Why is it so hard to ‘green’ our Planet?

The common cry ‘GO GREEN!’ reeks of hypocrisy. The posters and placards that display this slogan are made from paper which comes from ‘killing‘ the very trees we are aiming to protect.

If we had to decide between wooden furniture and plastic furniture, in all likelihood we will choose wooden furniture. The notion being that wood is natural and plastic is not. The reality is that everything on this planet is from nature and, therefore, natural.

To deem plastic ‘the great Satan’ of the environment is irresponsible or rather a display of one’s ignorance. Plastic is really a ‘miracle’ invention of our generation. One may reminisce about the days when there was no plastic, but in those ‘good old days‘, there was no electricity either: electric wires require plastic for insulation.

If we look around us, we will find that plastic is everywhere not as a menace but as an absolute necessity. The problem lies not with plastic, but with our irresponsible usage, recycling and disposal of it.

The felling of trees and the consequent climate change is cited as another contributor to the end of life as we know it. It is not the felling of trees that is responsible for climate change; rather, it is the negligence to restore the green cover through afforestation that is the real culprit.

The list goes on and on. What is required is not the ‘green warrior’s call’ for banning plastic and felling of trees, but striking a balance to restore and replenish our natural resources as well as the judicious disposal of our waste by recycling wherever possible.

Going green is not about ‘undoing’; rather, it is about ‘DOING ‘!