Dr. N. Munal Meitei,
Environmentalist; email-nmunall@yahoo.in
The 28 September is world Green Consumer Day, focusing primarily on importance of green habits of recycling, reusing and reducing waste material. The day also highlights the negative impact of consumerism on the environment. A green consumer is someone who is very much concerned about the environment and therefore, opt only eco-friendly products. The green consumer would buy recycled materials, reduce their shopping habits and encourage others to do the same.
As to celebration the day, we can reduce our electricity use, conserve water, recycle as a family, skip single-use items; reuse instead, buy used goods, go meatless one day a week and these may be the small steps but will give big impacts. As the global warming and climate change are becoming more and more prevalent, more than ever, people have realised the future crisis of the planet. Now, the term ‘green’ and ‘tree plantation’ have become a daily fashion, but we need the real results.
When it comes to going smoothly, green production and green consumerism go hand in hand. People create for people to use. It’s all about to count – reduced plastic and other non-biodegradable wastes in the packaging, how efficiently the energy is being used and up to what extent the company was able to lessen the GHG emissions and other pollutants during the production and transportation processes, before it ends up with consumers.
Green consumption is closely related to sustainable development. It’s a safe form of consumption that in no way harms the mother earth and can go on sustainably with the present and future generations. Green consumers actively strive to save energy consumption by adopting energy-efficient practices in their daily lives. This includes using energy-saving appliances, turning off lights when not in use and maximizing natural lighting and ventilation.
Green consumers support the use of solar products and renewable energy resources by investing in solar panels and advocating for the adoption of clean and sustainable energy alternatives. Green consumers prioritize the use of recycled and eco-friendly products with minimal packaging.
Green consumers promote sustainable agriculture and food systems by buying locally grown and organic food. Buying local food reduces the social and environmental impacts. Taste, health and safety concerns can be another reason behind this consumption practices. This reduces the carbon footprint associated with food-miles and supports local farmers who adopt eco-friendly farming practices.
Sustainable consumption is a key principle that green consumers follow. By making conscious choices and adopting green behaviors, they aim to minimize energy use, reduce waste and mitigate the impact on the environment and climate change.
Green consumerism is an essential aspect of sustainable living, as it involves selectively purchasing products that are environmentally friendly and contribute to the conservation of resources. By opting for green products, which often contain recycled materials, conserve energy, water, minimize waste and pollution, green consumers play a vital role in protecting the environment.
This suggests that most people do not behave like green consumers continuously, probably because of social and economic constraints, such as the fact that green products can be more expensive than non-green ones, or because it is not always easy to find green goods for each items, and green retailers are not so widespread.
Green consumerism has been growing rapidly and is touted as the best method to combat wanton ecological degradation. Seeing all this, companies and business targeting to allure buyers to their products, often commit acts of greenwashing in which they embellish, often severely, the merits of their products.
The ‘LiFE’ – ‘Lifestyle for Environment’ introduced by the Hon’ble Prime Minister in 2021 is to initiate the country’s pro-active approach to climate change, sustainability and promotion eco-conscious practices and products. The initiatives, the Green Credit Program (GCP) and the Ecomark Scheme, seek to encourage environmentally friendly practices rooted in our tradition and conservation with the philosophy of nudging individual choices and behavior towards sustainability.
Manipur is facing with various environmental problems in many aspects. To save, restore and preserve our God given pleasant climatic conditions and the natural beauties, each one of us needs to become a Green Consumer for a healthy and green environment for tomorrow.
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