A day and more

Friday is Earth Day. To save the planet we need a billion acts of green, and hey! let us remember we are saving the planet for our sake. The planet needs no saving, we need saving from our own greed. Already damage has crossed the danger threshold, and any damage control will have to be substantial. It will need strong action from the top, but every individual can do his bit.

If governments place a market value on living trees and primary forest, or every person reduces his carbon footprint to 2 tons per year, the contribution can be immense. Imagine if even one out of ten decides to ride the bicycle to work instead of the car – you straightaway have reduced your greenhouse gas emissions from 0.85 pounds of carbon dioxide per mile for the average car, to zero!

Tree planting is something easy and calls for no sacrifice except for some responsibility. All of us can plant a seed somewhere on Earth, in homage to a life form that has sustained life on the planet. A healthy tree absorbs about 50 pounds of carbon dioxide per year, besides supplying vital oxygen.

All you need to do is write a petition to your government on some green campaign – be it against polluting coal plants or mines that destroy forests. Show governments that the public care. Buy energy efficient goods; buy local food, waste as little as you can of anything and everything. Whether saving energy, or using less water, or adopting alternative transportation, small steps taken together can make a leap.

At least for a day, why not use the Facebook to send across a green message instead of posting snapshots?! Why not encourage friends to go green? From one Earth Day, why not extend the pledge to more days? Why not make sustainable living a daily habit?