Posts Tagged ‘earth’

The starfish and you

Monday, September 20th, 2010

One morning an elderly man was walking on a nearly deserted beach. He came upon a boy surrounded by thousands and thousands of starfish. As eagerly as he could, the youngster was picking them up and throwing them back into the ocean.

Puzzled, the older man looked at the young boy and asked, “Little boy, what are you doing?”

The youth responded without looking up, “I’m trying to save these starfish, sir.”

The old man chuckled aloud, and queried, “Son, there are thousands of starfish and only one of you. What difference can you make?”

Holding a starfish in his hand, the boy turned to the man and, gently tossing the starfish into the water, said, “It will make a difference to that one!”

It makes a difference that you carry a reusable bag daily and thereby reduce usage of plastic bags.

It makes a difference that you smile and and add to the joy quotient of the universe.

Your star fishes are waiting for you..

Thank You

Thursday, September 16th, 2010

A heart-felt Thank You to everyone who participated in the ‘Awesome Feedback‘ campaign . It was beautiful to see Clean Planet through your perspective. We’re delighted, impressed, inspired by the breadth and depth of the feedback received.We loved several of the suggestions. It catalyzed a whole lot of discussion which will soon be presented as new initiatives.

Clean Planet is a labor of love . To stay true to our vision we’ve made tough choices – big and small . Several of which will probably never be visible (or at least discussed by us ) or so we thought. We were quite amazed by some of the feedback.

Clean Planet is about enabling an inspired community that takes consistent action towards a more sustainable , equitable and joyous world. It’s our way of honoring and giving back to the world we are privileged to be a part of.

The planet needs consistent , thoughtful action – small and big. While no one can do everything . Everyone can do something.Let’s also remember that this is our home. Your voice – more importantly – your action matters.

Going forward you will see a whole range of initiatives ranging from new products to change-inspiring campaigns. Do participate,reflect , share , spread the word , take action.

Thank you for being part of the Clean Planet Community.

p.s – 15 of you have won a Clean Planet Tote. We’re certain it will be your companion in the journey to making a Clean(er) Planet. Each bag comes fitted with some special attachment that will keep reminding you to use it !

p.s – all the winners have been notified via email.

If..

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

If success or failure of this planet and of human beings depended on how I am and what I do , how would I be and what would I do ?

- Buckminster Fuller

Calling all superheroes

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010

The rate at which we are generating, consuming and disposing a non-bio degradable substance aka Plastic – it would spawn a new kind of fictional hero or at least add a new task to already created fictional superheroes.

Circa 1990 – Superman/ Spiderman rescues the world from the bad guy(s)

In the future the super hero would not only be fighting evil folks . He / she would be swooping in on the Pacific garbage patch and similar heaps of non-biodegradable , earth polluting material and flinging them into outer space. All the superheroes would need to team up to clear up the plastic choking the planet.

The superheroes like Superman/Spiderman are fictional . The plastic on the planet is real . We need billions of people to become eco heros by making sustainable , responsible choices. At this point in time there is no answer in terms of solutions to bio degrade the plastic that is choking land and sea. The least we can do is to reduce the rate of addition to the pile.

Rethinking hydration..

Thursday, May 13th, 2010


THINK OUTSIDE THE box BOTTLE

Save 1095 litres of water

Sunday, May 9th, 2010

These days many cities and neighborhoods face water shortage . Even those that are lucky to get 24 hour water supply must be prudent with water consumption.

Water used to wash vegetables , rice , dal etc can be stored in a bucket / watering can. This water can be used to tend to home gardens. This change on an average will reduce the otherwise fresh water needed to water plants by 3-4 liters daily . Multiply this over millions of households. That’s millions of liters of water that would otherwise be poured down the drain.

A single household with a home garden that consistently uses kitchen water for the home garden will save a minimum of 1095 liters per year.

If you don’t have a home garden pl make a start . It’s possible to nurture plants in a small balcony / window sill . Use wall space . The joy of seeing plants grow and blossom is indescribable.  In a world where most things are marketed as ‘instant’ – from noodles to weight loss – gardening connects us with the rhythm of life that can’t be hurried. We may think we nurture the plants. The plants nurture us with their presence.

Garbage Island

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

It appears that the planet’s landfill is not on land . It’s the oceans.

The Great Pacific Garbage patch stretches for hundreds of miles across the North Pacific Ocean, forming a nebulous, floating junk yard on the high seas. It’s the poster child for a worldwide problem: plastic that begins in human hands yet ends up in the ocean, often inside animals’ stomachs or around their necks. It is outrageous that other species suffer the consequences of human choices.

Phenomena like the Garbage Patch cannot be the fate of the Pacific alone . Possibly the Pacific Ocean is studied more intensively and frequently resulting in ‘sea’ of information.

World over plastic is used widely . Very little of it is recycled . No one is holding on to plastic objects like heirlooms . It’s therefore ending up on land fills or in water.

The planet is a closed system . What we do stays on the planet and it’s atmosphere .The plastic in the land fills and in circulation is going to hang around for hundreds of years . Our best bet at not turning the entire planet into a junk yard is to radically increase creation and usage of biodegradable objects.

The problem is global and local . The solutions have to be local and consistent for it to cascade to a global level.

Pl choose to make a difference.

A planet money can't buy

Tuesday, May 4th, 2010

Pres Obama’s declaration that BP will pay for clean-up efforts in the Gulf of Mexico is symbolic of capital’s hubris and naivete based on the idea that cash can solve all problems. The magnitude of the ongoing BP Gulf gusher is beyond a payment plan. The long term degradation of the fisheries, the die off of animal and plant life, effects on the tourist industry along Alabama and Florida’s panhandle will be irreparable. How big a check will BP write? … How many lives human and otherwise are worth our lust for bigger, better, stronger, faster, newer, next new things?

Time we looked seriously at alternative forms of energy as well as a sustainable way of life.

All the money we have + all the money we can print can not buy us another life nurturing planet.

Make the most of your newspaper

Tuesday, May 4th, 2010

What do you do after you have read the newspaper ?

1. Wrap gifts – no more hunting for gift wrapping paper . Neatly pack gifts in newspaper . Make a card with left over regular paper and pieces of cloth / use a flamboyant fabric to tie the unusual ensemble

2. Make envelopes from newspaper . Splash a bit of color . And voila – you have  envelopes that make you feel like writing letters.

3. Pens from newspaper (not possible perhaps to make at home )

4. Newspaper bags – use fabric strips to make the handles , color the bag , stencil messages on the bag

5. On days when you can’t get dried leaves – add newspaper shreds to your composting bin.

Why use a cloth bag ?

Sunday, May 2nd, 2010

Why use a cloth bag when retailers recklessly and generously hand out plastic bags of varying sizes considering -

- Plastic Bags save you the effort of carrying a cloth / reusable bag with you.

- Plastic Bags can be used as bin liners

- Plastic bags can be used to store veggies in the refrigerator

- If the plastic bag is that of a fancy brand – you get to let your friends , colleagues , neighbors and all in visual range know that you are able to afford the fancy brand in question. Carrying it again and again establishes beyond doubt that you are a person that frequently buys that brand = you have taste + the financial resources to do so.

-Carrying multiple bags shows you’ve been shopping = you can afford it.

Why use a cloth bag ?

- There are innumerable everyday objects for which we don’t have easily available / alternatives to plastic – toothpaste , toothbrush , razor , primary food packaging (e.g oil , pulses , bread , biscuits), plastic water bottles , kitchen containers . These few items alone are enough for an average urban resident to be responsible for a hillock (if not mountain ) of plastic in his/her lifetime. At this point in time we don’t have easily alternatives (or even answers) for some of these everyday items that come in plastic. With a bag at least you have a CHOICE.

- Plastic does not bio-degrade . At least we won’t be alive to witness it . The plastic bag you use is going to hang around on the planet long after we are gone.

- Lives of birds , animals, marine life are threatened by the plastic remnants . They die due to ingestion of plastic . Those that survive undergo mutation . Would you like it if consequences of the thoughtless actions of another species affected your health and the duration of your life ?

- The plastic we throw away enters the food chain of human beings through animals , birds and marine life.

- We already have the challenge of dealing with depleting natural resources , pollution,  consequences of climate change, terrorism, poverty . From being stuck in the problem end of the equation we need to move to being part of the solution. Governments alone are not responsible for the state of the planet . All of mankind is . No government forces us to use plastic , to leave the tap open , to drive around pointlessly burning fuel , to not reach out to someone whose life we can impact .

The changes needed to make this a sustainable planet need us to participate . Not just by clicking answers on some internet poll. Participate by making tangible , consistent changes.

Your actions matter. Every action matters.