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You may be a high profile consumer shopping at exclusive outlets or a low profile one at the street corner
'Nadar' store. But wherever you shop or whatever you shop around for, you can still be an environment -friendly consumer. I once went shopping with a friend to a leading branded clothing store to buy a readymade shirt. As a last minute addition to her accessories of handbag, car keys and the rest, she threw in a printed yellow cloth bag, clean though a little faded. I knew her to be an environment-friendly being, so desisted from comment. But the moment she stepped into the air-conditioned showroom, the yellow cloth bag attracted stares from fellow shoppers and disdainful looks from the shop assistants. My friend was not in the least bit fazed. After making her purchase, she politely declined the plastic wrapper and bag offered and insisted that the shopkeeper drop the Rs 550-shirt into the yellow cloth bag. This happened a good two years back, but attitudes have not changed very much.
Actually there is nothing more environment-friendly than cloth bags. Of course, they do not have to be yellow or faded. There are cloth bags and cloth bags, some of them looking quite chic and fashionable. The important thing is to drive home the point that plastic bags or anything else non-biodegradable should be discouraged. It would be even better if your cloth bags have eco-friendly slogans or pictures of wildlife on them to emphasise the message. Resist buying anything in non-biodegradable materials, spread the word around till it becomes a movement and manufacturers realise that use of such materials is not good for business. Paper bags can also be used when shopping for vegetables and fruits.
This is the day of the sachet. Oil, shampoos, eatables, betel nut, even snuff comes in sachets. They make for easy buying, but pose a grave threat to our environment. They also cause visual pollution. Just look at the plastic trash all around. At the current growing rate of discard, plastic trash mountains may one day compete with Mount Everest! Consumers will also do well to read the fine print on the products they buy. Prefer a container that carries a 'packed in recyclable or biodegradable material' label. This is called "precycling" or "reducing waste before you buy". Disposable plastic cups have become a major problem. Teashops, airports, railway stations, marriage halls, all make wide use of the environment-ruinous things. Prefer places that use earthenware or china cups. Or carry a small tumbler or cup in you handbag.
Akshaya
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