Contribute to a greener tomorrow

There are many ways in which we can contribute to reducing air pollution, some of them are given below:

- Use public transportation: Use your vehicle a lot less often. Carpool and rideshare when you have the ability to do so and consider using public transportation instead of walking; this way, you will not be contributing to the increase of air pollution in the city.

- Drive smart: If you are driving on a regular basis, make sure that you are driving smart instead of wasting gas. Drive within the speed limit, make sure that there aren’t a lot of things in your car that will weigh it down, and do all that you can to conserve the amount of gas that you use on a regular basis.

- Do regular car check-up: It's important for you to take your car for a regular check-up to make sure it does not consume extra fuel. This will not only save you money but your car will also last longer.

- Keep car tires properly inflated: Cars consume more fuel when tires are not properly inflated and aligned. Keeping them properly inflated will lessen your impact on the environment.

- Buy energy efficient vehicles: Buy vehicles and other items that are helpful to the environment. There are so many options that you have now that are either efficient on gas or they are hybrids, so you don’t have to worry about them putting additional gas and pollution into the atmosphere. If you’re looking for a new car, go energy efficient if you can.

- Plant a garden: Plant a garden that is going to give the air the nutrients that it needs to be cleaner. There are so many plants out there that will eat up the junk in the atmosphere. Do your research and see which one(s) you can grow easily and will help the world around you.

- Turn off your lights when not in use: Don’t keep the lights or other electric devices on. The more traditional power you are use, the more energy you waste and the more you pollute the air.

- Buy green electricity: Buy electricity generated from renewable sources i.e. hydroelectric, wind or solar power.

- Make use of solar energy: Consider using solar power instead of regular power. Solar power can save a ton of energy for you and, on top of that, it could also end up saving you a lot of cash in the long run as well.

- Dry clothes on the clothesline: Dry your clothes on a clothesline instead of trying to dry them in a dryer.

- Reuse paper bags: Reuse paper bags; they work really well for almost anything you can imagine and they can be recycled in the first place.

- Avoid plastic bags: They are made from oil products and can hurt our environment as they take forever to decompose (and some never decompose).

- Choose products with minimal packaging: When it comes to buying items from outside, consider buying those with minimal packaging.

- Quit smoking: Quit smoking and encourage those around you to do the same. The smoke is terrible for you and for the air quality.

- Consolidate your trips: Try to make sure that everything that you’re doing can be done in one trip instead of going out several times.

This article is written by Ramona Fernandes, CORP, Company Management, Mumbai.