Earth is the only planet we know of in our solar system that humans can live on. No other planet has oceans, other life forms, and enough oxygen to comfortably breathe. Because we have so much water, Earth is called the Blue Planet. From space the oceans combined with the atmosphere make the planet look blue. About 71 percent of the Earth is covered with water. Earth is the only planet where water can exist in liquid form on the surface. Even though we have water coming out of our ears, only one percent of it is drinkable. Most of it is frozen or salty. Earth is the fifth-largest planet and the third planet from the Sun with only Mercury and Venus being closer.
Mother Earth is the womb of the sustaining power of humanity. We are nurtured by the healthy condition of Mother Earth. In humans, if the mother is ailing, the child suffers. In the womb, the child is helpless. But in our case, it is the mother who is helpless. We are the cause of the ailing planet and we are the victims.
Just as the forest is green only when the trees in the forest are green, global healing can occur only when individuals are awakened to their higher integrative consciousness. We heal the planet as we heal ourselves. As each of us experiences the integrative power of awareness within healing our internal conflicts of body, mind, and spirit-we feel love for all expressions of God, for all of life and for the entire world.
The United Nations suggests that climate change is not just the defining issue of our time, but we are also at a defining moment in history. Weather patterns are changing and will threaten food production, and sea levels are rising and could cause catastrophic flooding across the globe. Countries must take drastic actions to avoid a future with irreversible damage to major ecosystems and planetary climate. There are plenty of things you can do every day to help reduce greenhouse gases and your carbon footprint to make a less harmful impact on the environment.
Taking care of the Earth is not just a responsibility, it’s a necessity. The following are the main¬ things you can do now to help save the planet.
1. Conserve Water.
The little things can make a big difference. Every time you turn off the water while you’re using water, you’re doing something good. You might be dripping as much as 90 gallons (340 liters) of water down the drain every day. So fix it! It’s easy and cheap. And stop drinking bottled water. Switch to filtered tap water. You’ll save a ton of cash and help reduce a ton of plastic waste in the process. If we all do our part in conserving precious water supplies, we can make a huge difference for the environment.
2. Walk, Bike or Take Public Transit.
Walking and biking are obvious ways to reduce greenhouse gases. Plus you’ll get some good cardio and burn some calories while you do it. If you live in an area that’s not walkable, take advantage of your local mass transit if you can. Or carpool. Even one car off on the road makes a difference.
3. Reduce, reuse, recycle (R3).
The concept behind the first R, reduce, is that you should limit the number of purchases that you make in the first place. So, for example, you might limit your household to a single computer.
The concept behind the second R, reuse, is that you should reuse items as much as possible before replacing them. For example, it generally makes more environmental sense to update your computer rather than get rid of it and buy a new one.
The concept behind the third R, recycle, is that you should ensure that items or their components are put to some new purpose as much as possible. If your computer is not fit for reuse as is, you can donate it to one of several organizations, such as St RUT (Students Recycling Used Technology), which will refurbish it or recycle its components.
4. Plant a Tree (or Two).
In 2018 the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, the U.N. suggests an additional 2.5 billion acres (1 billion hectares) of forest in the world that could limit global warming. One young tree can absorb CO2 at a rate of 13 pounds (5 kilograms) per tree.
5. Give up Plastics.
People around the world buy 1 million plastic drinking bottles every minute and use up to 5 trillion single-use plastic bags every year. Humans are addicted to plastic, and hardly any of it — about gets recycled. Say no to plastic shopping bags and use cloth bags instead.
Hence humans should take an oath that “Save Earth, Save Ourselves”. Earth is our first mother and we should protect her in all situations. Earth’s beauty is our beauty hence to maintain our beauty we should save our earth.
The writer is a student of M.phil, Jiwaji University Gwalior. He can be reached at [email protected]