Today on World Environment Day, MiD DAY employees speak about the things they do to ensure a greener tomorrow, proving that it is the small drops that make (hopefully) a pollution free ocean
1 Shweta Shetty, Manager HR: A small routine that I consciously do is that since I travel everyday by train across the length of the city, I ensure that I put the ceiling fans off when I get off the train and it’s nice to see fellow commuters follow suit. I avoid taking lifts whenever I can so I save on electricity and also take care of my health.
New Delhi, INDIA: An Indian man searches for coins in the polluted waters of the Yamuna river in New Delhi on the eve of World Environment Day. Pics/AFP
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2 Tipti Kheria, Manager, Brand Solutions and Marketing: Food that is edible should never be thrown away. Instead of chucking leftovers into the bin I always prefer to give it to the house cleaner, security guard or to a homeless soul whenever out (for a dinner/lunch).
3 Jubin Desai, Senior Manager, Entertainment Marketing: To do my bit, I try not to use plastic bags. Even when I go shopping, I don’t accept if the shopkeeper gives a plastic bag.
Rosenheim, Bavaria, GERMANY: An aerial view of the village of Rosenheim, Bavaria, being underwater. Due to heavy rainfall, parts of southern and eastern Germany were flooded
4 Varun Singh, Principal Correspondent: My entire team including me follows a practice, which helps in saving paper. In order to avoid wastage we reuse press releases and faxes that we get in the printer. So basically when we get the hard copy of a press release, we use the blank side of the paper in the printer.
5 Philo Lokare, Administration: I love plants and I feel having greenery around is the best part. I live on the 7th floor but still I have lots of plants. I feel everyone should plant trees or nurture plants for a better tomorrow
Amritsar, INDIA : Indian volunteers push a barrow of trash at the beginning of the cleanliness drive, 'World Cleanup-2013' outside the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar on June 4, 2013, on the eve of World Environment Day
6 Hitesh Chudasama, Art Director: I am very conscious about not wasting electricity. Whether it is office or home, I make sure to notice and switch off lights and other electrical appliances, if not in use. It is almost like a habit for me now.
7 Soma Das, Deputy Assistant Editor (Features): Small steps go a long way in saving the environment. I ensure that I switch off the lights and fans at home when leaving a room. I also prefer to have a bath using a few buckets of water rather than using the shower, which consumes more water. I use public transport or walk to get from one place to another. I buy fresh produce from the local grocers, which saves transportation fuel.
Mont-Saint-Michel, Manche, FRANCE: Tourists visit the Mont Saint-Michel as employees who work at the site demonstrate against having to pay for parking and the increase in parking prices as well as the suppression of a shuttle, called 'La Montoise', that used to take them at the foot of the famed rocky outcrop
8 Shubha Shetty-Saha, Group Entertainment Editor: I carry a cloth bag whenever I go to buy fruits or vegetables. As far as possible I avoid taking plastic bags. I turned to cloth bags after I witnessed a cow chewing on some plastic bags. Cloth bags not only help me do my little bit for environment but in the long run I have realised that it is convenient to carry one huge cloth bag and stuff everything in it, instead of carrying numerous plastic bags.
9 Ashish Rane, Chief Photographer: At our home, after lunch and dinner we don’t throw the food away and keep it in a vessel outside my window for birds to eat. I see to it that we don’t have taps which leak. I don’t litter, even if it is a chocolate wrapper.
Participants run in front of the parliament building at the start of the 4th International Mongolian marathon in Ulan Bator, Mongolia on June 2. The race, held to promote World Environment Day, was won by Mongolian Olympic runner Bat-Ochiryn 'Ziggy' Ser-Od
10 Dhiman Chattopadhyay, Editor, Sunday Midday: The one thing I have been doing for quite a few years is switching off the car ignition at traffic signals where I know I am stuck for one minute or more. Every time we do that, not only do we save fuel (and money) but we also pollute the earth that much less and reduce greenhouse gas emission. The other thing that I am trying to follow these days (am constantly reminded by my 5-year-old son who has learnt this in school)...is to turn off the tap when brushing the teeth. If everyone does the same, we may not have a world war over water after all.
11 Seema Panigar, Admin Executive: I make it a point to not litter, when I am travelling I keep it in my bag and dispose it whenever I see a dustbin. I also make a conscious effort to not waste water.
12 Harit Joshi, Senior Sports Correspondent: I don’t use plastic bags but cloth bags instead. At my home, we have replaced all our lights with CFL lights and also have potted plants.
13 Shiboli Chatterjee, News Editor: I regularly recycle paper in office, use the other side of A4 and A3 instead of using fresh ones. I also use email instead of using printouts as much as possible. Instead of using disposable plastic cups, I wash and use the same mug for the much-needed caffeine kick at work.
14 Rajesh Thawani, Editor, Gujarati MiD DAY: Besides being more cautious in using water while brushing teeth and shaving since past few years, I use jute and paper bags for carrying my stuff (newspapers, magazines, lunch box, etc) to the office.
15 Nikhil Kajale, Senior System Engineer: Since I'm from the IT department, I try to avoid technological wastage. Usually many people unnecessarily waste DVDs by not even using them completely and duplicating their work at various places. If we stop doing that, we can save our resources.
16 Yogesh Padte, senior Executive, DIC: Water is a necessity and we are as it is facing a shortage of it, so I try and use very less water and don't allow any wastage. I feel if each one of us starts doing that, we'll be able to save gallons.
17 Manish Gupta, Senior VP Marketing: It is a coincidence that I started working with Nayi Duniya (a Jagran company), whose anniversary falls on Environment Day. I come from a place where we used to face scarcity of electricity and water (Indore, Madhya Pradesh). I had started rainwater-harvesting at our home there, the local municipality used to also offer tax concessions to those families who had these projects installed at their homes. At our home here, we always see to it that the kids switch of lights, fans and geyser when they aren’t using it, also the main switches of TV and computer.
18 Pratik Nanavati, VP, Sales: I avoid honking when I am driving to curb noise pollution. Also I don’t smoke and advise everyone not too. My team has been successful in cutting down the number of cigarettes they smoke.
19 Sachin Kalbag, Executive Editor: Perhaps I cannot change the world, so I try to change what I do to do my bit for the environment: I ditch the car and use the bicycle to travel short distances. At home, switching off electrical utilities and gadgets when not in use is like a strong habit. The same with water while brushing or washing utensils. This is the same habit we have inculcated in our daughter. Instead of throwing away used paper, we give it to our four-year-old daughter to draw or to write. This way, we recycle the same piece of paper for several uses. It also sensitises kids to grow with this habit.
20 Samarth Moray, Reporter: Being environment friendly is only about force of habit. I turn the tap off while brushing; turn off computers, lights, fans and heaters when they’re not in use. I am proud of a towel circulation method I devised where bathing towels are re-used as hand towels. They are then finally used to absorb sweat from my computer chair, before going for a wash. Each towel thus gets washed twice a week.
Think. Eat. Save.
World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated every year on June 5, to raise awareness about the need to protect the environment. The date was chosen as it was the day that the UN Conference on Human Environment began way back in 1972. The first World Environment Day was observed the next year. Every year, the WED has a theme and a host country.
This year, the theme is Think. Eat. Save. Mongolia is the host country. The Think. Eat. Save. campaign urges people to not waste food, and make food choices that do not impact the environment adversely. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), every year 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted. At the same time, 1 in every 7 people in the world go to bed hungry and more than 20,000 children under the age of 5 die daily from hunger. Choosing chemical-free, locally sourced food lessens the adverse impact on the environment.
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