the sharply declining water tables.

Water is precious, must be conserved to conserve life. We can’t allow water to go down the drain. Rain water harvesting- preventing  wastage by managing rain water – saving when in excess and using the surplus in dry season – should be compulsory for new constructions and also for all public buildings, educational institutions and hospitals.

While government devises policies for water conservation, we, the consumers must pitch in to do our part. ‘Mindful consumption’ is the first step towards avoiding wastage. With awareness comes the need to conserve and avoid misuse of resources. Do we realize how much water is wasted when the tap water keeps flowing while we brush our teeth mindlessly? Once conscious, we tend to use water judiciously while doing various mundane activities – shaving, brushing, washing utensils and clothes. Instead of washing fruits and vegetables in running water, we can keep these soaked in a bowl of water, and utilize this waste water for watering the plants. Against 20 to 25 liter water for a bucket bath, shower dispenses about 19 liters per minute (old type shower head). For flushing 250-400 m liters of urine, we use approximately 10 liters of water. A staggering amount of treated drinkable water flushed down every day! Outrageous! We must find ways to economize. Dual flush system ensures significant water saving – more water when needed, but for most flushes half a flush is good enough.

While we conserve water, we must also be mindful of energy consumption. Switching off the electric gadgets when not in use and turning off lights and fans while going out of the rooms should be a habit whether at home or in the office. However, significant power saving is possible by keeping air conditioners at optimum temperature. Why set the temperature so low that we need quilt while sleeping in summer. What a huge electricity wastage it is when the temperature maintained in malls and multiplexes is so low that we start feeling cold! The idea should be to feel cool and comfortable and not create semblance of winter in hot weather. ACs are not only power guzzlers but also add to global warming. Today there are too many AC compressors dotting urban walls that spew fire in summers.

Mindful consumption also implies being aware of damaging effect of plastic on environment. We must avoid single use plastic and say ‘no’ to poly bags. Carrying a cloth bag is the best option since a paper bag also has negative environment impact in terms of trees chopped for it.

The idea of mindful consumption extends to ‘mindful merriment’, festivity keeping greener goals in mind as hyper consumption and thoughtless consumerism ware major reasons behind environment degradation.

We ought to be mindful of our consumption to ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’ so as to conserve resources. Even if we can afford, it is a crime to waste resources. Money may be ours but resources are not. Resources belong to the community, the country and the world at large.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            (Published in Chandigarh Tribune on November, 2019)