Sustainability is inherent in our traditions, culture and way of life. The Vedic way of life highlights environmentally conscious lifestyles. It talks about harmonious coexisting with nature – respecting the fabric of nature – rivers, land, forests, mountains, animals and other innumerable creatures on our planet.
It is only in recent times that we are ignoring our bond with nature. Mission LiFE – or lifestyle for the environment – aims to connect individuals, societies and communities, and transform them into a powerful global movement to nurture positive behavioral changes.
It is important to harness the wisdom embedded in our ancient traditions and communicate this message to a wider audience globally. Minimal and conscious utilization of resources is required, as opposed to ‘mindless and destructive consumption’. We can try to become a minimalist – living with smaller resources and energy footprints.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced Mission LiFE to the world at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (CO) in Glasgow in 2021.
LiFE is becoming a public movement to mobilize individuals and communities to become advocates for our planet, promoting a ‘pro-planet mindset’. Responsible individual action and behavioral change with a pro-planet mindset is the key to safeguarding collective future.
How can we become a ‘pro-planet person’, adopting sustainable lifestyles? There are seven LiFE themes we can adopt in our daily lives- saving water and energy, reducing waste, refusing single-use plastic, adopting sustainable food systems, reducing electronic waste and adopting healthy lifestyle.
If we get up early and go to bed early, we can save electricity, besides improving our health. If we are using a RO filter or AC, we can collect the drained water in a bucket and use it to clean the floor.
We can reuse water from washed vegetables to water plants. We can install rainwater harvesting in our society and save billions of litres of freshwater. We can clean our car with just one litre of water. Yes, it is doable – with three different types of used clothes.
While shopping, we must carry cloth bags and when we host a party or event, we can use non-plastic eco-friendly cutleries.
If we have a small backyard, we can create our own bio-compost from the peelings of vegetables and fruits.
One can stop dumping plastic items in the bin and keep a sack for it which can be handed over to the ragman. This way, we can save tons of plastics going to landfills or ending up in our rivers.
Changing individual and collective behaviours can bring about large positive outcomes. Even if one-fourth of the world’s population adopts these sustainable lifestyles, there can be a 40% drop in global carbon emission. Collective action can solve complex problems.
(The writer is a professor of environmental sciences at the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, BBAU, Lucknow. He is also a Fulbright fellow and a British Chevening Scholar)
It is only in recent times that we are ignoring our bond with nature. Mission LiFE – or lifestyle for the environment – aims to connect individuals, societies and communities, and transform them into a powerful global movement to nurture positive behavioral changes.
It is important to harness the wisdom embedded in our ancient traditions and communicate this message to a wider audience globally. Minimal and conscious utilization of resources is required, as opposed to ‘mindless and destructive consumption’. We can try to become a minimalist – living with smaller resources and energy footprints.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced Mission LiFE to the world at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (CO) in Glasgow in 2021.
LiFE is becoming a public movement to mobilize individuals and communities to become advocates for our planet, promoting a ‘pro-planet mindset’. Responsible individual action and behavioral change with a pro-planet mindset is the key to safeguarding collective future.
How can we become a ‘pro-planet person’, adopting sustainable lifestyles? There are seven LiFE themes we can adopt in our daily lives- saving water and energy, reducing waste, refusing single-use plastic, adopting sustainable food systems, reducing electronic waste and adopting healthy lifestyle.
If we get up early and go to bed early, we can save electricity, besides improving our health. If we are using a RO filter or AC, we can collect the drained water in a bucket and use it to clean the floor.
We can reuse water from washed vegetables to water plants. We can install rainwater harvesting in our society and save billions of litres of freshwater. We can clean our car with just one litre of water. Yes, it is doable – with three different types of used clothes.
While shopping, we must carry cloth bags and when we host a party or event, we can use non-plastic eco-friendly cutleries.
If we have a small backyard, we can create our own bio-compost from the peelings of vegetables and fruits.
One can stop dumping plastic items in the bin and keep a sack for it which can be handed over to the ragman. This way, we can save tons of plastics going to landfills or ending up in our rivers.
Changing individual and collective behaviours can bring about large positive outcomes. Even if one-fourth of the world’s population adopts these sustainable lifestyles, there can be a 40% drop in global carbon emission. Collective action can solve complex problems.
(The writer is a professor of environmental sciences at the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, BBAU, Lucknow. He is also a Fulbright fellow and a British Chevening Scholar)
