How often do we talk to our friends and family about plants and trees? We are so much engrossed in our digital development that we are continuously ignoring the other species which are supposed to share the planet Earth with us. Scientists have also concluded that 15 billion trees are cut down yearly, a loss of more than 2 trees per person. Also, 46% of the trees have fallen since the advent of human civilization.
If I have a power to do so, I would like to celebrate a day dedicated to appreciate the great benefits provided by trees and spread the word. A day to acknowledge the selfless beings who help us to survive in different ways by cleaning the air, reducing energy demand and connecting to the nature.
We see politicians and big celebrities planting trees on several occasions. It is a great cause because people follow them as their role models and they imitate them to some extent. The day I am envisioning is about a common man's share towards saving the environment. How does a common man acknowledges the need of trees in his life or for the next generations to come?
Humans are the only creature in this world who cut the trees, made paper from it and then wrote "Save Trees" on it.The "Save A Tree" day is not about planting a new tree but to save the existing ones as well. As we already celebrate "Earth Hour" every year in March, "Save A Tree" day is about those 24 hours in which we can practise an eco-friendly lifestyle. We not only need more trees to be planted but also the existing old ones need to be maintained as well. Trees have been cut off in the name of development of real estate. Deforestation has affected the environment and the most dramatic effect of deforestation is the loss of habitat for many species who relied on forests as their natural home, thus could not survive at all.
HOW WE CAN CONTRIBUTE
Rome was not built in a day and I am not saying that this change will happen overnight. If we can initiate the cause, others will follow as well and we can at least work towards a better eco-friendly neighbourhood. Let's take the following baby steps in our everyday's life and contribute towards making a better environment for ourselves and for our future generations.
- Go Paperless: As we all know that 93% of the paper comes from trees. So don't print anything on the paper unless you need it badly and if you do, consider printing on both sides of the paper. Also, you can switch to paperless option if you have it available at your financial institution. You can save so much of paper which goes wasted by companies in sending notices, updates and statements to their clients. Use recyclable shopping bags instead of paper bags and plastic bags. Although paper bags are also recyclable and are not harmful like plastic bags, they are made out of trees and more demand of paper bags means more trees will be cut off. On the other hand, re-usable bags are made of cloth and can be used again after a wash.
To print Sunday edition of New York Times, it requires 75,000 trees!
- Go Biking: If possible, cycle/bike to work. Carpooling is an another option we can choose to save on fuel/gas. Using public transport is also a convenient way in which we can contribute not to pollute the environment by using our own cars/scooters/motorcycles. More people can commute together in public transport system which not only reduces the air pollution, but also help reducing the noise pollution due to less vehicles on the road.
Deaths caused by air pollution cost the European Union € 161 billion!
- Use Less Electricity: It is very frustrating when our mobile battery dies quickly and we look for a charging spot. In an age of digitalization, it is very tough not to use electric power to do even a small task. In order to save environment, we need to take a little step back and should not be dependent on electricity for trivial jobs like drying clothes in sunlight than in a dryer. Conserving energy not only helps saving the natural resources from which it is produced but also helps in managing our finances with lower electricity bills.
Every time you open the fridge door, up to 30% of the cold air can escape.
- Changing consumption habits: If you drink bottled water, you can use re-usable materials and fill it up every time you drink water. It is not easy to quit drinking bottled water which is filtered but you can have water filter installed at your home and can always have your filtered water available to you. Also, if you are a coffee/tea drinker, your recycling habits can help saving the environment a lot. Instead of using cardboard coffee cups available at the coffee shops, bring your own ceramic/plastic coffee mug which you can get filled at your disposal. As a bonus, some coffee shops also give some discount if you bring your own coffee mug.
If you buy just one cup of coffee/tea in a disposable cup every day, you'll end up creating about 23 lbs of waste in one year.
Saving trees is a global effort but every effort matters. I hope every single attempt to save trees is not restricted only for a day and it continues to reach more and more people. Share your love for saving the trees, educate more people about this noble cause and help the non-profit organisations who work towards protecting trees.
