green is universal

Gandhi Was Also a Conservationist

Posted at 03:09 PM on November 06, 2007 comments (1)

By Dhiram Shah, newlaunches.com

Pollution, the environment, greenhouse gases, global warming and energy waste, these are issues that we all hear about often... even in India. Humans as a race have failed to evolve as civilized beings. I'm not talking about culture, tradition and beliefs and inventions. We have achieved distinction in all these fields. But we have grossly failed to secure our future or even plan for it by ignoring the signs Mother Nature has been throwing at us. We know how to build, use electricity, run huge machines and even go to space, but we fail to instill small measures like turning off the lights when not in use or even throwing paper in the bins.

Mahatma Gandhi was a great visionary of his time, but few people know that he was a great conservationist. He used to use scraps of paper and used sheets to write down notes and messages. But his countrymen are the sorts who leave their hotel room's air conditioner on so that the room is cool when they return from their sightseeing trip. In India, a country where basic amenities like water and electricity are still a major issue, electricity theft and water waste are a major concern.

For my part I try my best to conserve. I've learned to use the 11-number bus ( i.e. my two feet) to get to places close at hand. As a responsible urbanite my kids go to school in car pool and I don't let them waste water frivolously. But most importantly I have taught them to respect nature. We as a family try to watch less TV and instead go for a walk or watch a movie in the theater. We switch off the appliances when not in use. We recycle our newspaper and in our own way try to do our bit. We were well rewarded with a dip in our electricity bill and travel expenses.

What can you do to help? Like they say, actions speak louder than words. Walk, bike or even use a pedal boat instead of your car. Turn off those lights and unused appliances. Do something, anything, no matter how big or small just do it. We all need to start somewhere.

Dhiram Shah
http://newlaunches.com/