‘Be the
change you wish to see in the world,’ said Gandhiji as he invited us to become agents
of change. Today, as we face a severe environmental crisis, this teaching is
more relevant than ever. But what does it really mean to you and me?
Often people
ask me – what difference will it make if I make a small change in my life? Will
I be able to
save the Amazon forests that are burning down? Will I be able to save those
dolphins and whales that are dying on the shores with stomachs full of plastic?
What can I do?
The damage
that disposable plastic has had on our natural world and on other living beings
is unprecedented. The seas and oceans are now filled with microplastics that it
will be almost impossible to clean up. But who is using these products that end
up in the ocean?
Imagine if
one billion Indians took a pledge never to use a plastic carry bag in their
lives, to find creative alternatives to plastic water bottles and to never ask
for plastic spoons in a restaurant.
Gandhiji
reminds us that real change comes from an individual level and grows into
national and international change. He said, ‘What is true of the individual
will be tomorrow true of the whole nation if individuals will but refuse to
lose heart and hope.’
Making this
change is not as difficult as we make it out to be. When I was growing up, we did
not have
single-use disposables in our life. We carried our own cloth bags to the market
and we bought oils and milk in bottles. Drinking water was available at train
stations and restaurants for free. The idea of using plastic spoons and forks
emerged much later. So we have seen that it is possible to live a life without
disposable plastics.
You might
think – but this is so inconvenient! The one reason that people in the UK gave
for not carrying their own cloth bags was that they ‘forgot’. The cost we are
paying for this forgetfulness is so high that future generations will never
forgive us. Microplastics are entering the water we drink and the food we eat.
Cancers are being caused by these nano particles of plastic. Is this worth it?
As
individuals, if we find ways to reuse items in our own lives, we will be
saving money, saving our own health and our environment. As accountants and
auditors to businesses, if we can conduct waste audits, even as a complimentary
service, we enable huge savings by establishing systems of reuse.
Here are some
of the small things you can do at the corporate level:
1. Can ball pens get refills
instead of being thrown out each time the ink gets over?
2. Can plastic water bottles
be replaced by drinking water stations at each level?
3. Can food be packaged in larger
steel containers instead of small individual plastic packets?
4. Can conferences use ‘green’
kits – do nametags have to be in disposable plastics?
5. Can cleaning supplies be
ordered in larger quantities and stored rather than in smaller plastic
containers?
6. Can plastic packaging be
replaced by paper and cloth packaging?
7. Can waste be segregated
and wet waste composted at source?
8. Can plastic wastes be recycled?
9. Can the corporate campus be
declared a plastic-free zone?
Such a waste
audit and its recommendations can be followed up with change of habit and new
norms.
Gandhiji
visited the UK wearing a khadi dhoti to make a point about
self-determination. How can we make a point and redesign our lifestyle and
working style as we celebrate the birth anniversary of Bapu?
You and I may
not be able to make grand and brave statements, but even the smallest change we
make in our choices can lead the world towards the change we wish to see. It is
because Gandhiji believed that one voice mattered, that the entire world
listened to them.
Be the change
you wish to see in the world.
