My consumption

One of the best things Internet has handed down to us is Awareness. Awareness about environment issues, about shrinking rainforests, water resources becoming more and more scarce. Plastics clogging our oceans while the oceans themselves running out of sealife, wildlife species getting extinct, climate change, ozone layer depletion. Soil, land and water pollution, increased carbon footprint, littering and landfill problems. Sounds a bit negative, but I assume at some point more people have to start talking about it, to try to make things a bit better.

"Am I stuck in traffic or am I the traffic?"

A question that I very often end up asking myself.

I am very much responsible just like the others around. For my own laziness, for my own convenience, I feel the need to make some lifestyle changes. Small things can make a huge difference. Only buying the things that I really need. Carrying a grocery bag to the supermarket instead of getting many plastic from them. Not using straws to drink beverages. Trying to recycle as many things as I can. Buying new clothes only when absolutely necessary. 

Trying to support organizations who do things more environment friendly than the others in similar categories. Trying to carpool whenever I can. Maybe buy a car that is electric or hybrid or fuel efficient. Using bicycle, public transport whenever possible. buying energy and water efficient appliances. Buying as little furniture as possible and using it over a long period of time. 

Make smart choices while buying. Use products that are environment friendly. buying unwashed jeans which consume much less water while making rather than the washed ones. Opt for eco-friendly packaged items. Staying in the outside aisles of the supermarket rather than the packaged middle aisles. Combine multiple errands in one trip. Print documents as little as possible. Try to opt-in for electronic mail options rather than paper mail. Trying to use reusable glass containers at home rather than the plastic ones that have to replaced often. 

Maybe some planning can help. Not using the plastic cup/spoon/ knife or disposable cutlery at work and trying to bring/keep reusable mugs and cutlery at work. There is always this feeling, do the actions of a single person matter? But then just as every vote counts in the final tally, maybe my actions will count. Maybe If more people start raising these concerns collectively, companies will start taking action. Like Levi's have started to make the water > less label Jeans, Nike using more recycled material in shoes , Ikea moving towards 100% renewable energy and many such examples. 

Maybe, If I pay attention to my consumption, things will change. 

< Just realized this is my 100th post. This is one of those posts I've been meaning to write for a long time, but was waiting for a lazy Sunday afternoon to pen it down>