Dear Tunza Friends,

I am very happy to share with you all  that I won Super Efficient Green Technology Inside , Bosch Washing  machine in recent GREEN STAR COMPETITION due to my environmental contributions as productive, efficient, Green Star.

This great machine was delivered yesterday . I was supposed to take picture with this prize so that "Green Star UAE" can post it online. I took pride in wearing Tunza T shirt . They took my interview as well . My answers to their interview questions along with the winner announcement & the picture with the prize- is  put on their below page:

https://www.facebook.com/GreenStarUAE/posts/228313864010311:0

I have joined hands with "Green Star UAE" to  work together to spread the Green Star wave around the country.

Clip of what they posted

    Congratulations to our recent Green Star competition winner Arushi Madan on the arrival of her new super-efficient Bosch washing machine. Thanks to her immense environmental contributions we are proud to recognise her as a productive, efficient, Green Star.

 Green Star asked asked Arushi Madan (AM)what it means to be a Green Star and how important a green environment is to her. Here's what she had to say:

 Green Star: What does being a Green Star mean to you?

    Arushi Madan: A Green Star is a person with an environmentally conscious attitude - not only preaching but practising as well in their day to day life. A Green Star always goes for sustainable options to save resources.

  GS: Why is it important to be environmentally conscious?

    AM:

    1.to save the planet Earth

    2.to save animals from extinction as I feel our habits & behaviour have a direct impact on the survival of other animals and their ecosystem.

    3. for sake of our health.

    4. to save crises like the dying of crops , food shortage, imbalance in ecosystem...

    5. to make this world a better place for us, others around us and for our future generations.

    GS: What do you do around the home and office to conserve energy and water?

    AM: During day time I ensure that our lights are off and curtains are opened to allow daylight into our rooms.

 Myself and my Mom operate the washing machine only on full load for optimum use of water.

    While brushing my teeth , I do NOT keep the tap open and I take quick /short showers.

    Myself and my mum wash dishes with water collected in basin rather than running water.

    All of us sit in one room and avoid using lights and AC in more than one room.

    Our AC is preset to 23 deg.

    I travel by Metro or bus as much as possible. When we have to go for some event to a location which is not connected by pubic transport, all our friends go by shared car/car pool.

    I don't waste paper.

    I refill the toners and reuse it as much as possible.

    GS: What environmental initiatives would you like to see implemented in our communities?

   AM:

    1. More awareness of the need to be environmentally conscious

    2. Different coloured waste bins should be placed outside every office, school, restaurant, home, hotel, hospital to ensure waste segregation at source.

    3. Need to have more recycling centres.

    4. Brochures should be restricted or banned to save paper.

    5. Strict laws (fines/penalties) to ban the use of plastic bags.

    6. Schools should have a course on environment education.

    7. Subsidies should be offered to encourage using public transport.

    GS: Do you have any environmental tips for fellow Green Stars?

    AM: Yes, follow the principle of 4Rs (Realise, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle).

   This means realise or observe your day to day actions, reduce wastage, reuse & recycle whatever you can. Never waste food, don't throw trash in or around sea/ocean/lakes etc. Collect used papers, cartons, aluminium cans (like coke cans), plastic bottles, tetrapack cartons and give to recycling centres like EEG (Emirates Environmental Group) or Bee'ah(Sharjah waste management company).

  You just need to have the will power to collect these from your home and neighbourhood, then you can call these companies and they can arrange to collect recyclables from your premise.

 Buy energy efficient goods, these days there are many options available like energy saver bulbs, lamps tubelights, washing machine, refrigerator etc.

 Visit places like "The Change Initiative" or "Green Festival "to have new, innovative but very cost effective ideas of going green & living green.

 Do not buy cards from the market make your own birthday cards with old magazine leaves .

Use shared cars or public transport to reduce your carbon footprint as much as possible.

Do NOT print email or anything unless it is absolutely necessary.

Reduce font to the bare minimum possible to be readable so that you consume less paper for printing.

Do NOT cut trees, rather encourage tree plantation.

Gift a plant as a birthday or party gift to your friends or relatives.

Do NOT use plastic bags, go for reuseable jute bags.

Switch off power when not in use, try to sit in one room at home to save on energy.

Try using washable cloth rather than paper towels.

Think of sustainable solutions in your every action.

Having a greener lifestyle doesn?t mean making drastic changes to our everyday routine. One can be surprised at how much the above said little things in life can make a significant difference to the environment.