mid day editorial: Let's do one green good deed every day

While the goal seems lofty, and the theme sweeping and humongous, it is the words of Dr Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, that should resonate deeply

India is the global host of 2018 World Environment Day, which falls tomorrow on June 5. The theme this year is 'Beat Plastic Pollution', urging governments, industry, communities, and individuals to come together and explore sustainable alternatives and urgently reduce the production and excessive use of single-use plastic.

While the goal seems lofty, and the theme sweeping and humongous, it is the words of Dr Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, that should resonate deeply. The minister had in an earlier address said that the Indian philosophy and lifestyle has long been rooted in the concept of co-existence with nature and that India is committed to making Planet Earth a cleaner and greener place.

While that could be put down to political platitudes, given urban India's record, it is the Minister's next words that should give us heart. He said that if each and every one of us does at least one green good deed daily towards our Green Social Responsibility, that will amount to billions of green actions every day.

That is the key — to start small. Every individual cannot be a green activist. Nor can they join an environmental panel. Yet, we can be green warriors in our own small way. Do not throw that plastic wrapper on the beach. Put the used juice carton in your bag, till you find a trash can. Reduce and reuse as much as possible. Learn to distinguish between wet and dry waste, and encourage your housing society to segregate waste. Put up a poster in the building educating people on how to differentiate between the two.Even if it's not possible to do so on every day, you can volunteer to undertake tree planting or beach cleaning with a neighbourhood group on your weekend off. It is the smaller initiatives that all add up.

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