Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Difference of Green

After coming back to India after a trip to California, I realize how much the US strives to be a green community, in comparison to the overall green atmosphere in India.

In California, everyone is required to recycle at home. The recycling bins are twice the size of the trash cans and most packaging, from milk cartons to wrapping paper is recyclable. Many grocery stores like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods encourage foods grown in environmentally friendly ways.  Offices and schools have recycling bins in addition to trash cans and universities such as Stanford offer tremendous support to the idea of being green. For example, Stanford has some ‘green’ buildings, which focus on being energy efficient.
The story is a little bit different in India; although people claim to be interested in the environmental field, very few actually try and make the difference! India is slowly ramping up to a greener air around the country, but the air seems to get blacker every day! The numbers of vehicles on the road are unbelievable and on a clear night in the city, all that can be seen is smog. City lights ruin the view of stars of the night sky, most of the time, and don’t mention the garbage! It’s garbage galore in big cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad and Delhi. There are a few recycling programs, but nobody knows where they go.

I believe we need to make the difference! Awareness in India about the environment is minimal and we need to try and educate at least some of the one billion population. There is huge potential in such a big country for being green.

Start a green club, plant a tree, bike to school. These are ways you can help raise awareness, help the environment, and feel good about yourself anywhere in the world! 

Be Green. 

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