Every June 5th we celebrate World environment day. Our environment defines our very existence and hence should get the highest priority in our lives. Today we collect together , conduct cleaning of our cities, create awareness of best practices of plastic recycling and we plant trees. But since our sustenance is at stake and shouldn’t we be doing consistent sustainable work in this area everyday? How can we live in peace knowing that our only planet is dying because of our irresponsibility and selfishness. Surely we need to put more efforts so that we can reverse this?
These questions bothered me as a student of chemistry and when I read up on global warming way back . As a mother I grew more and more frustrated that I could not contribute at all.

I knew that my small actions today would make or break the future generation and decide to include sustainable activities in my routine. Composting and nurturing a small backyard garden gave me a little peace of mind. Knowing that I was sorting at source, ie segregating kitchen waste from plastic at source and composting my waste changed my perception towards solid waste management. I realized as a homemaker I could make a difference in global warming with this simple exercise. Methane , which is 70 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a green house gas is produced when organic waste is thrown to landfills. Instead if we compost it at home we get manure to nurture a small backyard garden. Composting meant that I was fostering a miniature ecosystem in my backyard. A kingfisher, 2 minnas and an assortment of birds thronged my kitchen garden. Living in the middle of the city I felt I was making a small positive difference.

Sorting and segregating plastic at source at home became part of my kitchen work. Cleaning milk covers , fish and meat wrappers and hanging them to dry near my sink became a habit. Clean plastic didn’t smell bad. Dry plastic didn’t attract flies. It was just another raw material for another process to make another product.

Talking about composting and the relevance of eating green leafy vegetables and sharing good practices of recycling in schools and residential areas came next. Holding collection drives in schools highlighted the fact that with a little care and attention we as a nation can dream of a more environment conscious society. Then we can really earn the right to live in this beautiful blue magical planet.