Can the planet afford so much bottled water?
This post was triggered after reading an interview in the New York Times featuring Kim E. Jeffery, CEO of Nestle Waters (owner of brands like Poland Spring and Perrier). This is also the first in a series of DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Activism posts - it’s about small things you can do to make a much better world out there.
The health conscious and the thirsty on-the-go may be opting more and more for bottled water, but imagine the colossal amount of plastic waste it is adding in the landfills.
Ok, we all drink bottled water for various reasons – most justified – but there can be ways to reduce if not eliminate this waste altogether. Environmentalists have been targeting bottled water companies but we cannot expect them to stop selling at the expense of their business interests. Here are some suggestions to make a difference: Read on…
Give away fewer bags, improve image and save money
If retailers can give away fewer bags, not only can they make profits but also improve their image with customers and other stakeholders. Without causing any inconvenience to customers. Here’s the business case for it: Read on…
You got mail, a paper one
If every postman and courier boy was paid the equivalent of a penny for every mailer sent by a marketing man, they would all be rich people. One can only guesstimate how many letters criss-cross the world daily, consuming paper and energy in the process, and increasing junk populations on landfills. Read on to know what can be done about it
Retailers can cut use of shopping bags
If retailers can cut down on use of shopping bags, a cascading positive effect can take place. But it is rarely seen to be case, with retailers only too happy to give out any number of bags when they make a sale. With a bit of thought, bags usage can actually be cut down without causing any inconvenience to customers. Here are some ideas. Continue reading…
No shopping bags please…
Would you believe it if you were told six billion people on this planet manage to consume 500 billion to one trillion plastic bags between them every year. That is a million a minute, according to reusablebags.com.
And each of these bags can take between 20 to 1,000 years to biodegrade. There’s more…
Happy birthday…here’s a tree for you!
There are enough companies who take care to make their employees and customers feel good on their birthdays. It could be in the form of a cake or a day off for the birthday boy or girl at office, or a card sent to a customer. How about making these occasions more memorable?
Plant a tree. And ensure provision is made to ensure it is nurtured over the years. No point having dead saplings and half trees lying around, right? Continue reading to understand how to make such occassions memorable
Let’s get into a carpool
Living in an urban space? Drive to work? Is the drive fun? If the answer to the first two questions is yes, the third is more likely to be in the negative.
Naturally. For one, traffic is on the rise in cities and towns worldwide, making driving a pain. And rising fuel costs are not really adding to make such journeys sound like fun either. Enter car or van pools. Click to know how car pools can work
Delhi pools in for a greener ride
More Delhites are taking the car pool route to cut down on stress, fuel costs and pollution. Here’ sa news item I picked a few months back. Read the rest of this entry »
Moving pictures at the workplace
There are so many environmental films out there which do not get an audience; these are films that do not play to any galleries but highlight issues requiring urgent attention. The other challenge is funding for such films; these are usually made by film-makers for whom the cause is all all-important. This is where companies can step in make a difference. Read on to know how
ITC Chairman: “Cannot seek short-term profits at expense of future generations”
YC Deveshwar, chairman of ITC Ltd, seems to be setting sustainability standards for other Indian, and global, companies to emulate. ‘Lead by example’ may well sound like his company’s motto. His view, as shared exclusively with Ajay Jain: Read on…
