The small hidden roadblocks that stop us from taking the green highroad…
Most of us are good people. We care about ending world hunger; we don’t torture puppies; and if someone tells us about ways to save the planet, we certainly aren’t going to turn our noses up at it. Indeed, green is the new black. Everywhere you look you will find tips and tactics on ways to turn your everyday comings and goings into activities that benefit the environment. Yet, despite the plethora of sound environment-friendly advice out there, it’s not always so easy to be green. And, often it’s the small, hidden, intangibles – things we may never even think of as deterrents – that get in the way of our best intentions: these are the silent killers of green.
For instance, meet Manju – a pretty Punjabi lady who‘s certainly no kitty-party loving, air-kissing socialite. Rather, she runs her own business, is a mother of two, a donator to charities and an all-round world citizen. However, when it comes to buying her new car, things get tricky. While Manju has read up on all the benefits of car-pooling and is aware that, perhaps, a snazzy tiny electric Reva would be a green-friendly choice, she is still magnetically drawn to a big SUV. Why? “What will people say otherwise?” says Manju, with a sheepish shrug.
She is not alone: image-consciousness is one of the biggest silent killers of green.
Another killer is eve teasing. Biking groups that advocate this green-friendly mode of transport are a growing trend in Indian cities. However, it’s not always easy to hop on a bicycle if you are a lady. Take a moment and visualise a woman cycling unselfconsciously on the main roads of New Delhi – wind in her hair and humming a catchy tune… And, now imagine the catcalls that will undoubtedly interrupt her contentment – the stares that will drive her to distraction, the invariable comments about her clothes if she is wearing fitted track pants or shorts, and the occasional hand that will attempt to grab at her… Alas! For most women in cities across the country (particularly in North India), it’s hard enough to make it through certain areas in a car or an auto-rickshaw, let alone walking or cycling.
This brings us to, perhaps, the most deadly silent killers of all – and a real catch 22 situation: pollution and heat. The result of not opting to walk instead of driving, or of not cutting back on air-conditioning, causes an increase in global warming and pollution. Yet, it’s these very things that stop us from opting to walk to nearby places or deter us from turning off the engine of the car (and hence the air conditioning) at stoplights. Of course, in theory, we want to walk to our neighbourhood markets, clubs, and metro stations, and would love to cycle to work, save fuel and become healthier people. But, the pollution in our cities just does not let most of us implement our well-meant ideas. After all, there appears to be no point in saving the planet if we ruin our lungs and develop breathing problems side by side. So, we continue to drive our cars to the colony grocery shops rather than walk through dusty lanes, and to take a quick auto ride to the metro station (covering our noses with scarves all the while) rather than leisurely navigate the smog-filled route on foot.
And the heat certainly does not make things any easier. With the sun relentlessly beating down on one’s head, and endless sweat pouring out of every conceivable pore, it‘s pretty hard to motivate oneself to conserve fuel or water. The wrath of the weather in our cities certainly throws up a plethora of roadblocks on the road to green.
Of course, where there’s a will there’s a way. If we don’t start tackling these silent killers and opting for the high road, we may have to miss out on the most important luxuries of all: a day at the beach, a picnic with friends and family, or even something as simple as opening the window and taking a wonderful deep breath of air.
Eggcellent Energy
Here is a calculation demonstrating how the most energy-efficient mode of transport is biking: a bicyclist burns about 25 calories per mile. One large egg supplies 80 calories. A cyclist can travel about three miles on the energy of one egg. A person walking would require three eggs to go the same distance. A loaded bus requires the equivalent of two dozen eggs for each person it carries three miles. A train requires the equivalent of three dozen eggs for each person it carries three miles. A car that gets 12.5 miles per gallon requires the equivalent of seven-dozen eggs to carry one person three miles. Even if you double the miles per gallon and double the occupancy, a car will still use the equivalent of twenty-one eggs to make the trip – more than twenty times a bicycle.
