Environment day, celebrated on June 5 every year, is nearing. On this day we observe few rituals as to how to save our earth but rest of 364 days we try to be as ignorant as possible thinking “Its none of our business, society is doing it”. How can we be careless when we ourselves are an integral part of the society. Little things if done and followed by all can be difference on large scale. Saving environment is not a very big task but it is very big responsibility of each one of us. So taking it big responsibility, doing small things on daily basis we should pledge to make huge difference. I follow few small steps to safeguard our environment and mother earth and believe me it feels so good to be kind to something which returns so much love each passing day.

• When we talk about saving environment the most discussed and adhered step is to plant more trees in surroundings. I have also done this by developing a small garden in backyard of my house. I gift saplings to my family and friends on their special days and ask them also to do the same. Now this has become ritual for us and we are taking care of those saplings to see them grown up as adult trees just as our own kids.

• Saying No to plastic bags has been on Agenda 2 and I carry my own tote/jute/cloth bag and do not ask for bags which will harm environment. The same has been forwarded to near and dear ones.

• Switching off electric appliances when not in use means less stress on your electricity bills as well as pockets. We do not think a step forward that in this way we are saving huge resources and yes this is small thing gobbled up by big responsibility. I even switch off my laptop, desktop and not keep them in sleep mode as they consume power even in stand by conditions. At night I turn off wifi at my home and data of the phone to save its battery thereby saving some more electricity.

• I always get faucets and taps serviced regularly to avoid water wastage due to their leaking habit. If any of them is found leaking it is repaired as a priority. I use A grade faucets which provide warranty and last long. This ensures saving on my pocket and environment as a whole.

• I usually do not throw away fruits seeds instead preserve them in air tight containers in deep freezer. During monsoons when I am travelling by road I throw those seeds in open fields where harvesting is not possible or not done to help growth of trees there in this season.

• Now a days we find different trash bins for wet and dry waste in sophisticated malls and restaurants. One must follow the rule “Know Before You Throw”. Dry waste has to be dumped in red bin as it can’t be used further. Wet trash can be processed as organic waste so it should go in green bin. Electronic waste such as CD’s, DVD’s, bulbs, etc should go in blue bin for they cannot be used further. When this rule is followed we can recycle the waste and use them as fertilizers while the waste which can’t be recycled goes to it proper place of dumping it.

• I have been an active contributor to “Swachchh Bharat” mission by PM NaMo. I teach my kid to throw waste in bin only whether at home, school, park or play. If we teach them today they will consider themselves responsible when they are grown up. I even do not throw pooja material waste in running waters of rivers or reservoirs. Even if see doing this I explain them hazards of doing so and that waste flowers or pooja materials can be recycled to some extent and they should go in green bins only.

• Being dependent on organic products not only keeps us healthy but it protects the environment from harmful chemicals safeguarding land fertility while giving enough employment and compensation to local farmers indirectly by buying organic stuff from nearby local markets.

• My husband gifted me bicycle to help me be active and fit. With a toddler all day around I hardly find time and energy to cycle for kilometers for hours. But I make sure to ride on my bicycle to buy daily stuff like groceries, veggies, fruits, etc. I ride my two wheeler when its extremely important to keep a check on my monthly budget as well as to protect mother earth and preserve this natural resource for generations to come. It make a list of all necessities to cover on the vehicle, do all possible multitasking so that I do not have to take another ride on it atleast for 2-3 days. At other times I even prefer public transport which reduces traffic jams, pollution and fuel usage.

• For kitty parties, birthday or family gatherings, I always opt for car pooling. This ensures good time with friends and it feel light on my pocket while I go on saving some more resource for generations to come.

• I take print outs only when necessary. Also I preview document twice before pressing Print Command. If by any chance I need to print again I use plain side of the paper to doodle things and/or my son takes over this charge. I draw simple pictures for him to fill it with colors with his crayons and tiny hands.

• I have requested our society management to switch on and off common street lights exactly at sunset and sunrise respectively. This has brought considerable decrease in usage and thereby reduced bills to make use of saved money in making shelter for stray dogs and cows who have no home when it’s hot, raining or cold.

• I prefer less use of air conditioners. On the other hand I keep windows open for sufficient ventilation and sunlight to peep in my house. No AC can beat the soothing effect of natural air.

• I take my son regularly to parks so that he can play freely in green surrounding and get refreshed in fresh air.

• “Food is Brahma” so I cook only in sufficient quantities. Leftover food is reused or donated to community helpers or unprivileged kids nearby.

• I have reduced my bath time by 1 minute to save few gallons of water every week. I avoid bathing under shower rather a bucket does the work for me. I use water from bucket to clean my car and mop floor to avoid heavy water usage.

• I prefer water purifiers over RO systems as the later throw away 40% of water and it just goes waste.

• I have small flower pots under air conditioner outlet pipe so that the residual water can be disbursed into pots and my home garden flourishes green.

• Every year on my birthday and birthdays of family we plant a sapling just as we visit temple on our special days.

• I keep television, radio or music systems on low volume to avoid noise pollution.

All these things are very easy to imbibe in our lives but believe we if we all act together we can make huge impact. All these years we have harmed our nature and environment. Now its time to repay its debt and do our duty.