Earth Day is observed on April 22 every year to raise awareness and support for environmental protection. NT BUZZ asks locals how we can do our bit to save the Earth from further damage
NT BUZZ
The theme for Earth Day this year is ‘Restore Our Earth’ which is of utmost importance in light of the pandemic. As we see our Mother Earth bear the brunt of large-scale development, there’s grave and irreparable loss that’s caused on the surface and beyond what we can see. Efforts are on to prevent further damage, restore harm done and look for sustainable options as we co-exist. On Earth Day, we reach out to a few to get their views on how – we, you and me, can create a better and positive impact.
We all have to start living within our means. Post the lockdown, one has realised there is so much more to life than the way we have been living. My take on saving the Earth from further damage would still be the famous three Rs, namely, Reuse, Reduce, and Recycle.
Marlon Lobo, entrepreneur, Parra
The strongest governments on Earth cannot clean up pollution by themselves. They must rely on each ordinary person like you and me, on our choices, our will and our consciousness. The Earth is here to stay with or without us… let›s make every day an Earth Day! The first step is to reduce your waste footprint, start home composting, participate in waste and old items donation/ collection drives, plant as much as you can, encourage others for living sustainable and most importantly participate in awareness drives and clean-up drives to make sure the world gets more responsible towards protecting our ecosystem… our Earth.
Gaurav Pokle, CEO, Yimby, Mapusa
We all have to start living within our means. Post the lockdown, one has realised there is so much more to life than the way we have been living. My take on saving the Earth from further damage would still be the famous three Rs, namely, Reuse, Reduce, and Recycle.
Marlon Lobo, entrepreneur, Parra
This year’s Earth Day theme is ‘Restore our Earth’ which focuses on green technologies and protecting the world’s ecosystems. Keeping this in mind, we should follow the principles of sustainable development which emphasises on 17 goals in order to build a healthy environment. Every individual can contribute in some way, be it creating awareness on plastic menace, rapid urbanisation, open defecation, sanitation hygiene, equitable distribution of resources, biopiracy, etc. Each one can strive to build a better and healthy tomorrow which will reduce damage to the biosphere.
Glenda Mascarenhas, environment activist, Panaji
It is important to protect the planet that we live on since the Earth is the backbone of our existence and with these changing times it is even more crucial for us to protect and preserve our planet. We have strived to do this by promoting the mantra of sustainability while contributing towards a clean, green and safe planet. On Earth Day, we hope that people become aware and alert about the damage that is being caused to nature and start working towards a healthy environment for a healthy present and future as well.
Rajkumar Kamat, chairman and managing director, EP Kamat Group, Panaji
The only way to save Earth is to own it as a prized possession. For if we take the Earth for granted, we are going to continue creating a mess for ourselves and all creatures including the Earth itself. The Earth gives us everything. In return, we abuse the Earth. We pollute everything, be it the air that we need to breathe, water to drink, and soil to produce food. No other living creatures other than humans destroy Earth. Yet we selfishly continue doing our destruction with no guilt, no remorse. The only thing we can do to save ourselves is to adopt a practice of ‘we litter, we clean’. Modernisation and development of human civilisation cannot be sustainable if the Earth and its existence is jeopardised by the same.
David Desouza, founder, Organically Yours, Panaji
(Compiled by Anna Fernandes and Danuska Da Gama)