The International Federation of Environmental Health (IFEH) has designated September 26 as World Environmental Health Day and the idea is to sharpen the focus on activities that nurture, protect and heal the planet and to raise awareness about the issues affecting its well-being. In view of extreme weather events and climate change related disasters including floods, storms, droughts, and heat waves afflicting the earth, it is important for everyone to work proactively towards a healthier environment.The theme of World Environmental Health Day this year is “Strengthening Environmental Health Systems for the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals” and here are a few ways we can all cultivate a more eco-sensitive attitude and lead a more sustainable life-style.
Save water
This seems like an oft repeated platitude but it is not because water conservation helps in the regeneration of ecosystems and keeps the wetland habitats thriving. This is why steps like rainwater harvesting, recycling grey water, choosing green architectural practices that focus on water and energy conservation, protecting our rivers from toxic effluents, keeping our lakes clean and replenished and ensuring minimal water wastage in daily life are important. We could all cultivate a responsible attitude towards water conservation by avoiding excessively long showers, fixing dripping taps, curtailing water usage to reduce the carbon footprint that is otherwise increased by the energy required for filtering, heating, and pumping water. Even putting lids on saucepans to reduce water loss during the heating process, installing water-efficient taps, turning off the taps immediately after use, and planting drought-resistant plants in your garden can make a big difference.
Plant trees
Everyone knows that trees clean the air by filtering dust and pollutants like ozone, ammonia, carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide, but they also reduce soil erosion and thereby prevent the occurrence of floods to an extent. Trees also serve as carbon sinks and scientists believe that planting billions of trees across the world can be one of the cheapest ways of taking CO2 out of the atmosphere to tackle the climate crisis. The good news is now anyone can plant, donate or dedicate trees via the social organisation GrowTrees.com and support their projects like ‘Trees for Rural Communities’, ‘Trees for Water’, ‘Trees for Himalayas’, ‘Trees for Refugee Wellness’ and ‘Trees for Tigers’. With just a click, you can help to augment afforestation, replenish diminishing water tables, improve the groundwater tables of a region, help expand wildlife habitats and provide employment to the local communities. Volunteering for green activities is also a good way to be a responsible earth citizen.
Start a kitchen garden
Kitchen gardens can help us all to tackle the planet’s increasing food problems. Growing our own pesticide free leafy vegetables, fruits, and herbs is not only immensely satisfying but also economical and nourishing. Growing fruits and vegetables is now being considered as a credible method to fight climate change. As climate change impacts crops worldwide, scientists are advocating that communities grow their own food which is more nutritionally varied. Creating compost out of food waste and gardening daily can also establish a closer relationship with the earth. Additionally, locally grown vegetables require less fossil fuel and help reduce carbon emissions.
Say ‘no’ to plastic
The UN Environment Programs state that we collectively produce plastic waste of over 400 million tonnes every year and this figure is expected to reach 1,100 million tonnes by 2050. Water bodies get contaminated by this pollutant and it has already breached our food chain. Even though we are aware of the plastic problem, we tend to not worry about how much plastic comes into our homes and how much waste we generate that will in all probability end up in oceans, rivers, landfills and our food chain. To begin with, we can say ‘No’ to single-use plastic such as straws, chocolate wrappers, and plastic cups. We can carry our own bags while shopping, and switch to metal or bamboo takeaway bottles, mugs and even toothbrushes. We could also avoid buying packaged food from supermarkets and go for fresh produce. India has banned single-use plastic items from June 2022 and it is up to each one of us to make sure that we do our bit to reduce plastic consumption.
Curbing consumption
As unsegregated waste piles up around us, it is becoming clear that our consumption patterns are not sustainable. One of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the UN is to ensure a cycle of sustainable production and consumption and a circular economy could be the answer to the world’s waste problem. Strategies such as reducing, reusing and recycling can reduce waste as well as curtail material and resource consumption and also reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The less we consume and the more we transition to a circular economy, we can contribute to the mitigation of carbon dioxide emissions that emanate from manufacturing, construction and transportation industries. Cutting down on the use of paper, donating used goods, composting food waste, buying thrifted clothes or used goods and repairing gadgets rather than throwing them away could also help cut down waste generation.
