Air quality is deteriorating with each passing day. It becomes our responsibility to maximise our efforts to reduce pollution. Most people are like me who speak at length about saving the environment and the other moment drive a personal car, use plastic-wrapped products and dispose of hazardous plastic anywhere unabashedly. You will agree that most of us do the same mistake of forgetting about the serious need to save the environment. The governments are trying to reduce the carbon footprint with a few efforts but sadly, the output is not noticeable. The reason is quite obvious. The government makes rules but it’s the people who are supposed to bring those rules to action. Seriously, how prepared are we to leave the comfort of a private car, plastic packages, easy to use cans and many such things that we have become habitual to?

Everyday Steps To Reduce Pollution

1. We should look for the Energy Star rating label while buying the equipment for home and office. More stars on the label translate to the equipment being more energy-efficient. More energy-efficient models may cost higher than similar models with fewer stars but the electricity bills will be lower. In the long run, the product with more energy-saving stars is found to be economical than the cheaper versions with fewer stars. Being energy smart is also the first step in reaching a safer environment. 

2. Use Public transport or Carpool

The rising pollution is dragging us near catastrophic conditions where we won’t be able to breathe pure air. Many regions of the world are on the critical AQI (Air Quality Index). In India, we have the world’s most polluted areas including the capital of the country, Delhi. Using public transportation becomes a necessity and not a choice. Leave your vehicle at home and use a public vehicle for going to the office, market or anywhere you want to. It not only saves your money but also improves air quality by reducing pollution. A carpool is also a good alternative. 

3. The cracker bursting must be banned completely. Don’t burn garbage or residue plants. The burning of stubble also adds to the grim pollution problem. Campfires should also be restricted because they harm the environment in a similar way as the burning of stubble, garbage or crackers. The harmful gases released by burning these pollute the air with harmful consequences.

4. Get your car serviced regularly because failing to do so can put an additional burden on the car’s engine. As a result, it will consume more fuel and this means more pollution. Using cleaner fuels and fuel-efficient vehicles can reduce pollution to a good extent. So, eventually, from purchasing the vehicle to every service, it’s your responsibility to keep it in good shape. It’s one of the best contributions towards saving the environment from pollutants.

5. Plant more trees. We know that green trees consume carbon dioxide gas to prepare their food. Governments are working towards meeting the conditions of Carbon net neutrality, the world where the amount of CO2 and other Greenhouse gases produced is balanced by the amount of these gases consumed by some means.
We can help to attain Carbon net neutrality by planting trees and encouraging other people to do the same.

6. Minimize the use of plastic. I know that it has become difficult to live without plastic. From milk pouches, biscuit packets to computers, everything is packed in cheaper plastic material. Try to use cloth bags and covers wherever you can. Use plastic bags multiple times and most importantly, cooperate with the government when it implements the ban on single-use plastic.

You can see that by mending our lifestyles slightly, we can contribute to saving our environment. It’s a reminder to keep these simple things in mind so that our children feel proud of us when they grow up.

This post is written as a part of Blogchatter’s Cause A Chatter challenge.