Plastic, bio-diversity loss, air pollution
Deforestation, melting ice caps, ocean acidification
Factories, food waste, overpopulation
Greenwash, eyewash, can we find a solution?
We did start the fire!
As those who took over the world as a superior specie (jury will always be out on that one), humans literally invented the fire even as the world had been turning. Apologies to Billy Joel for liberally borrowing from and paraphrasing his iconic composition; but I do hope we fight this fire that we are fully responsible for.
We are less than a decade away from irreversibly damaging the planet. Our climate has been impacted manifold since the Industrial Era and will take more than a couple of millennia to heal from the modern human’s shenanigans with earth, sky, wind, rain and fire. It’s all very well to declare and assign nature the status of a mother but who is taking the onus of stopping the rest of the children from hanging the universal mater with a plastic noose.
This entire month, Her Circle will introduce you to people and ideas who take up for our planet and give sustainable living a chance. Stay with us.
Before I go, I must share the few things I learned while working on Her Circle’s Sustainability Special month:
1) Avoid nail paint unless you have an eco-friendly option. When it is discarded, nail polish occupies a landfill and releases toxic elements like fumes-producing toluene gas which harm animals. Being part-plastic, nail polish hurts the environment way more than any other beauty product.
2) That flavoured coffee we love—yeah, the one that makes us poorer every day. Just don’t. It has a chemical called propylene glycol (PG) which is also found in the making of antifreeze. PG kills aquatic animals by consuming their oxygen. Opt for regular non-flavoured coffee.
3) Ditch excessive shampooing of hair. Shampoo contains palm oil which is found in most things but its widespread use has led to significant deforestation. In shampoo, palm oil is used as a form of conditioner.
4) Use an eco-font for printing. They are specifically designed to be economical and environmentally friendly by attempting to reduce the amount of ink required, without impacting legibility. Or simply use Century Gothic, Times New Roman, Garamond—all of which use less ink.