80 February 2014 www.womanthismonth.com she says Love the Earth by BEHNAZ SANJANA So, you’ve pampered yourself silly this month. You’ve bought lavish presents for loved ones. But the best things bestowed upon us are free. What does your thank you note to Mother Nature look like? I’ll leave the statistics to the textbooks. But clearly, it’s time to wake up and smell the greenhouse gases (going by the signs, blooming roses will probably be an extinct phenomenon). We know the drill. We know we should take more trips to the recycle bin. All that wrapping paper and bulky packaging shouldn’t be cluttering the landfills. We also know that the toxins from that giant shopping bag toting around one miniscule item will probably kill exotic marine life your offspring will probably never witness. But complacency and other ‘more important’ factors keep us from empathising with Planet Earth. As a selfish, spoilt species, we care more that our homes are cool when we return after a day’s work. Never mind that it is a criminal waste of precious energy when our natural resources are fast depleting. The thing is, we want more, more and then some more. We want new gizmos when existing ones perfectly serve the purpose. We want six polythene bags when two will suffice. We want all the lights on when what’s needed is an efficient reading lamp. Do we need them? Probably not! All it takes is a little prudence. Why not use the dryer only when the sun plays truant? Why do you need a bunch of tissues to dry two hands? Take a nanosecond to tighten that dripping tap. Combine two small loads of laundry to run one wash load. If each one of us resolves to reduce our waste, reuse our things and recycle our trash, we won’t be leaving behind an ugly carbon footprint, but instead a magical world for others to marvel at — a world with its wonders intact. Start with yourself and spread the awareness — to your kids, their friends and even the house help. Believe in the power of the collective. Let’s promise today to ensure a wondrous tomorrow. It’s a commitment we’ll be making to our future generations and to theirs.
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