Recommended: Please watch this short, stirring clip (extracted from award-winning footage) first: http://stimulating-videos.ideagutter.com/2010/05/15-minutes-of-must-watch.html.

1. “ Many people have lived without love , but none without water.” A few simple ways to be the change we want to see around us :

2. A slow dripping tap can waste up to 20 liters of water a day! Get all leaks fixed right away. Until then, bucket the leak.

4. E.g., a dual flush system can operate at half the tank capacity. Flush very judiciously. Get a low flush toilet that lets you regulate the water outflow. * Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toilets_in_Japan#Squat_toilet Indian squat toilets : Water efficient and hygienic! * Don’t use the toilet as a wastebasket ! upto 16 liters of potable water Every time you flush, goes down the drain! Source : “Hunting Down Water”, an award-winning documentary

5. Choose a restrained bucket bath , over a prolonged shower bath . Bath tubs are a great deal worse.

6. to cool the house exteriors , etc.! Why pour water where a wet cloth would do? Water is too scarce a resource to be splashed about Delhi alone guzzles 4.5 crore liters every day for car washing! * * Source : “Hunting Down Water”, an award-winning documentary Make sure to infuse these tips into your maid/helper too.

8. An RO (Reverse Osmosis) filter discards double the quantity of water it purifies. * Employ it only when unavoidable. Can’t do away with RO? Bucket the outgoing water; Reuse it in cleaning, washing cloths, etc. Yet another practical way to reuse water : Wash fruits/veggies in a bowl (& utilize that water elsewhere). * Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_osmosis#Disadvantages Efficiency needs to be extended to water too!

9. Rainwater harvesting Storing the rain falling on your house also prevents the flooding of streets , apart from groundwater recharge. Catch me when you can! “ By 2025, ~ 60% of India’s groundwater blocks will be in a critical condition.” – World Bank

10. The next world war will not be fought over land or oil , but over water ! - Serageldin, former VP, World Bank (among other experts) Plenty of water overflows away (invisibly). Why? We don’t know when exactly to turn off the motor ! Invest in an automatic water motor controller . It also saves power by auto-closing when the water in-flow stops.

12. Just a minor temperature rise? Not quite! [1] www.washprofile.org/en/node/3381 [2] Centre for Science and Environment [3] National Crime Records Bureau Climate change perturbs the entire weather cycle! Between 1973 and 1982, ~ 1500 natural disasters occurred, while from 1993 to 2002, they increased to as many as 6000 ! [1] the right amount (not less, not more), at the right time . [2] 1.84 lakh Indian farmers committed suicide between 1995 & 2007. [3] 68% of our farmers need rain :

15. Enormous air & water pollution ; Massive depletion of oil / trees , water , energy & fuel ; in production + transportation + disposal! [1] EPI: http://www.earth-policy.org [2] ToI, Bangalore, dated 30-8-08 1500 plastic bottles end up as garbage, every second ! [1] Just (re)use, don’t throw ! Huge waste burning, gigantic landfills & now ocean-fills too! In place of multiple Tissue papers Disposable cups Plastic bags Disposable bottles Use one Handkerchief Mug/glass Jute/cloth bag Reusable bottle Many Indian offices consume 60000 paper cups in ~ 2 weeks ! [2] Quite a few companies (e.g., TI, McAfee) have already phased out paper cups for steel/ceramic mugs ! [2]

17. Buying from local markets - as opposed to malls – curbs the hefty emissions tied to transportation and flashy publicity . Exception : the local stuff that lacks energy-efficiency Farming is exceedingly water intensive. Eliminate food wastage . Hand-made products are greener and create more jobs ! Purchase products with minimal/reusable packaging.

19. Increasing reliance on diesel generators Skyrocketing energy consumption Dangerous levels of damaging pollutants (including Black Carbon & Nitrogen Oxides ) Escalating power cuts A one-time investment in solar systems ( heating, lighting ) fetches recurring environmental & monetary savings.

20. Configure power options such that the monitor closes after an idle time of few minutes, & the CPU/laptop hibernates after half an hour, automatically. Suspend or hibernate it for breaks >= ½ hour. Turn off the CPU/laptop at the end of the day. A screen saver saves nothing & burns energy. Why not switch off the monitor every time we leave the desk for few minutes or more?

21. 30% of Bangalore’s kids are asthmatic! * Choked roads? Where?! buses! Just 2 * Source : http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/nov/06asthma.htm

22. Prefer Non-motorized [Cycle, Cycle Rickshaws] & Mass transport [Bus, Train, Shared autos, Vehicle pooling] It’s also good for the body and light on the wallet! Minimize the use of individual autos & personal vehicles . Flying less (and light) saves tremendous fuel/emissions. Sir Albert Einstein Promote Green Employment

24. Consider mileage/energy more than looks/comfort while buying vehicles and appliances. E.g., pay up a bit extra and buy a higher BEE * starred (say) fridge to save on power & money on a monthly basis. efficient as CRT! Replace Tube lights by LED lights or CFLs of lower Watts (if LED infeasible). * Bureau of Energy Efficiency , Government of India power that desktops do! LCD {TV, Monitor} is ~ twice as Laptops consume < half the

26. At home & in the car [ More desirable : Curtail the car usage!] Favour stairs to elevators whenever possible. Why lose power , instead of gaining health ?! Curtail the AC usage; Raise its temperature : Check the use of coolers (consuming loads of water), too.

27. Help prevent small kids from working in awfully unhealthy & unsafe confines of fire cracker factories. We have a right to celebrate, but at what cost? Compost the kitchen waste [ dailydump.org ] . In the very least, throw it to the plants/garden. Segregate waste : bio-degradable (kitchen, paper) & otherwise. Sell as much waste as possible (plastic, paper) to scrap dealers for recycling/reusing . Clichéd, but crucial: Plant & protect trees ! Celebrate special days by funding tree plantations ( treesforfree.org ).

28. Only after the last tree has been cut off, and the last river poisoned, will we realize that we can’t eat money! Thank you! Email : pulkitparikh@gmail.com