Article | Mixing Of New & Old Can Make Us Eco Friendly| Dr (Ms) Sharad Singh | Central Chronicle

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Mixing Of New & Old Can Make Us Eco Friendly

        .. -    Dr (Ms) Sharad Singh

Writer, Author & Social Activist

Blogger - "Climate Diary Of Dr (Ms) Sharad Singh"

 

Modernity is a good thing. But being modern does not mean giving up everything that was good in our past. Artificial facilities cannot give us the health and happiness that natural facilities give us. We have to stop and think that what we are leaving is it worth leaving everything? And in the race of modernity, what we are adopting blindly is it all worth adopting? When we consider both these aspects, we will find a third way that we can improve our life, our environment and the future of our climate by combining the new and the old. So think twice before becoming a toy in the hands of modernity. Don't put environment and climate at stake but be eco friendly.

  

It is the rainy season when nature comes to our house to meet us. Grass sprouts sprout from between the flore tiles of the courtyard. Where the water stops, the moss settles there. Rain brings with it the beauty of nature like a guest. The coming of rain after the scorching heat is as pleasant as the feeling of happiness after sorrow. So when nature itself has come to our house, then we should make it a friend forever. Actually nature itself knocks at the door of the heart. In this context, let me tell you an incident. It so happened that I went to a tea-bar to drink tea recently. There tea is served in an earthen kulhad. Eco friendly as well as hygienic. After drinking tea, the kulhads are thrown in the waste bin. I was also going to throw away my kulhad terracotta mug after drinking tea that suddenly I felt that this is a very useful thing. I wrapped it in a paper napkin. I brought it home and washed it thoroughly. Then made a small hole in its bottom. Now that kulhad has turned into a small pot. I filled some soil in it and cut a small branch of money plant and planted in it. It just became a tiny pot with greenery. I have kept it decorated on the center table of my living room. When I shared the picture of my little pot on social media, many people liked it. Many people were also inspired by this. Then I shared my thoughts on my social media that- "If you love nature, then nature has also found a way to reach you".

Just imagine that if that tea had been given to me in a plastic glass, I would not have thought of taking it home and planting a plant in it. I casually throw it in the waste bin. When the garbage collector comes from the waste bin, he takes that plastic glass along with the garbage. If the glass did make it to the dumping ground without getting blown up and thrown around, it would be sorted out and sent to the recycling pile. Before he got a new life, if he had reached somewhere else by flying or falling, he would have choked the drain somewhere and would have spread pollution somewhere. Whereas if I had not brought that clay glass home and thrown it in the waste bin, even then it would have been of great use. That is, when it was dumped in the garbage cart, it would break down, melt and mix with the ground and then become soil. That soil proves useful in all its forms. If nothing else, it would have helped the little grass to grow. The biggest thing is that it does not choke any drain nor does it spread any kind of pollution. That is, just think that instead of plastic items, we have traditional very good items which we can reduce the harm caused by plastic by bringing them in our daily use.

Recently an important thing was seen, that too in a wedding reception. Pattal means the dinner plate which is made from leaves. When plastic and melamine dinner plates and buffets were not in vogue in our country, food was served in leaves at weddings, ceremonies etc. Over time, the work of making plates was also done with machines and a beautiful and useful dinner plates started being made. But melamine plates made it obsolete. It is true that metal or melamine plastic plates can be washed and used over and over again and are manageable for caterers but the flip side is dangerous. If carelessness is taken in washing them, then no one can save the guests from infection and stomach diseases. On the other hand, dinner plates made of leaves are use and throw. That's why there is no fear of spreading diseases from them. They are easily disposed of in the garbage. Yes, so I was telling that I had the opportunity to eat on a dinner plate made of leaves in a wedding reception last day. The theme of that marriage was Countryside theme. And so the event organizer and the caterers came up with a beautiful way to have a great dinner. Tables were placed in rows at the dining place, on which food could be served by placing leaves plates. The arrangement was half buffet and half traditional 'Pangat'. Means buffet style dinner was to be done while standing but on plates made of leaves. Those plates were being kept in a dustbin after use. About whom the catering person told that they would take these plates of leaves to a farm where they would be composted. I was very happy to see and hear all this. This is the right innovation to make it eco-friendly by mixing tradition with innovation.

In both these incidents mentioned above, two things are worth thinking that when we use clay items instead of plastic disposable items, then we will feel the need to take care of the soil. We will focus on maintaining the quality of the soil. Will prevent soil erosion. And we will introduce our new generation to the uses of soil which our forefathers adopted for generations and we left them in the name of modernity. Similarly, when we promote leaf plates and bowls, it will provide employment to the villagers who make these things, as well as we will feel the importance and need of trees. For example, in the Bundelkhand region of North India, double-leaf plates are made from teak leaves. While teak trees are also used as wood for making furniture. Although the work of forest conservation is done by the government, but thieves illegally cut teak from the forests and take it away. When teak leaves are also used on a large scale, the number of people saving those trees will also increase. Due to this, while on one hand the cities will be saved from plastic pollution, on the other hand the forests will be saved from illegal felling.  Two works will be done by one hand.

So, think about it that by mixing of new and old we can protect our environment and climate for our new generation. Nothing beats eco friendly innovations and inventions for our safe future.

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 (09.07.2023)

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