We caught up with eight young Delhiites to tell us about the steps they take in their everyday lives to make the world a more sustainable place.
“As an educated young person who is very active on social media, I am very aware of the environmental hazards prevailing in the present time. However, as an individual, my contribution to addressing the problem is very minimal. I feel even though I’m well aware of the gravity of the issue, I do not care as much as I should and that I should be doing more. Or at least sharing more, talking more about what really matters. But, there are a few things which I’ve started implementing recently, I’ve started pooling rides with my friends, and I’ve started availing the pooling facilities which cab companies provide. Another thing which I’ve been doing quite a lot lately is using the metro even though I am lucky to have my own car. I’ve also started using my hoverboard a lot more nowadays, it runs on electricity, and is quite efficient for traveling short distances. On an every day basis, as a law student, taking printouts are a big part of the job, I’ve reduced the amount of paper usage lately and even if I do take printouts, I make sure to use both sides of the pages, which was something I would ignore in the past.” @manav4dh, 19, Law Student
“Being an artist I realized that I use a lot of paper, esp for practice. I have begun using more digital methods to paint in order to save paper. Now I use more canvas and digital software to create my art.” @theblue.mantle, 19 years, Artist & Political Science Student.
“I have given up consumption of meat for over two years now to reduce my carbon footprint. I also reuse wine bottles or smoothie/milkshake bottles for storing water instead of plastic. I try to buy fewer clothes and up-cycle my old ones by cutting them for halters and using my parents/friends old clothes by getting them altered to my size.” @katyayayani, 23, Tattoo artist.
“At the risk of sounding cliche, I pick up plastic and bottles I see around me when I am out skateboarding and dump them in the bin. I also prefer to carry my own bag when shopping for groceries or other everyday supplies instead of setting for plastic bags.” @di_sls, 21, Full-time skateboarder, part-time call center employee.
“Quite literally, my name means ‘the environment’ and I like to believe that’s where the love for all things flora comes from. Growing up in a home laden with plants, I have always been in tune with nature, and have been deeply moved by problems of deforestation and global warming. In my daily life, I try to minimise my carbon footprint by using public transport often, walking accessible distances and trying to be vegetarian. Even my family is big on zero waste, and we try our best to recycle and reuse all resources, we have a bio-pit in our garden where we discard our biodegradable waste. My next steps are limiting my wardrobe to only essentials, working towards cutting down on buying ‘fast fashion’ (which is really tough to do on a student budget). If India’s roads ever allow for it, I really want to take up cycling as my main mode of transport.” @halfbakedgirl, 19, Liberal Arts Student.
“I happily swap clothes with my friends, whatever we don’t need anymore is passed on to somebody who would fit in it and love it. This reduces my dependence on fast fashion. And the times that I buy, the focus is more on pieces that will survive the demise of a trend. Another tiny change that I’ve very recently made is giving up the shower for a bucket until I get a water-saving shower head.” @left_stroke_viral, 34, Content manager.
“I really try to keep the 3Rs in mind; Reduce, Re-use, Recycle. Especially reusing. I’m a huge fan of DIY everything so I see how I can utilise any purchase I make to the fullest. I have so many storage boxes made from god knows what. I also have a cat, and so I try to make her toys to play with out of simple trash I find or accumulate. Cats love playing with trash anyway 😀 :D.” @officiallysilnid, 20, Psychology student.
“The least I can change in my life on an everyday basis is to monitor the wastage of water. I have limited my usage to one bucket instead of a free-flowing shower (it’s been over 6 months since I started this practice). I am also very vocal about the usage of ‘use and throw plastic’. I throw a fit about plastic straws when visiting cafes and restaurants, and encourage them to use paper or steel straws instead.” @yashimarwaha, 23, Writer.
