[Excommunicado]

These are some of my efforts towards sustainability and thereby protecting the environment.

1. I use my laptop for 5 years minimum and make it a point to surpass my goal and not just barely touch it. Current laptop is 7 years old. It needs an upgrade but holding on to it.

2. I have used Galaxy S2 from 2011-2017 and Nokia 6 from 2017-2022. This is the year Nokia has given up on me. Time to upgrade.

3. My watch is a basic 2010 Timex which still works fine after changing its strap once and cell twice.

4. I have clothes from the year 2012 that still fit. I give some of them away before they wear out and hold on to others which I believe are lucky for me for eg. ₹199 T-shirt from Big Bazaar from the year 2008 which is now slightly tight fitting.

5. We refrain from asking for plastic bags. I use cloth bags or reuse polythene bags.

6. We use cars in our family for similarly long periods of time; 1999 Omni van has done 2.5 lakh kilometres, 2008 Dio has done 70,000 kms., C-Class from 2015 has done 80,000 kms, recently sold 2012 i20 had done 1,15,000 kms. These are rookie numbers to be honest but we are pushing.

7. The list has other trivial things to add and it may not seem like much but we plant trees too and save water as much as we can.

[balajiisworking]

1) At our household, we have kept a few reusable shopping totes in both our cars. Never leave home without it. Can’t recall last time we needed a bag at a store for groceries, clothing or small items.

2) Carry our own reusable straw anytime we travel, so that we don’t use the plastic or paper ones on offer at restaurants or those tender coconut vendors on the highways

3) Trying to use wooden spoons instead of plastic ones in case of need to dispose after single use. We avoid this as much as possible but have a few handy in the car at all times.

4) Overall, we use shop online only if it’s the only option. Else try to use the neighborhood stores for most of the needs.

[DarthVeda]

I have been turned into one by my wife and sure, it irritates me when she goes on harping about my lifestyle but it does make sense.
these are the changes "we" made:
1. bamboo based toothbrush.
2. bentonite based toothpaste
3. take boxes from home for anything parcel at hotel, not just bags
4. EV (car and scooter), haven't filled petrol in months
5. herbal floor and toilet cleaners
6. bio-degradeable soaps and fabric cleaners (Azafran, Mama earth)
7. products from https://www.thebetterhome.com/
8. list goes on and on

[JReacher13]

Great thread. Every small act matters and commend fellow members who are doing their part. However, Bhpians are an outlier group, with majority qualifying as highly aware customers. The situation with general public is hopeless.

I have placed at least 2 cloth/ reusable bags my car and scooter. This made a big change. My plastic bag usage is reduced by about 95%. My this year's resolution is to not order food from Swiggy and Zomato and uninstalled the apps. This will reduce unnecessary carbon footprint, promote eating on time and even before end of Jan I saved around 6k.

Now companies are talking about concentrates for shampoos and other cosmetics alike, which needs to be diluted before use. I used to argue with my friends, this was a possibility all along.

Cold pressed juices are another big fad. With such high carbon footprint in processing and storing them, eating a whole fruit makes a better option in terms of nutrition, cost and sustainability. But that doesn't generate any business right. We have become slaves to comfort at such level that even basic effort is not encouraged anymore. From a small hypothesis test we ran, apparently the act of peeling and seperating the segments is what making people to choose juices.

[AirbusCapt]

We make the following sustainability choices:
RO water runoff is used to water plants, mop the balconies
We carry bottles of water from home on our journeys. Refuse to buy 'mineral water', rather drink local juices, coconut water etc
Try and mantain higher average speeds and reduce fuel consumption. It's cost saving and great for the environment.
Always use a bike for shorter commutes (if walking is not possible). A single commuter always takes the bike.
Keep plenty of cloth bags in the car. Helps avoid plastic /paper bags on impromptu shopping.
Minimize washing our vehicles, just use the jopasu as far as possible. Wash vehicles only as required.
Try and avoid impromptu shopping. If we buy any item, we see if we need to discard/recycle something already existing before we buy.
Minimise the use of airconditioning in our homes. As long as fresh air and fans keep us comfortable, we don't switch on the ac.

On my flights, I carry my own home cooked food, ensure that no meals are uplifted for me, the carbon footprint of carrying air cargo is horrendous

[PrasannaDhana]

I am a simple man who is blessed to have the gift & privilege to influence children.

I run a few schools. One of the closest projects I make them do is to gift them with a sapling and ask them to report the progress over time. It builds in them a sense of ownership, accountability and responsibility too.















I also never leave a single opportunity to make them plant saplings in my campuses. A few pics





















On a daily basis, I do the following

1. Never litter, specially plastic waste

2. Buy and use fuel efficient cars, trying to reduce my use of fossil fuels - I drive a 25.11 kmpl rated diesel and a 26 kmpl rated petrol car amongst others


What's a better path towards sustainability than planting more trees? I request everyone to do so if you have the space and chance.

[peepo]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Seaspiracy

I saw the documentary called Cowspiracy (same producer) which talked about both the dairy and meat industry. Methane is 28-34 times more potent of a greenhouse gas than CO2. Over a 20 year period, its 80 times more potent. Cows fart Methane. I could go on about it (deleted the next paragraph) but it wouldn't be appropriate here.

I stopped drinking milk 2 times a day and switched to once a day. Also limited other dairy products. (did not consume meat anyway)

[ambarkhan]

I love the thread topic . We motoring enthusiasts are probably one of the most pollution generating hobbyist. We should also lead the way of going greener.

While not doing much to be honest. I drive a bs6 diesel burner (as per somme articles a bs6 diesel car is equally bad as a bs6 petrol car).

Things I do .

• I have started following the principles of minimalism wherever possible.
  Buying the things which I actually need or I'll actually use. If you buy less you are not just saving money.
• Trying to minimise the use of packaged water.
• I use 2w over 4w for commute, and in pre covid world I used to cycle to work.
• Using only biodegradable garbage bags, and garbage separation.
• Wile travelling I try to follow these principles as much as I can. https://greatindiantrail.com/principles/

[Miyata]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

gift them with a sapling and ask them to report the progress over time

As good as it gets...Your name does give it away though - wealth of joy! Great stuff, thanks for sharing.

[comfortablynumb]

I wash my car only once every couple of weeks. I believe this is the easiest and quite an impactful change which everyone on this forum should think about adopting. Daily washing is definitely an overkill IMO, and a good duster (Jopasu Car Duster - A mini review) works just fine for taking care of the daily cover of dust.

[Vasanth]

Originally Posted by prasi55

Such tooth powder will not contain:
- Fluoride, which is known to be harmful if ingested in large quantities.
- Other additives that are unnatural.

Being a final year Dental student , I must say, fluoride is one of the most important content of Toothpaste or tooth powder. It is the anti caries agent in the tooth paste. It forms fluorapatite crystals which act as defence mechanism from cariogenic bacteria
And yes. I agree to your point - fluoride is harmful if congested in excess.
The prime purpose of a toothpaste and tooth powder is to prevent plaque buildup, in addition to giving fresh feeling in the mouth.

[Kashi053]

Originally Posted by peepo

I saw the documentary called Cowspiracy (same producer) which talked about both the dairy and meat industry. Methane is 28-34 times more potent of a greenhouse gas than CO2. Over a 20 year period, its 80 times more potent. Cows fart Methane.

So true. Anyone want to contribute to Nature, become environment friendly please do watch Cowspiracy amd Seaspiracy documentaries. Am not saying plastics, fossil fuels are not contributing to global warming. But the meat/dairy industries (pork, cows, seafood) contribution to global warming & pollution is way too higher.

[GKR9900]

Great idea for a thread. Will be keeping an eye on this one for sure. I watched a documentary 'Going circular' streaming on Curiositystream. Was truly an eye opener to say the least.

Here is the trailer for those interested souls.

https://youtu.be/A1Ke-4nCYWA

[ysjoy]

Great thread!

- committing to ride a bicycle as much as possible, while going around solo
- reducing consumption in general- recycle, upcycle, wherever possible

On Seaspiracy:

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

I stopped eating fish. Anyone who has watched the documentary, Seaspiracy, would know that the impact of industrial fishing on our planet is far greater than all the other environmentally detrimental activities we carry out on land, combined.

Seaspiracy is a fantastic documentary, revealing lot of unsettling issues and asking many uncomfortable questions
It also discredits many organizations involved in serious environmental/ conservation efforts

The documentary, however, has also been heavily criticised for its approach, style and factual errors.

Many of the people interviewed for the film say their quotes were taken out of context, while other scientists called out the documentary’s many overstatements and flat-out errors.

Sources:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/allenel...h=1a70f212c23a
https://www.theguardian.com/environm...y-participants
A scientist who was interviewed:
https://www.inverse.com/science/seas...nked-interview
https://www.vox.com/2021/4/13/223806...-vegetarianism
https://www.plasticcollective.co/seaspiracy-explained/

[deathwalkr]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

I am a simple man who is blessed to have the gift & privilege to influence children.

I run a few schools. One of the closest projects I make them do is to gift them with a sapling and ask them to report the progress over time. It builds in them a sense of ownership, accountability and responsibility too.


What's a better path towards sustainability than planting more trees? I request everyone to do so if you have the space and chance.

Extremely nice to see the smiling faces of the children as they plant the saplings. Good work you are doing

Agree with you on the planting trees part. My house thankfully has a spacious area and my grandparents had placed Jackfruit trees, mango trees, sapotta tree, teaks.

Have cleared another area where my grandmother used to grow some foliage plants and planted more fruit tree saplings there as well.

Started vegetable gardening as well and after a failed first attempt, having better luck with tomatoes this time around. All ten plants have a good fruiting. Adding more

Thanks to all the trees, kids get to see a lot of birds as well.