Eco-nomicalfriendly

The Guide to Indian Practical Green Living

A green enthusiast with best of the intentions will be put off by the cost of eco-friendly products compared with other regular stuff. More than the multiple reasons given, it sounds fancy and has become a fashion today. If the label claims “natural” or “environmentally friendly” people want to pay more because of the idea that they are doing good for their families and the environment. Clever marketing. Companies are out to make money, not to make a social statement.

There are some options where the cost is genuine like solar power setups but there are alternate ways to live an earth friendly life for the average Indian and it doesn’t have to be expensive. Plant a tree, ride a bike to work or carpool, save water, save electricity, and so on.

Don’t wait for the expensive options to become affordable–start today. Every small drop counts.

I am starting this column of practical ways of going green for middle class Indian families. This will have a green change in lifestyle per week. 52 in all- so keep coming back to this page every week. Imagine an entire year of living green. Not only would you reduce your carbon footprint by a massive amount, but you could probably inspire others to do the same.

1)Gift Green-

With Valentine’s day round the corner I am starting  my column of  yearlong tips with gifting Ideas. Valentine’s Day is for love and you can show little bit of love to your planet by gifting green.

Make a resolution this year to start gifting green on any occasion Internet, magazines are full of such suggestions. Take a look or just use your imagination. Read more>>

 

2)A Green Adventure-

Eco-tourism means that we visit pristine places close to nature without harming the local environment as well as be ecofriendly all the way from start to the end of the vacation. The beautiful thing about being eco-friendly is that we can do it anywhere. Just because we are in a place which is someone else’s responsibility, we can’t abandon our earth-friendly practices. Living green is a

mind-set and like our daily life, vacations can be eco-friendly without any difficulty. By travelling green not only we promote a sustainable world while reducing greenhouse gas emissions but support businesses making efforts to protect the environment and create an expectation of green. There are simple, basic things to do to reduce carbon footprint when moving around the world. Go ahead turn every vacation into a green adventure. Read more>>

 

3)Defeat Power Sucking Vampire  – We have always been instructed or trained to switch off electrical appliances like fans lights etc. when not in use. After all extra running of these devices burn a big hole in our purses. It’s a very good habit and should be inculcated from a young age. Other ways to decrease electricity bills are use of energy efficient devices like CFL’s, five star rated kitchen and home appliances. I also have all CFL’s in my house and I observed a drastic change in my electricity bill after changing

my old refrigerator with a new, bigger and energy efficient one. The electricity bill dropped by half in the first month itself. All these efforts are very necessary for conserving our resources and reducing our carbon footprint. We put all our effort in this direction but most of us don’t know that there is a vampire loose in our house. This vampire unlike the ones in the stories stalks us throughout the day and keeps sucking our money 24/7.  Read More>>

4) A Green Birthday Party –

Last Sunday was my daughter’s birthday. She had some of her friends over for a small party and we all had a nice time. I love birthday parties for kids. They often don’t have a lot of expectations and have fun doing just about anything. Everyone enjoys but there is also a huge eco-unfriendly effect- wrapping papers, disposable plates and cups, paper tablecloths, birthday cards, balloons, favors and other items add up to several bags of garbage.

This year I tried to make it a little greener. Even though I couldn’t manage to make every aspect of the celebration earth-friendly,the small changes I had, made the world more healthier place. A better planet to live, is the best birthday gift we can give toour children. Good thing about my green efforts is that my daughter also understands what eco-friendly is and tries to makeher contributions towards green living now.  Read more>>

5)Clean And Green Refrigerator:-

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Refrigerator finds a place of reverence  in Indian homes. It has become more affordable today but still its considered to be a lifetime investment.

Latest variety from big brands all have star rating in power consumption but it is the most power consuming appliance in our house. Rest all we can switch off after use but this works 24/7. Dont make it a electricity sucking machine.  Little care and we can save power . Read More>>

6)A Green Kitchen-Save cooking Fuel at Home:-

Every vehicle ad has its fuel efficiency banner on top but we don’t hear much about fuel efficiency at home.  Save petrol is the mantra today as the greenest of activity also requires fossil fuels for transportation etc.  We are at the peak of fuel curve and will go down only here after .We need to decrease the slope of the curve to get more time of usage. Zero wastage and prudent use  will see our grandchildren enjoy a car ride or cooking on a gas stove.

Direct fossil fuel usage at home is cooking with gas or kerosene. As other fossil fuels which took millions of years to form cooking gas and kerosene are  also limited and we have already used most of it in last 60-70 years.

Mothers always  tell their children how to save gas like use pressure cooker , close the lid , use shallow and big pan.  To give them a  scientific backing   Petroleum Conservation and  Research Association (PCRA )conducted a series of experiments on how to save cooking gas or kerosene. This was done in collaboration with the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (R&D Centre), and the Institute of Hotel Management and Catering & Applied Nutrition, New Delhi. Most of the tips they suggest don’t require more time/effort than usual cooking. I have added my time saving green options along with it. The conclusions of the study with the amount of fuel conserved are…Read more>>

7)Be a Local Green:-

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Living in apartments and condominiums we miss out on the old feeble sabzi-wala (vegetable vendor) on his scrapyard bicycle or the kabadiwala as they are not allowed inside. These ambassadors of green living

bring to us vegetables from their small patch of land free of any chemicals, preservatives and zero usage of fossil fuels. Patronizing them is one big step  towards environmental consciousness. So next time you see a local pheriwala buy from him. …Read more>>

8) Use AC in a Green Way:-

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Blaming AC for global warming is not correct. Need for AC’s come from many other non-green activities and mainly from use of glass in buildings. This lead to more AC’s and more heat. It’s all cyclic and blaming one won’t help.

Here are couple of green tips which every home having an AC can follow. This can reduce some impact on environment indirectly. Also don’t forget to get 5 star rated AC and have regular maintenances.

Collect condensed water– The water that condensates due to hot humid air coming in contact with cooling coils drips out of the AC units.  On a hot summer night when…..Read more>>

Welcome! Fellow Green Living Enthusiast

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