What is sustainability goal for a commoner? Why is it important? How can we practise Sustainibility starting from home? How will it improve our present and the future?
Table of Contents
Sustainability: Urban or Rural:
The word sustainability is in vogue today. From the foods to the cars, from the clothes to the medicines, everything must be sustainable. Even the dish cleaning or laundry products used at home or the floor cleaners at the bathroom, Should Everything we use be sustainable? Today, at the present time people in urban areas are thinking more on sustainability issues. Making terrace gardens, growing fruits and veggies in plastic pots that were earlier dumped or destroyed are being reused often. Some people are learning from their mistakes and some are still thinking to be sustainable. The claw of consumerism has gone so deep into the society that the erstwhile rustic life that never thought on sustainability but practised it automatically now has become the most polluting society which has been my personal observation over years.
Personal Rural Pollution:
Polythene carry bags to pesticides and insecticides, You name it, the rural population never hesitate to use them and most of them think them inevitable to use for a better living. Whose duty is it to describe the hazard issues and dangers and future problems related to these things? The civilization, the government, the society have no clear answer for this. The result is clearly discernible. Dumped polythene parts are burnt in the house corners to get rid of them, Bug killers kill thousand of birds with no regret anywhere and deadly chemicals are incessantly mixed into fish ponds to make the water “good”.
As I live in a semi urban area, I meet rural farmers and gardeners often. Just a few weeks ago, as I visited a seed shop to buy some seeds for my vegetable garden, I found people buying insecticides and pesticides indiscriminately. When questioned, they replied having no other alternatives. I remained stunned as the prospect of the future that nobody is caring about. From fruit orchard to fishes in the pond, each and every food that is sold or bought are containing venoms.
In countries where there are no authority to check pesticides and insecticides used in food, people will be dying in diseases that they’ll find hard to believe.
Personal Urban Pollution:
Growing pothos and snake plants at your room will not cure pollution. Urban population has a very quintessential kind of satisfaction about doing things to zeroing pollution; planting a few plants on earth day, growing some indoors, attending some seminars, and that’s all about it. The world is saved.
On the other hand, bicycles rust in the garage for years, driving car riding only yourself seems guiltless, buying clothes don’t need any occassion and dumping plastic bags and toys in the area dustbins make You feel relieved to have played your part.
No! no sustainability will be achieved if we don’t practice it like the aboriginals’ way. Loving nature and living with nature obviously have different aspects. Love may develop into marriages but may also end up in divorces. We are built with nature, each and every element in our body and denying nature is denying self.
Nature in Nature:
Please sleep early and get up early. Please don’t overeat, overbuy, overdress, over do and over work. Please tell Your children that We are guilty of living in the way we live, we dress, we eat, we waste and we brag. Please love your surrounding and live as though the road You take to office is the passage of Your room. Let it say to others and practice with your soul. Live a life that is more of inner visions and less of outer desires. What do We need in our little life and what are we accumulating? Guilt and guilt and nothing else. Aren’t we the most amazing and superior animal on this planet. Please ACT NOW. Every day must be an Earth Day as We have only one earth.
Personal initiative and Collective initiative:
Every change starts from one person. Every history is written after a single spark in the time. Every effort of You will be an example that will and surely will rise collective consciousness. You are the pivot, You are the spark. Recognise Yourself. The way You live will be the way others will follow one day. Every sustainable effort starts with a simple and small change in Your lifestyle. Start Yourself afresh with that change. Sustainability is searching You.
Read about the Balancing act of Sustainability
Read SUSTAINABILITY POEM 1: PATIENCE
(Featured image: Edward Howell from Unsplash. All the images used in the article are never intended for copyright violation. We acknowledge sincere gratitude to all the image owners)