Forget cigarettes, just breathing your air will now kill you. So much so that we now have diseases named after air pollution such as the Beijing cough. Asian countries are under the greatest threat. Air pollution in India is estimated to cause 527, 700 deaths every year. Not just health, it's economics too. Deaths caused by air pollution cost the European Union €161 billion. Air pollution travels much wider than water or land pollution, for example air pollution in China can travel up to California.With increasing levels of air pollution that actually makes us inhabitants of gas chambers, I thought let me become a school child once more and just write down five ways in which we can help reduce or at least stop adding more pollutants. More like a note to myself as to what I can do and what I am doing or not doing.
1. Use public transport as far as possible (yes, that includes the metro and city buses. and no, it does not include taxis and autorickshaws). 80% of lung diseases are caused due to pollution from cars, buses, trucks and other vehicles. I stay in the back of the beyond and can hardly use carpools but I make up for that by not using the car everyday. Assam could also do with better public transport in cities. The overcrowded and polluting mini city buses have really passed their expired by dates. Local trains too can be greatly improved. A good shatabdi like the one plying between Ghy-Jorhat takes a lot of load off the roads. Think about this: A single bus carries passengers that are likely to drive 40 cars.
2. Encourage cycling. Yes, cycles can get us from one place to the other. Consider the dimensions of small towns and the distances from home to office. Not really big distances. We don't have cycle paths in Assam but lanes and bye-lanes are relatively safe. As for where I stay, I can cycle without a care in the world but do I? I will, I will! There are lessons we can learn from the bike friendly cities of the world.
3. What about walking? Not morning walks and evening walks but walking for work, walking to the market, walking to a friend's house. Let's start walking. Initially, I read somewhere, walking in the morning will be easier and then as we get used to it, we can walk anytime, anywhere, etc etc.
4.Have you planted a tree this week? or a plant?
Let's seriously get planting..at home, in school, in office, on roads. And while we are planting, let's not cut down or let others cut down old trees which are gems in fighting air pollution. I am getting interested in a whole lot of plants... huge trees, flowering shrubs, vegetable gardening, potted plants. Trees obviously are the best. The seven best plants for purifying indoor air are Boston Fern, Palm Trees, Rubber Plants, English Ivy, Peace Lily, Golden Pothos (money plant), and flowers like Gerberas (Tulips too).
5. Alternative fuels should not be alternative any longer. Let's read more, experiment more, discover more about green and alternative fuels. Let us make our kids aware of energy, alternative energy sources and biofuels. Let's talk solar power.
2. Encourage cycling. Yes, cycles can get us from one place to the other. Consider the dimensions of small towns and the distances from home to office. Not really big distances. We don't have cycle paths in Assam but lanes and bye-lanes are relatively safe. As for where I stay, I can cycle without a care in the world but do I? I will, I will! There are lessons we can learn from the bike friendly cities of the world.3. What about walking? Not morning walks and evening walks but walking for work, walking to the market, walking to a friend's house. Let's start walking. Initially, I read somewhere, walking in the morning will be easier and then as we get used to it, we can walk anytime, anywhere, etc etc.
4.Have you planted a tree this week? or a plant? Let's seriously get planting..at home, in school, in office, on roads. And while we are planting, let's not cut down or let others cut down old trees which are gems in fighting air pollution. I am getting interested in a whole lot of plants... huge trees, flowering shrubs, vegetable gardening, potted plants. Trees obviously are the best. The seven best plants for purifying indoor air are Boston Fern, Palm Trees, Rubber Plants, English Ivy, Peace Lily, Golden Pothos (money plant), and flowers like Gerberas (Tulips too).
5. Alternative fuels should not be alternative any longer. Let's read more, experiment more, discover more about green and alternative fuels. Let us make our kids aware of energy, alternative energy sources and biofuels. Let's talk solar power.
No comments:
Post a Comment