I have a friend who is a jack of all trades. He can
double up as a plumber or electrician or carpenter, almost anything, when
required. I rely on him frequently for many of my simple domestic repairs, the
latest being changing a toilet seat cover yesterday.
“Keep it,” he said pointing at the
old seat cover which I was going to dump among the plastic waste that will be
carried away by one of the many men who come by regularly collecting such
recyclable scrap materials.
“What!” I exclaimed in spite of
knowing his proclivity for keeping anything and everything on the basis of a
simple philosophy: nothing is waste, everything becomes handy some time or
other.
“I mean those nuts and bolts,” he
clarified.
“We’ll buy new ones when required,” I
retorted.
Suchita Agarwal of Team Blogchatter reminded me yesterday that today is the World Environment Day. Below is Blogchatter’s suggestion for adding value to the Day.
My friend mentioned above will have a
whole truckful of things to mention if he is asked to write this post. He keeps
things: from rusty nails to discarded old parts of home appliances. He knows
how to reuse them sometime somewhere. I’m just the opposite; I hate piling up
unnecessary things around me. I love free spaces. No clutter at all. Discard
whatever can be discarded is my philosophy. Am I adding to the junk on the
planet?
I don’t think so. I live a rather
frugal life. I’m sort of a minimalist. So I hardly produce junk. I use
everything to its maximum capacity. And when something can’t be used anymore,
it is disposed of in the prescribed manner. So, no junk on the planet from my
side. But no clutter around me either.
I can admire people who store a lot
of things with good intentions. A lot of people I know are part-time
environmentalists and full-time hoarders. You will find a Himalaya of plastic
bags under their kitchen sink. Pickle bottles stored like precious antiques.
Pyramids of takeaway containers. I received a birthday gift in 2025 with a
wrapper which was wishing someone Merry Christmas in 2019.
Oh, yes, that reminds me that the
Parker Pen which came as a gift years ago and doesn’t write anymore is still there
in a drawer of my bedroom almirah. How do I throw away a thing like that? There’s
still love in it though the ink went dry long ago. A few gift items remain, in
fact, unused ever and undisturbed in their eternal resting places. So, in a
way, I’m a hoarder too.
Let that be because there isn’t much.
Putting an End to Plastic
Pollution is the theme of World Environment Day 2025. An extremely serious
problem: plastic waste. I take all care possible to avoid adding more plastic
to the planet. That’s my bit for the environment which is being throttled by
too many people.
Fossil fuel corporations – companies
involved in coal, oil, and gas extraction – are the largest contributors to
greenhouse gas emissions. Just 100 companies such as Shell and Coal India are responsible
for over 70% of global emissions since 1988. Other serious delinquents are
cement, steel, plastic, and chemical industries. What’s more striking:
developed nations, with only 16% of the world’s population, consume over 80% of
the world’s resources and their per capita carbon emissions, water usage, and
waste production are drastically high.
Antilia, one house in Mumbai for one
family, consumes more of every resource and produces more waste too than the
whole locality. Just an example. Of course, that hasn’t deterred me from keeping
plastic waste until the scrap collector comes along. I am a responsible part-time
environmentalist.
PS. This post is written for #BlogchatterBlogHop
Hari Om
ReplyDeleteIt's very difficult to avoid plastic. It's quite literally everywhere. We all must do our bit, however that may be. The key thing is to be conscious of each thing and it's purpose. YAM xx
People haven't become aware of the real dangers of plastic, I think. I'm deeply concerned at the way plastic gets thrown all over. Our rivers are full of them. Our roadsides too. Anywhere, in fact.
DeleteAppreciate the conscious and conscientious environmentalist, that you are... I am a non-use-and-thrower. As your friend says, " It will be of some use, some day. " And it happens. Not few ate the times, I have to the rescue of those frantically searching for carry bags and more especially, Gift Wrappers, safely preserved. Everything is, is handy... Reusable. I changed my footwear last, only after the appalling cry of the cobbler, " It cannot be repaired any more. Many pairs of my trousers and shirts are almohothotst twice a dozen year-old. They are faded, but useable. The pair I wore, when Visited you and Maggie, in May, are just eight year-old. No pretensions to being the Poverello. Switching over from plastic bags to cloth bags. I admire the Dravidic Tamil genius, in having invented the ubiquitous yellow-colored cloth bags - all purpose, from carrying ingua to Tinnelveli Floating Halva, from the Iruttukadai of Thirunnelveli. I have been there to the GI marked halva shop, lit only by just a zero watt bulb. Still the halva sells. Trying to get over my getting addicted to AC, just long enough to bring down the ceiling heat. Getting into the AC Culture makes me lose my resistance to sun, which is forbiddingly hot, durring Rohini Karthika. AC is a Green gas emissions culprit, namLaudatoed in the Laudato si. Along with the Refrigerator. Believe it or not, I have mudka/kooja, which can carry five litres of water, for the last 10 years. Still serving me and my visitors good! Laudato si.
ReplyDeleteThanks a ton for this very personal response to my post which shilly-shallied on the issue which deserves a lot of serious attention. Your personal efforts to use things to the maximum, reduce the use of certain things, and so on are what ordinary people can all do but don't do. Awareness or sensitivity, I don't know what's required.
DeleteBy the way, I'm rather astounded that the mudka is still in use there!
Thought provoking. I wonder what I am now.
ReplyDeletePart-time environmentalist, at least, I'm sure. :)
DeleteOne more thing I would like to add. I discourage Priests, sisters and people from using the table tissue pack. The reason, one ordinary white table tissue pack, which is used in abundance from home tables to fast food joints, the simple version of it, one pack costs the Mother Earth, two acres of standing soft wood and 20 gallonPope s of water. More elegant and coloured, the design and the textures, more the water and green. Cover consumption.
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, a few years ago, a senior Iskcon monk challenged Pope Francis, over the killing of thousands of turkeys, all across Europe and the felling of pine groves, over the hills along the mountain stretches of Europe
That's quite a revelation. I thought tissue papers were produced largely from recycled material or at least à´ªാà´´്മരം.
DeleteHow did Pope Francis kill thousands of turkeys?
I'm more on the hoarder side, but I aspire to minimalism. It's just hard to get rid of things, you know? If only we could shame the major polluters. The problem is they use their wealth to silence opposition, turning the "responsibility" over to individuals.
ReplyDeleteThat's the irony of it, the real culprits go on perpetrating the same crimes and pass the blame on to relatively innocent others.
DeleteGood to read old friend's blogs.
ReplyDeleteDelighted to see you after a long while. Do you blog now?
DeleteI liked the word - part-time environmentalist. I feel every efforts counts, even though its seems that its not even a drop in the big ocean of landfill, clutter, waste and plastic.
ReplyDeleteI am trying to reduce plastic from my house for last 4years but its not only me who lives and I feel irritated that the other 5 people are constantly trying to give me waste, plastic and unnecessary things to keep me rolling.
Its not only our responsibility but we the thoughtful mindful breed of today are at least thinking and hoping for that greener cleaner planet.
It was a great read, Tomichan.
https://praguntatwa.com/treasures-of-time-a-sustainable-reflection/
Probably we can't avoid plastic altogether. We can reduce its use, no doubt. Thanks for the visit. I'm heading straight to your blog.
DeleteThis is a very relatable post. I may not be an environmentalist as you but am conciously looking ways to switch to bio-degradable products like recycled tissue paper and notebooks etc.
ReplyDeleteWe are all part-time environmentalists so long as we take as much care as we can.
DeleteGlobal Advance for Plastic Distribution Co. Ltd excels in scrap plastic recycling, offering advanced solutions for turning waste plastics into valuable raw materials. Our expertise covers a wide range of plastics, ensuring environmental sustainability while supporting industrial demands. With state-of-the-art machinery and eco-friendly processes, we guarantee high-quality recycled products. Our team focuses on minimizing environmental impact and maximizing material recovery. Clients benefit from reliable, efficient, and cost-effective recycling services, making us a preferred partner for manufacturers seeking sustainable solutions. We pride ourselves on innovation, compliance with international standards, and a commitment to the circular economy, making scrap plastic recycling both profitable and environmentally responsible.
ReplyDelete