In the pursuit of sustainability

In a recent event, Dr P J Dilipkumar, former Director General, Forests stated, “Our generation made the mistakes, now your generation bears the burden to set things right.”  The environment we live in now was not what it was like, 20 years ago. The best part of being a millennial is that there are adequate resources available to bring the environment back to its former glory. We spoke to city-based youngsters and documented their reactions, what they are doing to increase environment sustainability and also some of the environmentally sustainable activities they were taught to do.

When this city-based youngster saw the highway bare, he made it his mission to ensure that trees are planted along the highways. Entrepreneur Guru Shanker says, “I definitely think that the future is going to bear the consequences. It is hard to change the entire world but I think everyone must do their bit and contribute to Mother Earth. Travelling on highways, I noticed there was just the bare minimum of trees on the side of the road. Hence, I took the initiative and sowed seeds along the highway. Not wanting to add to the pollution in the city, I try to walk instead of taking my bike.”

The current generation has the responsibility to make the environment better for the generations to come. City based Yoshita Shanker Prasad says, “I feel the present generation has the responsibility to set things right not only for ourselves but also for the generation that is yet to come.  I am really proud to say that I come from a place that formed a committee which encourages tourists to keep the surroundings clean. As an individual, I do my bit by using public transport. I have also been taught to segregate waster from a really young age.”

It is this generation’s responsibility to set things right and not to worsen the condition believes city-based doctor Harshi Loomba. He says, “I think it’s the other way round. Our generation has made things worse than the previous generation. I refuse to use plastic and have been taught from childhood to save both water and electrical resources.”

City-based social activist Pinky Chandran says, “Making the planet a better place doesn’t belong to one category of people. Everyone is equally responsible. Change begins with us. Every step we take makes a difference for a sustainable world. Small actions like turning off the lights and fans when not in use, starting a compost bin, following the principles of reduce-reuse and recycle, growing your own kitchen garden and the like go a long way towards increasing sustainability.”