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10 Things to do to save the Earth

It is now established that the Earth is getting warmer, and we are seeing the impact of global warming all around us. Severe storms and cyclones, unseasonal heavy rains and floods, and droughts are becoming more frequent. Polar ice caps are melting and glaciers on mountains that feed our perennial rivers are receding. The increasing temperature of the Earth is also leading to spread of insect-borne diseases. And at the root of this entire problem is the release of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide, which, in turn, is a direct consequence of our energy demands. Almost every human activity in some way or another can be linked to energy demand, be it food, clothing, housing, or leisure. Food production requires chemical fertilisers and pesticides the manufacture of which consumes energy. For growing cotton for clothing, too, fertilisers and pesticides are needed and cotton and textile mills consume electricity to produce textiles. Synthetic fibres also consume energy to manufacture. Cement and brick used for building construction also consumes a lot of energy during manufacture. In movie theatres, air conditioning and projection systems consume huge amounts of electricity. Different mode of transport also consumes energy in the form of petrol, diesel, or electricity. Thus all these activities indirectly increase the carbon dioxide load of the atmosphere. So, saving energy in any form can help cut down carbon dioxide emission. Here are ten ways in which you too can contribute your part in saving energy to save the Earth. 1. Use energy-efficient lamps The generation of electricity in coal or oil-burning plants to our run factories, air condition offices and homes, light up our cities, and drive a host of electrical gadgets is a major contributor of greenhouse gases. If the demand for electricity could be reduced so could be the emissions. Use of more energy-efficient machinery and gadgets can reduce electricity consumption substantially. If you replace conventional current-guzzling tungsten filament bulbs with compact fluorescent light (CFL) or light-emitting diodes (LEDs) you can cut down electricity consumption by as much as 75%. For example, a 25-watt CFL gives as much light as a 100-watt tungsten bulb, but consumes only 25% power. This is because tungsten bulbs waste a lot of energy as heat. Also, switching off lights, fans and air conditioners in homes and offices when not needed could save substantial amounts of electricity and reduce carbon dioxide emission. This is because, for every kilowatt-hour of electricity generated in a coal-fired plant about one kilogram of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. A 100-megawatt power plant releases about 800,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide in a year. So every kilowatt saved could make a dent in the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. 2. Use the bus or metro Big cities contribute large amounts of greenhouse gas emission by way of vehicle exhausts. Worldwide, transportation accounts for 14% of global greenhouse gas emissions. One of the best ways of cutting the emissions is to go for more widely spread public transport systems like high-capacity buses and rapid mass transit systems.

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Automobiles are one of the largest sources of man-made carbon dioxide. Burning just a single tank of petrol (30 litres) produces 150-200 kilograms of carbon dioxide. Even with emission controls (Bharat-I, Bharat-II norms), automobiles that are poorly maintained still produce many pollutants, as poor maintenance inhibits the effectiveness of such controls. Also, the lower emissions per new vehicle have been offset by the vastly increased number of vehicles on the road. For example, more than 300 new vehicles come on Delhi roads every day; that is, almost 110,000 new vehicles every year! A bus with as few as seven passengers is more fuel-efficient than the average automobile used for commuting. The fuel efficiency of a fully occupied bus is six times greater than that of the average commuters automobile; that is, for the same distance travelled carrying the same number of commuters, a bus consumes only a sixth of the amount of fuel a fleet of cars would consume. The fuel efficiency of a fully occupied rail coach is fifteen times greater than that of the average commuters automobile. So instead of going to office or school in a car if you go by bus or the metro you can save about 800 litres of petrol per year. Not only that, you also contribute to a cleaner environment because there is less emission of greenhouse gases. That is why more and more cities in India are going for rapid transit systems. 3. Walk, dont drive Most city dwellers have today given up walking. School children are driven to the school by parents in cars or two-wheelers even if the school is only a kilometre away. Even if they have to go for shopping in the neighbourhood shopping centre, many use cars or scooters. Every time you drive a car or scooter or bike you emit carbon dioxide which contributes to global warming. But if you walk a couple of kilometres to your school or shopping centre you not only save fuel and cut down on the emission of greenhouse gases, but also do your body a good deed because walking helps you maintain good health.

4. Go for cycle-rickshaw
Although gradually taken over by scooters, motorbikes, and three-wheelers, bicycles and cycle-rickshaws remain one of the most environment friendly modes of transportation. No doubt, on major thoroughfares in big cities they interfere in the movement of fast-moving traffic, but they are ideal for travelling short distances and are quite popular in Indian cities. In some parts of big cities like Old Delhi, the by-lanes are so narrow that except a cycle rickshaw no other mode of transport can make way there. The new modern cycle rickshaw weighs just 55 kg; 30% less than the traditional vehicle weighing 80 kg. The integral tubular frame of the new design has excellent structural qualities and a multi-gear system makes pedalling much easier. Surveys with operators in Delhi and other cities have demonstrated that incomes increased by 20% to 50% because they were able to work longer, attract new passengers, and because customer satisfaction rose along with better comfort and safety. By 2005, over 100,000 modern cycle rickshaws had been manufactured by over 20 small businesses and sold in seven Indian cities: Delhi, Agra, Bharatpur, Brindavan, Mathura, Jaipur and Chandigarh. So, remember, when you ride a cycle rickshaw you are using one of the cleanest and most environment friendly mode of city transport. A survey has shown that the new improved
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rickshaws have the potential to attract 19% of its ridership from highly polluting auto rickshaws and help reduce greenhouse gas emission substantially.

5. Use less paper

We all use paper for different purposes. Paper is made from cellulose which is obtained from trees. The number of trees and other vegetation cut down every year in order to make paper is enormous, and cutting down trees removes a valuable natural sink of carbon dioxide. Of the total wood obtained from forests around the world for industrial uses, as much as 42% goes to paper production. The pulp and paper industry also contributes to greenhouse gas emission. It is the third largest industrial greenhouse gas emitter, after the chemical and steel industries. So by limiting the use of paper to the barest minimum you can help reduce the destruction of forests. You can save paper in many ways. By simply using both sides of paper you can cut down the use of paper by half. You may also retain clean wrappers of magazines and back side of used envelopes for rough use, and save clean notebook pages or writing paper. Use of recycled paper can also cut greenhouse gas emission. Producing recycled paper requires 60% less energy that producing virgin paper from wood pulp. Each tonne of recycled paper purchased saves 4,400 kilowatt hours of energy, thus cutting down on carbon dioxide emission too. There are other ways of cutting down on paper use. If you subscribe to magazines, find out if they are available in digital editions, which can be downloaded directly to your computer and read on the monitor screen. The biggest advantage of going for a digital edition is that it avoids most of the wasteful practices that bedevil the print magazine industry and impacts the environment. It does not need paper, so forests are saved. It also cuts down greenhouse gas emission associated with paper manufacture, transportation and physical distribution of the magazine. Viewing and payment of bills online can also save paper. Today you can receive your telephone and mobile bills online and also make payments online. Tax payment forms are also available online and payments can be made online. Paying online also saves you from commuting to make the payment thus saving on fuel. Emission of millions of tonnes of greenhouse gases can be prevented worldwide by viewing and paying bills and taxes online. 6. Avoid bottled water Today bottled water is big business. People buy bottled water because it is cleaner and safer than tap water. But bottled water is not only expensive to produce but is also damaging to the environment. The energy used for manufacturing the plastic bottles contributes to global warming as does the carbon dioxide emission by trucks that carry the bottled water. Disposal of used bottles creates another environmental problem, as only a tiny fraction of the millions of bottles thrown away every day is recycled. Already bottled water has been banned in many countries. You too can do without bottled water. There are several brands of low-cost water purifiers available in the market which can provide safe water from water. When going out you may carry simply a bottle of home purified water.

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7. Switch off gadgets Energy consumption can be substantially reduced if wastage of electricity is prevented. At home or in office, thousands of kilowatts of electricity can be saved only if lights, fans and air conditioners are switched off in empty rooms. Most homes have TV, DVD or CD players, and other gadgets that are left in the standby mode when not in use. So is the case with computers; in many homes it is left on continuously for 10-12 hours, most of the time in standby mode. We often forget that even in standby mode the gadgets consume electricity, in however small amounts. According to one estimate, if you use your computer for four hours a day and turned it off the rest of the time, then the amount of electricity you would save would amount to cutting down carbon dioxide emission by 83% compared to the emission that would result if you had left the computer in standby mode the rest of the time. So, if everyone turned off their computers and other gadgets when not in use, it may be possible to reduce power consumption, and hence carbon dioxide emission, substantially. 8. Go solar Another way of reducing the consumption of fossil fuels and hence emission of carbon dioxide is to use Suns energy for heating and generating electricity. If you use solar energy to heat water and solar cooker to cook your food there will be no emission of carbon dioxide. Solar water heaters and solar cooker are now available in the market, but they have not become popular like gas or kerosene stoves. Rooftop solar water heaters are quite common in India and are widely used in hotels, hospitals, industrial plants, and residential homes. In India, there are about 300 clear sunny days in a year and solar energy is widely available in most parts of the country. Solar photovoltaic technologies offer a unique decentralized option for providing electricity locally at the point of use. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has been implementing a countrywide Solar Photovoltaic Programme for about two decades. The programme is aimed at developing the cost effective photovoltaic technology and its applications for large-scale diffusion in different sectors, especially in rural and remote areas. Solar photovoltaic cells convert sunlight directly into electricity. Solar photovoltaic cells are also being used as compact power sources to provide electricity to remote areas in the deserts of Rajasthan and on the islands of the Sundarbans delta in West Bengal where conventional transmission power by cable is not cost effective. More extensive use of solar energy can play a significant role in halting global warming.

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Wind power is clean Wind power is another clean source of energy that can help reduce the carbon dioxide load of the atmosphere. It offers a viable alternative for electricity generation. A 200-kilowatt wind turbine replacing a thermal power plant would save burning of 120 to 200 tonnes of coal. Burning that much coal would add 300-500 tonnes of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere besides two to three tonnes of sulphur dioxide, and 1.2 to 2.4 tonnes of nitrogen oxides. At present India generates about 5,300 megawatts (MW) of wind power and hopes to almost double its wind power generation to 10,000 MW by 2008 to meet rising energy demand and cut its reliance on dirty coal and costly oil. India has the potential to produce 45,000 MW of wind power, and the government has identified 210 locations where farms can be installed, and is continuing its search for more locations.
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Of course, wind power has its drawbacks. It is not as reliable as the conventional sources like coal, oil, nuclear, or hydropower because of unpredictable wind patterns. At present electricity produced from wind is also costlier than that from gas, thermal or hydro plants. But it does not contribute to global warming, and that is a big plus point in favour of wind energy. Globally, the installed wind-power capacity has crossed 50,000 MW. India figures amongst the countries with the largest wind-generation facilities. In fact, India now occupies the fourth place after Germany, Spain and the US in terms of installed wind power capacity, and that is certainly something to be proud of. 10. Plant more trees Trees help us in many ways. They give us shade, fruits, wood and many other products. They also make the Earth fit for living. But most importantly, trees absorb carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas. A single tree can absorb up to 1,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide over its lifetime. So planting trees could be a cheap and viable way to mitigate global warming. In India, fortunately, we have a long tradition of planting trees as part of the vanomahotsavs (forest festivals) during the rainy season. However, in the past several decades hundreds of thousands of hectares of forestland have been denuded for various reasons. Now it is time to undo the damage. So plant a tree whenever and wherever possible in your school ground or in your neighbourhood. Of course, youll have to protect trees from cattle and other plant eaters. If you and your friends take up tree planting every monsoon, it can be a big contribution to reducing global warming and saving the Earth. Time to act now It is now beyond any doubt that global warming is really happening and that increase atmospheric carbon dioxide is mainly responsible for this. If we dont take any action now to reduce the global emission of carbon dioxide, the Earth may become hotter by 3C by the end of the present century. If that happens, we have seen what would happen to our beautiful planet. Let us not allow it to happen. Let us act now and contribute our mite, however small, to cut down carbon dioxide emissions and slow down global warming to keep the Earth liveable for the future generations. Save energy at any cost!

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