Four years ago, Coimbatore-based Sunita Rajesh decided to take the necessary steps to live an eco-friendly life. She sold her car, bought a bicycle and kept a check on the electricity they consumed at home. She cut down on non-essential shopping and learnt to make do. “I even shared clothes with my friends,” she laughs calling it a great learning experience. Wanting to share her experience of living the eco-friendly life, she founded OnlyPlanet.in — a website that helps calculate one’s carbon footprint. “I have conducted 28 classes across Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai and Coimbatore to tell people how it can be done.” As part of the World Environment Day, Sunita is going online for the first time with a workshop she has titled, ‘What is your Carbon Footprint’ on June 7 at 5:00 pm. The online workshop to be held on June 7 at 5 pm will explain the concept of carbon footprint, why we should calculate and how we can make earth-friendly choices in our day to day lives. The workshop, conducted through Google Meet, is open for ages 10 and above. “It is a live session and people can clear their doubts on the subject. I promise that this will be a good start for people who wish to live eco-friendly,” she says.
Sunita Rajesh
“Carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gas that is emitted as a result of the production and use of services and products that affect the earth and cause pollution and change in the climate,” she explains. Burning of fossil fuels is the most common example. It gives rise to copious amounts of carbon dioxide. The next is methane that comes from the rearing of animals in farms, agriculture and from the garbage and landfills. “We do not have much control over some of these contributing factors like agriculture. But there are things that we can reduce like garbage. Tamil Nadu itself produces 15000 tonnes of it in a day,” she says.
- Shop local. This eliminates the need for packaging and transport.
- Stay away from unwanted shopping.
- Cut down on your energy usage. Open your windows and take a shower at night to cool your body instead of switching on the air-conditioners
- Service your vehicles regularly. Carpool or use public transport . Use a bicycle.
- Avoid travelling in peak hours if you can
- Share, recycle, reuse things
OnlyPlanet.in calculates the personal carbon footprint based on one’s mode of transport, food and electricity consumption, waste management and monthly expenditure. “It is user friendly and is designed specifically for people in our country. It is free and anyone can access it. An average person in India leaves behind two tonnes of carbon footprint in a year. The carbon footprint calculators helps us keep a tab on that and encourages us to live more consciously.” Reducing one's carbon footprint is not very difficult, Sunita assures us. All you need to do is put in a little thought into it. “The little changes that we make can create wonders for our planet. All our actions have an effect on the environment. It is not a sacrifice, but a healthier choice for us and Nature.”
The registration fee for the workshop is ₹310. Call 9833950607 or mail sunita.rajesh@onlyplanet.in to register
