That's what a little green dragon on my sleep shirt used to say!
With Earth day just passing by, there's a lot of talk going on about being earth friendly, going greeen, recycling, etc... the guy at Honda showroom proudly displayed a new 2012 Civic and pointed out that it's using natural gas...well you know what I mean - "WE NEED TO SAVE PLANET EARTH!!"
I'm doing my bit...going Whole Foods-ing, recycling products religiously, no rinsing dishes before putting them in the dish washer, even trying to reduce Mota's carbon paw-print. I was reading an article on this "going green" issue and it seemed so funny to me that for the first 23 years of my life, the societal practices I grew up in were completely earth friendly.
I hated that damp plaid dishcloth in the kitchen, that used to air dry near the kitchen window and argued with my mom on how disgusting it looked and implored her to get rid of it. Now Martha Stewart is saying how important it is to have reusable dishcloths in the kitchen and not use disposable paper towels any more!
Our produce used to come from local farmers, bought at farmers' market kind of places. The grocery and produce came home in reusable shopping bags (BYOB that is). We didn't eat any processed food. Poultry and fish were bought as fresh as possible. Diet was balanced - with carbs, protein and veggies in balanced portions. I don't remember seeing a single obese person in Calcutta.
Also, clothes were handwashed and dried out on clotheslines on an open terrace. People wore sweaters in winter and in summer, opened windows to let in the cool breeze. We started having air-conditioners just a few years back. Before that those luxuries were only for the affluent families.
Most people still use public transport. Cars are only for the rich. Also, we hardly saw a single person in a car. If you tell them that 2 people in a car can drive on the HOV lane, they'll look at you with a strange expression! That way the entire city would only have HOVs!!
Our mattresses were made of coir, 100% natural and organic. We turned off lights and fans from every room while going out. Nobody ever left applliances plugged in when those were not in use.
Remember those herbal beauty packs that Shehnaz Hussain markets? It's exactly those we can buy at Whole Foods!
No one ever drank bottled water. There are water filters in every home and those who cannot afford that, drink water pumped out from deep tubewells. People going to school or work would always have lunch packed from home, in stainless steel containers (that are always reusable). Dishes were never washed in warm water. If you need to heat water, either you heat it on a stove or keep a bucket of water in the sun to warm it. Talk about solar heaters!
We had a person, Abdul dada, come to our home to take all old newspapers and glass bottles and containers of all shapes and sizes. He would actually buy them from us at a nominal cost and then sell it to people who would reuse the glass bottles and make paper bags out of the old newspapers. Some families actually thrive on the income from making paper bags.
!!! GIVE A HOOT, BE GREEN !!!
With Earth day just passing by, there's a lot of talk going on about being earth friendly, going greeen, recycling, etc... the guy at Honda showroom proudly displayed a new 2012 Civic and pointed out that it's using natural gas...well you know what I mean - "WE NEED TO SAVE PLANET EARTH!!"
I hated that damp plaid dishcloth in the kitchen, that used to air dry near the kitchen window and argued with my mom on how disgusting it looked and implored her to get rid of it. Now Martha Stewart is saying how important it is to have reusable dishcloths in the kitchen and not use disposable paper towels any more!
Our produce used to come from local farmers, bought at farmers' market kind of places. The grocery and produce came home in reusable shopping bags (BYOB that is). We didn't eat any processed food. Poultry and fish were bought as fresh as possible. Diet was balanced - with carbs, protein and veggies in balanced portions. I don't remember seeing a single obese person in Calcutta.
Also, clothes were handwashed and dried out on clotheslines on an open terrace. People wore sweaters in winter and in summer, opened windows to let in the cool breeze. We started having air-conditioners just a few years back. Before that those luxuries were only for the affluent families.
Most people still use public transport. Cars are only for the rich. Also, we hardly saw a single person in a car. If you tell them that 2 people in a car can drive on the HOV lane, they'll look at you with a strange expression! That way the entire city would only have HOVs!!
Remember those herbal beauty packs that Shehnaz Hussain markets? It's exactly those we can buy at Whole Foods!
No one ever drank bottled water. There are water filters in every home and those who cannot afford that, drink water pumped out from deep tubewells. People going to school or work would always have lunch packed from home, in stainless steel containers (that are always reusable). Dishes were never washed in warm water. If you need to heat water, either you heat it on a stove or keep a bucket of water in the sun to warm it. Talk about solar heaters!
We had a person, Abdul dada, come to our home to take all old newspapers and glass bottles and containers of all shapes and sizes. He would actually buy them from us at a nominal cost and then sell it to people who would reuse the glass bottles and make paper bags out of the old newspapers. Some families actually thrive on the income from making paper bags.
I am sure all societies all over the world were much more "green" before. I agree that the main reason for these actions were not to be "environment friendly" but to be more economic. Nonetheless, the outcomes were as "green" as possible.
Living a modern city life is easy, isn't it? Driving is less strenuous than walking. Turning the heat on is more comfortable that wearing a sweater....but now it's time to think about our actions and time to go back to our roots!
