Are you living a conscious life?

“We are the first generation to feel the effect of climate change and the last generation who can do something about it.” — Former US President Barack Obama.

THERE IS NO PLANET B!!!! This was our only chance. What makes us think we can live on Mars when we can barely take care of this planet? We need to do something. Start small but think big #AppreciateEarth

Our planet belongs to, not only humans but is also home to millions of species of flora and fauna. With growing consumerism and never-ending human needs, our species is doing irreversible harm to the planet. Humans are destroying natural resources and world ecosystems as a result of population growth and increasing consumption. We are losing the forest cover faster than ever before. Manmade or natural disasters like forest fires, cyclones, glacier melting, pandemic are results of climate change and ecosystem imbalance. It’s very much known that we cannot reverse these impacts but we can slow things down before things get worse and our planet becomes inhabitable.

While leaders around the world are making efforts to design polices around the same, we need to make CONSCIOUS efforts to make every day CONSCIOUS decisions to lead CONSCIOUS lifestyle.

I am emphasizing on the conscious word more because our everyday decisions of consuming goods and discarding waste are unconsciously driven by multiple external factors like economics of demand and supply, unequal distribution of goods, projection of certain kind of lifestyle as status symbol, leading to compulsive buying.

One must be wondering this blog started with climate change and ecological imbalance and now talks about economics and inequality and our everyday choices. Well, everything is related and we are all part of the cycle knowingly or unknowingly. This may be alarming but we must not panic. It’s important to understand what are these external factors which influence our everyday decisions and how we can choose to live sustainable life for us to coexist on this planet with other species.

Impact of Consumerism:

First Step is to understand how Consumerism has impacted our society and environment. How it leads to unconscious cycle of buying new things then discarding it and again buy new things with little attention to their need, durability, product origin, or the environmental consequences of their manufacture or disposal. The waste generated results in ecological imbalance, depletion of natural resources and also inequalities certain sections of the society due to excessive hoarding for unequal good distribution.

1. Economical Imbalance: — Global inequality

• The huge rise in resource consumption in wealthier countries has led to an ever-widening gap between the rich and the poor. As a result of which, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
• The resources are not divided properly among people, they are neither saved nor consumed properly.
• More number of compulsive buying- as better the income better the purchasing power leading to more wants and desires.
• Due to migration of people to places of better economic opportunities, there is excessive consumption of goods in one section of society beyond their needs leading to shortage of goods for the other section of society.
• This problem of consumption and waste generation is common among developed countries but in developing country like India, impact of consumerism and waste is compensated due to its population number and lack of awareness.

2. Ecological Imbalance: Pollution, Resource Depletion, Deforestation

• As obvious as social and economic problems, consumerism is destroying our environment.
• As the demand for goods increases, the need to produce these goods also increases. This leads to more pollutant emissions, increased land-use and deforestation for goods production, building industries and infrastructure.
• We are experiencing devastating effects on the planets water supplies, as more and more water stores are used up or diverted as a part of intensive farming practices and waste disposals in water bodies.
• Waste disposal is becoming a problem worldwide, and our oceans are slowly but surely becoming a giant waste disposal pit. It is estimated that over half of the plastic produced every year is single use — this means that it is used once, and then either thrown into landfill or finds its way into the environment.

• According to scientists, up to 12 million tons of plastic enters the ocean every year, forming giant floating garbage patches all over the world.
• We also see instability in the ecosystem as many species are endangered for human needs.

What can we do as an Individual?

It is obvious that we need to reduce consumerism and change our current lifestyles, otherwise the planet as we know will cease to exist.

We are currently consuming resources at an unsustainable rate, which is causing mass environment destruction and social problems across the world.

Make a change today by reducing materialistic possessions, increasing recycling, and raising awareness in your community.

As known to all, one of the ways a great way to save the earth is to use the 3 R’s; Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

Reduce- Reducing is when the use of non-biodegradable, lessen. For example, plastic is a non-biodegradable product, we, as a community must replace plastic products with metal or glass ones. In order to eliminate land, water, soil pollution.

Reuse- Reuse is when that object can be used again or in other words more than once. Avoid throwing away anything that is reusable. Reusing will not only save the planet but will also save tons of money.

Recycle-Recycle converts waste into reusable material. Recycling plays an integral role in curbing the disposal of non-biodegradable waste on the Earth’s surface. Instead of discarding plastic, electronic and other kind of waste, it can be donated at recycling centers which in turn can be used as raw materials in certain manufacturing industries.

They say, it is easier said than done. Above solution is very much generic. When world organizations, industries, governments policies are moving towards circular economies, there are certain measures we as an individuals can undertake. In the subsequent section, I will list down the things which I have been following to make conscious choices at my end in my everyday life.

• First is, no points for guessing, stopped use of single-use plastic. Carrying reusable cloth bag every time when stepping out of the house.
• Every time while purchasing anything, contemplate if there is really a need for this item or is it just the sudden urge to buy it or how sustainable the item is for the environment. Example: Buying of basic colors of clothes, linens and other household items so that these can used for long term and are always relevant with times.
• Not buying the goods which are not sustainable: replacing phones every year, use and throw Pens, stationaries, plastic glasses, bathroom toiletries etc. and now very recently surgical masks. (This one is necessary but its nonbiodegradable).
• Making sure minimal waste goes out of house. Cleaning and collecting all the plastic and cardboard waste that comes from packaging items and dropping at recycling centers. All the plastic containers, old clothes, paper waste everything that can be recycled is collected and dropped at recycling centers in Mumbai. This facility may not be available at all the locations as recycling centers mostly operate informally in India, but nearby junk dealer can help taking up your junk to these centers.
• Most of the wet waste is used as used as compost at home. Please find the video — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iw3rtPDwAIY
• Ensure to leave minimum carbon footprint in everyday life. Consciously deciding not to buy any personal vehicle for our everyday commute. Making use of public transport. Even in pandemic times when my husband, who works for essential services and does not have the privilege to work from home, would travel in public transport only. It’s a risky one, we take all the precautions but it is the conscious decision we make every day.
• Using electricity consciously- Is that extra light really required in the room or that AC or any electronic items that run on irreversible carbon batteries. One time investment in setting up home solar panels (as in the picture below) to generate power for everyday electricity usage can go a long long way.

• Planting more trees instead of buying air conditions. Protecting forests, older tress around the areas. Trying not get them cut for building any infrastructure purpose. Planting a tree is not equivalent to cutting down the 100s of years of old trees. Trying to spread as much awareness possible for the same.

• The last thing that I am working towards, is very much personal choice for all, Going Vegan. Coming from non-veg eating family, this is my choice. I cannot force it on anyone not even my family. I can only give them the reasons for my preference. I am working towards not consuming any animal products for my needs which may not be necessary, but only for the taste or aesthetic purpose. Along with animal abuse, livestock farming also makes up for over one quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions.

This is not the exhaustive list. I started with all these in last two years and its not also late for all of us to start now. These are little steps to make changes in our lifestyle which can help save the planet.

It is our privilege that we are in a position to make such conscious choices and make an impact. It’s our duty to work in this direction, to spread awareness, to teach compassion and empathy to our people and out kids- towards this planet, its habitants, and its resources.

Our future generations will not forgive us if we don’t act now.