The environment is worth saving!

Climate change is overwhelming, its science is complex, and there still remains a lot that is unknown. India is the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases. It accounts for 2.46 billion metric tons of carbon (6.8% of the total global emissions). “Carbon footprint” is often used as shorthand for the amount of carbon emitted by an activity or organisation; however, the carbon footprint is the amount of productive land area required to offset those carbon dioxide emissions. While the real solution will require action on a much bigger scale, there are many small day-to-day choices we can make to ensure this planet survives and thrives:

Food:

• We can eat low on the food chain: Meat and dairy production and processing and the methane emitted by beef and sheep account for 14.5 per cent of man-made global greenhouse gas emissions. We could lower our carbon footprint by 8 pounds per day by avoiding meat and dairy— that’s 2,920 pounds per year!
• Let’s buy organic and local: Choose organic and local foods. Transporting food from afar, whether by truck, ship, rail, or plane, necessitates the use of fossil fuels for both fuel and cooling to prevent food spoilage.
• We can reduce wastage and Compost- Plan ahead of time for meals, freeze leftovers, and repurpose leftovers to reduce food waste. Composting food wastage is a great option too!

Clothing:

• Let’s try to avoid buying fast fashion: Trendy, cheap items that go out of style quickly get dumped in landfills, where they produce methane as they decompose. Currently, the average American discards about 80 pounds of clothing each year, 85% of which ends up in landfills. In addition, most fast fashion comes from China and Bangladesh, so shipping it to the U.S. requires fossil fuels. Instead, buy clothing that will last.

Home:

• When leaving a room, turn the lights off and disconnect any electronic gadgets that are not in use.
• Replace incandescent light bulbs (ILBs) with light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Although expensive, they consume only a fifth of the energy and live up to 25 times longer than ILBs. They’re also superior to compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) bulbs, which contain mercury and emit 80% of their energy as heat.

Transportation:

• We must drive less: This not only cuts CO2 emissions but also decreases traffic congestion and engine idling. Avoiding unnecessary breaks and acceleration helps too
• Let’s take care of our car: Keeping tyres properly inflated can boost fuel efficiency by 3%. Keeping the automobile well-maintained can increase it by 4%. Remove any unnecessary weight from the vehicle.

Air trave:

• Let’s avoid flying: If you fly for work or pleasure, air travel is probably responsible for the most significant part of your carbon footprint. Avoid flying if possible; on shorter trips, driving may emit fewer greenhouse gases.
• Why not choose economy: The business class is responsible for almost three times as much emissions as the economy. The flight’s carbon emissions are shared among more passengers in economy class; the first class can result in nine times more carbon emissions than the economy.

Finally, make your home more energy efficient by turning off the heat and geyser when not in use. Keep the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer no lower than it needs to be. Identify and replace appliances that are broken or that utilise more energy than they should. While all of the other chores need your intervention, OHM assistant seamlessly makes your home energy efficient without needing any help.

This Environment Day, do your bit because the environment is worth saving.