As the ambassador to the United Arab Emirates of the wonderful Tunza Eco-Gen platform, I once again embarked on yet another journey to spread the green living message to a new group of more than 40 people and this time I got the opportunity to raise awareness on two different platforms.

In the first event, I conveyed the message on the sustainable future with a group of employees working at SGI, a real estate company. I thought of conveying this message with them because they are the backbones of the future generation, the future world lies in their hands. They are responsible for shaping the future leaders of tomorrow. They can inculcate eco-friendly practices in their children.

I started off by saying that ?We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors but we borrow it form our children.? Then, I explained them about how every individual can help make our planet a better place to live in and the role each one of us plays in preserving and protecting the environment. I also told them that the climate change we are witnessing now in the 21^st century is actually a result of our activities.

Then, I told them that this climate change and global warming can be prevented by making some simple changes in our daily lifestyle. I also mentioned the same in the second event. Some of them include:

Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs in homes and houses to reduce electricity bills and save energy.

Use reusable mugs in office instead of using cups made of plastic, Styrofoam.

Use reusable bags made of jute while purchasing groceries instead of plastic bags.

Use handkerchiefs and towels instead of tissues.

Walk short distances, use bicycles or take public transportation instead of cars to get to school or office.

Do not throw recyclables like paper, plastic, cans etc. in general waste bins.

Energy consuming appliances like vacuum cleaners, washing machines should not be used in peak hours in afternoon. 

Buy products such as detergents, soaps and bleaches that are eco-friendly.

They liked my views and invited me to frequently visit their office. They pledged that they will encourage their children to follow eco-friendly practices and they too will do so in their offices and homes. After this was over, I gave them the promotional goods given by Tunza Eco-Generation. They all appreciated the goodies given to them and liked the way the items were made out of recyclable material.

The next day I promoted the green message on sustainability to a group of children, youth and parents. I explained how the small steps taken by us make a major difference in the society and community we live.  We should not have the mentalities that since others are doing it, so we don?t need to do anything. But each and every individual has an equal potential to save the environment without which preserving Mother Nature will not be possible. As individuals, we emit the most greenhouse gases by the consumption of energy due to household appliances, while heating and cooling our homes and while commuting from one place to another.

Many questions were posed in front of me by young enthusiasts and parents of children. A small child of Grade 2 asked me that Paper does not pose a threat to the environment as it does not release any toxic chemicals, so can we use more paper in form of bags. I liked the way he was thinking in his age and replied to him that in order to reduce the effects of global warming, we have to reduce the use of paper. For making paper we have to cut more and more trees but these trees help reduce the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere by absorbing harmful air pollutants and releasing pure oxygen. This goes a long way in preventing the harmful effects of global warming.

As all young enthusiasts were patiently listening to me so I continued to speak to them likeMost of the items we think are unwanted can be recycled and reused. Segregation of waste reduces the pressure on the landfills and helps in reducing the levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Many non-biodegradable waste materials take hundreds of years to decompose. They often contain various chemicals that pollute the air, soil and groundwater. Oils, batteries, solvents and various chemicals ranging from household cleaners to toners and nail polishes also unfortunately, end up in household waste and subsequently in the landfills. In the end I distributed the promotional goods to all of them. They all were very enthusiastic to join this platform. Their parents appreciated me for introducing them to the tunza-eco generation platform which is extremely useful for youth of today for their holistic development. They had never thought of so many benefits that anyone can get from a single platform like this. I thank Tunza for always encouraging me in all my endeavours to promote individual and community participation.