watering down a titanic crisis

8/8/2019 Watering down a titanic crisis

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Many people have lived withoutlove,

but none without water.

A few simple ways to

be the change we want to see around us:


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A slow dripping tap can waste up to 20 liters of water a day!

Get all leaks fixed right away.

Until then, bucket the leak.


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Run the water tap with minimal force,

onlywhen needed.

Keep it closed while

Brushing

Shaving

Soaping hands

Scrubbing vessels

Remember: "1 billion people (already) lack enough water

to simply meet their basic needs!" - WHO


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E.g., a dual flush system can operate at half the tank capacity.

Flush very judiciously.

Get a low flush toilet that lets you regulate the water outflow.

* Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toilets_in_Japan#Squat_toilet

Indian squat toilets: Water efficient and hygienic!

*

Dont use the toilet as a wastebasket!

upto 16 liters of potable water

Every time you flush,

goes down the drain!

Source: Hunting Down Water,an award-winning documentary


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Choose a restrained bucket bath,

over a prolonged shower bath.

Bath tubs are a great deal worse.


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to cool the house exteriors, etc.!

Why pourwater where a wet cloth

would do?

Water is too scarce a resource

to be splashed about

Delhi alone guzzles 4.5 crore liters

every day

for car washing!*

* Source: Hunting Down Water, an award-winning documentary

Make sure to infuse these tips into your maid/helpertoo.


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The hand-washing of cloths is not only greener,

Prefersemi automatic.

It lets you reduce the cycle time and

reuse the water for another load.

Must choose an automatic one? Go forfront loading, then.

Cant somehow avoid a washing machine?

Lowerthe washing frequency.

Running the machine only at full load saves energy + water.

it can also generate extra income for maids.


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An RO (Reverse Osmosis) filter discards double

the quantity of water it purifies. *

Employ it only when unavoidable.

Cant do away with RO?

Bucket the outgoing water;

Reuse it in cleaning, washing cloths, etc.

Yet another practical way to reuse water:

Wash fruits/veggies in a bowl (& utilize that water elsewhere).

* Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_osmosis#Disadvantages

Efficiency needs to be extended to water too!


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Rainwater harvesting

Storing the rain falling on your house also prevents the

flooding of streets, apart from groundwater recharge.

Catch me when you can!

By 2025, ~60% ofIndias groundwaterblocks will be

in a critical condition. WorldBank


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The next world war will not be fought overland oroil,but overwater!

- Serageldin, former VP, World Bank (among other experts)

Plenty of wateroverflows away (invisibly). Why?

We dont know when exactly to turn off the motor!

Invest in an automatic water motor controller.

It also saves powerby auto-closing

when the water in-flow stops.


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[1] http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/earthglacier.html [2] http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090119210532.htm

Climate change severely aggravates ourwater plight.

Glaciers store ~75% of the world's freshwater. [1]

Gravely many glaciers are receding, thanks to global warming.

"Scientists agree human-induced global warming is real,survey says. [2]


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Floodwater contains infectious organisms, along withchemical & other waste.

Grossly inadequate mechanisms to store rainwaterbefore

it hits the drains/oceans.

How come floods &

(safe) water crisisrise together?


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Thankfully, the climatic crisis too can be conquered

but only ifeach of us upholds

Individual Environmental Responsibility:

Deadly dozen diseases could stem from global warming. [1]

[1] http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/10/081007-climate-diseases.html[2] http://business.rediff.com/slide-show/2009/dec/10/slide-show-1-countries-worst-hit-by-climate-change.htm

India is one of the 10 countries worst hit by climate change. [2]

A great deal of eco problems originate locally, so passing thebuck to the developed nations is just flawed escapism.


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Enormous air & water pollution;Massive depletion ofoil/trees, water, energy & fuel;

in production + transportation + disposal!

[1]EPI: http://www.earth-policy.org [2] ToI, Bangalore, dated 30-8-08

1500 plastic bottles end up as garbage, every second! [1]

Just (re)use, dont throw!

Huge waste burning, gigantic

landfills & now ocean-fills too!

In place ofmultiple

Tissue papers

Disposable cups

Plastic bags

Disposable bottles

Use one

Handkerchief

Mug/glass

Jute/cloth bag

Reusable bottle

Many Indian offices consume 60000 paper cups in ~2 weeks! [2]

Quite a few companies (e.g., TI, McAfee) have alreadyphased out paper cups forsteel/ceramic mugs! [2]


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A myth: Recycling magically fixes

all evils ofconsumerism!

Most paper cups contain a plastic resin, making themnon-biodegradable, non-recyclable.

They end up in a landfill, emitting methane.

Only 6.8% of all plastics were recycled in 2007. [1]

[1] Environmental Protection Agency [2] ToI, Bangalore, dated 30-8-08

Recyling is useful, but limited. First reuse; then recycle!

Recycling (when possible) guzzles 12 trees, 26k liters of water& sizable energy/oil for 60k cups! [2]


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Buying from local markets - as opposed to malls curbsthe hefty emissions tied to transportation and flashy publicity.

Exception: the local stuff that lacks energy-efficiency

Farming is exceedingly water intensive.

Eliminate food wastage.

Hand-made products are greener and create more jobs!Purchase products with minimal/reusable packaging.


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Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances ofsurvival as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.

Animal products account for51% of the world's total emissions!- Livestock and Climate Change by Goodland and Anhang, World Bank environmental advisers

Substituting every kg of chicken with veggies saves

a mammoth 7000+ liters of water in India! Using stats from National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee

Albert Einstein :

Killing an animal yields few meals once;

Cut down on meat as much as possible.

Humongous depletion ofland (fodder), water(fodder, drinking,bathing), energy (cooling/transport)

Raising it takes months of daily meals!


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Increasing reliance on

diesel generators

Skyrocketing energy consumption

Dangerous levels of damaging pollutants

(including Black Carbon & Nitrogen Oxides)

Escalating power cuts

A one-time investment in solar systems (heating, lighting)fetches recurring environmental & monetary savings.


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Configure power options such that

the monitor closes after an idle time of few minutes,

& the CPU/laptop hibernates after half an hour, automatically.

Suspend or hibernate it for breaks >= hour.

Turn offthe CPU/laptop at the end of the day.

A screen saversaves nothing & burns energy.

Why not switch off the monitorevery time we leave the desk

for few minutes or more?


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Prefer

Non-motorized

[Cycle, Cycle Rickshaws]

&

Mass transport

[Bus, Train,Shared autos, Vehicle pooling]

Its also good for the body and light on the wallet!

Minimize the use ofindividual autos & personal vehicles.

Flying less (and light) saves tremendous fuel/emissions.

Sir Albert EinsteinPromote Green

Employment


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Long walks/rides are as pleasurable as long drives,

& healthy too!

* Source: Bharat Petroleum {http://www.bharatpetroleum.com/YourCorner/petrozine/quart 2_2008/index.html}

Ifand when you must drive a motorized vehicle,

Electric cars do pollute (via the coal-based power they run on),

Keep the tyres fully filled (for increased mileage).

T

urn off the engine at the signal whenthe waiting time is > 15 seconds. *

but less.


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Considermileage/energy more than looks/comfort

while buying vehicles and appliances.

E.g., pay up a bit extra and buy a higherBEE * starred

(say) fridge to save on power & money on a monthly basis.

efficient as CRT!

Replace Tube lights by LED lights

orCFLs of lower Watts (if LED infeasible).

* Bureau ofEnergy Efficiency, Government of India

power that desktops do!

LCD {TV, Monitor} is ~twice as

Laptops consume < half the


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Print only whats necessary.

Print two-sided.

Utilize all available space innotebooks (& unwanted print-outs).

* Source: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_trees_do_you_save_with_one_ton_of_recycled_paper

A 200-member company,

with a daily average of only 2 print-outs per person,

eats away 1 full tree in just ~20 days! *


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At home & in the car[More desirable: Curtail the carusage!]

Favourstairs to elevators whenever possible.

Why lose power, instead of gaining health?!

Curtail the AC usage; Raise its temperature:

Check the use ofcoolers (consuming loads of water), too.


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Help prevent small kids from working in awfully

unhealthy & unsafe confines offire crackerfactories.

We have a right to celebrate, but at what cost?

Compost the kitchen waste [dailydump.org].

In the very least, throw it to the plants/garden.

Segregate waste: bio-degradable (kitchen, paper) & otherwise.

Sell as much waste as possible (plastic, paper) to scrap dealersfor recycling/reusing.

Clichd, but crucial: Plant & protect trees!

Celebrate special days by funding tree plantations

(treesforfree.org).


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Only after the last tree has been cut off,and the last river poisoned,

will we realize that we cant eat money!

Thank you!

Email: [email protected]

watering down a titanic crisis

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