Everyday must be Earth Day

 [While individual action is important, it is equally important that we hold government and industry accountable for protecting the environment. Also published in YouthKiAwaaz]

“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.”
Long before I read this Robert Swan quote, I had started doing my bit for the only habitable planet we have.

Most of them were small individual actions, easily replicable:
- carrying my own water bottle
- taking public transport wherever possible
- stop buying fast fashion, investing only in clothes I will wear multiple times, and borrowing and lending when possible
- carrying my own bags and refusing plastic carry bags
- saying “no” to straws, unnecessary printouts and other single use items
- reducing consumerism
In doing all these small things, mindfulness was the key. It was simply a case of being aware of the 3 Rs- Reduce-Reuse-Recycle (and all the other Rs). It took awhile, but it got internalised. Sure I slipped up occasionally, but it was important to accept that consistency was more important than perfection.

It was not always easy. There were times when you had to choose between alternatives.
Should you consume dairy or switch to non-dairy substitutes which often leave other larger footprints?
While buying fewer clothes is good for the environment, when you wear handlooms, as I do, each item you purchase supports several livelihoods.
It was important to remind myself that we can each do only so much, but that we should ensure that we do all that we can do.

I am just one individual. Does what I do really matter, I often asked myself.
The answer was the story of the little child picking up the starfish left behind on the beach and returning them to the sea. “Does it matter?”, someone asked the child. “To that starfish, it does”, was the reply.

The next step was convincing others to move towards greater sustainability. In our organization, we organised several events every quarter. By printing one generic banner which could be re-used at all the events, we were able to reduce the number of flexis sent to the landfill. Guests who were earlier given fresh flower bouquets which came wrapped in layers of single use plastic were now greeted with small bunches of hand-made paper flowers. By tying up with government schools, we were able to replace disposable plates and cups with plates and glasses made of steel. We were certainly not able to eliminate the use of single use plastics, but by remaining mindful of the ecological impact, we were able to reduce the use to a significant extent.

Individual action, while important is not enough

Yet, over time, one realised that individual action, while important, was just not enough. That while one should do all one can in an individual capacity, it is equally important to hold government and industry accountable because they are the only ones who can catalyse change to scale.

When a city experiences unprecedented flooding, it is very easy to point to the plastic choking our storm water drains and blame citizens for the constant flooding. But let us not forget that in most of our cities, lakes have been encroached upon and natural drainage channels have been blocked. Housing complexes built on low lying land and underground parking lots don’t get flooded because of plastic in storm water drains- they get flooded because of poor urban design, and it is urban planners who need to be held accountable.

Yes, single use plastics should be phased out. But instead of holding individuals responsible for reducing usage, shouldn’t the government and industry be looking at eco-friendly alternatives. Instead of punishing small traders for continuing to use plastic carrybags, shouldn’t the local government be setting up systems which make it easy for individual households to recycle plastics?

Every year, we run campaigns encouraging people to plant trees, but shouldn’t we be more concerned about preserving the trees that we already have? Given the economic value of a tree, shouldn’t infrastructure projects be designed so there is minimal displacement of trees? Since trees do not have a voice or a vote, shouldn’t we be raising our voice to protect them?
On the face of it, an electric vehicle appears more eco-friendly than one that runs on fossil fuels, but given the fact that a substantial proportion of electricity generation depends on fossil fuels, aren’t electric vehicles merely shifting the air pollution from one area to another? Instead of pushing the use of electric vehicles, shouldn’t public transport be made cheaper, safer and more efficient, so more people are encouraged to use them?

We have the duty to protect our environment

The Earth is the only habitable planet in the solar system, and it is our duty to ensure that we do all we can to protect the planet. In fact, Article 51-A of the Constitution which deals with the Fundamental Duties of citizens clearly states-

“it shall be the duty of every citizen of India to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife and to have compassion for living things.”

While it is our responsibility to do all we can to lead a sustainable lifestyle and to encourage others to do so as well, it is equally our duty hold others accountable for considering the environmental impact of actions/ inactions.

To focus only one of the two is not enough- we need to do both. Because this is the only home we have, and the only home we will ever have.

As Sir David Attenborough says, “Never before have we had such an awareness of what we are doing to the planet and never before have we had the power to do something about that. Surely we all have a responsibility to care for our Blue Planet. The future of humanity and indeed all life on earth depends on us.”

Everyday must be Earth Day!