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AIR
Our phones today are flooded with news of severe to very severe air pollution in Delhi, Kolkata, Punjab and Haryana. This has made all residents anxious, and rightly so. Air pollution induces a number of respiratory illnesses like lung infection, heart attacks, COPD, stroke and lung cancer; making us vulnerable to the coronavirus.
Through these challenges, we would be taking small but significant steps to reduce air pollution on our part.
Cycling
As the lockdown forced everyone out of their gyms to their homes, cycling was one activity that has picked up pace. A very environment and body friendly activity, cycling can absolutely pump up your energy levels and keep a check on those increasing chubs from sitting at home all day!
Taking up cycling can be one of the best decisions you’ll make in life. Whether you choose to hop on a bike for health reasons, to help the environment, try a new activity, or even to supplement another sport, cycling is a ton of fun.
Through this challenge we aim to encourage more people to cycle and use it as a mode of transportation and leave green footprints.
How to play?
Every time you jump on your bike, take a picture or record a video which is less than a minute, send it to us and earn your points!
Mention the following details:
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Distance covered
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Time cycled
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Speed travelled during your journey
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Gain additional points by using your cycle instead of car/bike for your grocery shopping or other household chore
So log in your activity and track how much carbon footprint you have reduced!
Carpooling
Frustrated with the traffic during daily commute, and have no one to vent it out to? worried about the increasing pollution levels due to the never-ending queue of vehicles at the signal?
We have a simple solution for this!
Carpooling- a simple arrangement between two or more people to make regular journeys in a single car, while taking turns at driving. it could be a few people from your apartment who share a common office route, or your office colleagues living nearby.
How to play?
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A minimum of 3 carpools per week must be practiced
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Upload the photo
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In case driving yourself daily is necessary, save fuel by removing the unnecessary heavy objects. Drive lightly this way!
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Need a car for a day-long trip? Rent it and share it!
Log your activity as you do so! This way you’ll save up on cost as well as reduce your carbon footprint.
Steps Challenge
We are pretty sure that each and every one of you spends almost 2-3 hours per day mindlessly scrolling through social media. Why not gain something through this? Engage with your social media as you walk! Count your steps on the go!
How to play?
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Participants are supposed to calculate their step count all day.
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Upload a screenshot of your step count
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Bonus points for those who use walking in place of your two/four wheeler for household chores (Grocery shopping etc.)
WATER
“If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.”
Have u ever thought of that we as an individual can save up to 100 Litres of water every day! That’s sufficient for the another day for a person to survive, and in this process we can consume half % of what we use now, that means the next half of coming year, the other % can be used!! Water can consist of great calculations if consumed consciously by all.
Water is more than just water; the existence of the entire universe is dependent on water. That’s why we say ‘Water is Life’. The primary reason being that every living element on Earth is consisting of approximately 65% to 70% of water in their body. In spite of having 70% of water on earth only 1% of water is fresh & useable and other 97% of water is salty, 2% of water is in form of ice in the glaciers & icebergs.
Save a flush
Do you know toilet flushing is the single highest use of water inside an average home and so it also presents a prime opportunity for water conservation? Now with smart and green cities, citizens should adapt to smart toilets to make their homes smart. Effective and eco-friendly toilet systems can save water, but they also use electricity, so their environmental benefit is questionable. But you'll see a difference to your water consumption. Green toilets can sense how much water is needed and flush using just the right amount. The smaller flushes can use as little as 0.6 gallons per flush (GPF). Smart flushing systems, also come with automated systems, where water losses drop from 30% to 8%.
There are varied kinds of eco-toilets that can be explored in the market such as Ultra Low Flush toilets, High Efficiency Toilets and Dual Flush Toilets (high efficiency model), as per one’s choice and need and we can become a smart citizen, right from our home so that our future generations don’t strive but live King Size!
How to play?
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If it’s yellow, it can mellow. Avoiding flushes can save around 6 liters of water per flush- and contribute in preserving the most used source of water.
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Every time you don’t flush, log the green action of yours!
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All you have to do is, every time you flush using any of these efficient flush systems in your home or office, just click a picture and create a activity book for yourself and you will see a change in the amount of water you would have saved in a month!
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Post it on social media pages and platforms for everyone else to know and be a leader for more 20 people to follow the same practice.
Re-fill your bottle
Plastic water bottles are as harmful to health as to environment. Research says that drinking water from the plastic water bottle for over a month can increase the rate of heart diseases. We as individuals, must first take care of our own body so as to protect Mother Earth.
Using stainless steel, copper and glass water bottles are always an eco-friendly and sustainable practice one can use, both to prevent health and environmental hazards. This leads to preventive measure of using less plastic bottles of soft drinks, and the strategy of refilling water bottles and not buying too many plastic water bottles. Refilling water bottle can always save up to usage of less plastics, thus making us a green participant towards this idea.
How to Play:
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Many brands of bottles water are really just tap water-and often at 2,000 times the price.
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So, refill your bottle from the tap to save both plastic and money and log the activity each time you do, by clicking pictures or have a log book to keep a track, and then post it in social media platforms, to inspire many more to adopt to the same practice.
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Also, this way you can also, have a track of number of times you consumed water!
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A person must have 8L of water every day, remember!
Less Shower
Water efficiency is all about conscious consumption of resources and reducing unnecessary wastage. Showers is one of the main sources to water waste from private residents. Small changes to our daily routine can save huge amounts of water, without compromising on personal hygiene. By shortening your shower, you can save up to 22 thousand litres of water every year. In other words, if we reduce our daily shower from 10 minutes to 3-5, we can cut the water consumption with 22 thousand litres every year. For a family of four this would save more than 87 thousand litres of water a year and that’s a lot!
One of the simplest ways to save both water and energy is to install ECO-smart showers. A trick that would actually help you reduce the duration of the shower is to turn off the water while lathering and shampooing. This is completely wasted water, and should be quite easy to reduce.
We cannot afford to wait; everyone has a role to play so Reduce the time and power in your shower and save a buck or have good luck!!
How to play?
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Showers use less time than baths, but not if you stand under them hours long! So be water wise and avoid the water problem to rise!!
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Every time you go for a bath, keep a track of the time you utilize in the shower, log activities and do post it in social media platform of the time you saved in having short showers.
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Keep a track for a month to see some amazing results and changes and you too can become a sustainable influencer inspiring many more to practice the same.
LAND
Whether it is our eating habits, our grooming or even our clothing, waste from all these seemingly harmless activities have a lasting effect on the environment.
Thanks to our ‘throwaway culture’, today India is getting buried under mounds of garbage as the country has been generating more than 1.50 lakh metric tonne (MT) of solid waste every day.
We continue to dump because we are reluctant toc adapt to change. We are exhausting our landfills.
“Waste isn’t waste until we waste it.” So let’s utilise the scrap and waste efficiently and completely and fix for the so called ‘throwaway culture’.
E – Waste Collection
Electronic waste (E-waste) consists of electronic devices such as televisions, computers, cell phones, and microwaves that have come to the end of their useful life, are broken, deemed obsolete by the user or are simply discarded.
With advancement in technology, a large number of electronic devices are becoming obsolete almost on a regular basis. Bulky computers, TV sets, VCRs, Fax machines, Printers, CD Players top the list. These devices contain harmful materials such as beryllium, cadmium, mercury, and lead.
Proper disposal of E-waste includes keeping it out of landfills and responsible E-waste recycling, refurbishing or repairing.
Are you following the 3R’s with respect to E-Waste Collection/ Disposal?
How to play?
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Segregate your e-waste and choose either of the following:
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Repair
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Refurbish
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Recycle
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Donate
Log in your action by posting pictures or creating a video showing you donating the gadgets or getting them repaired.
It’s time to think about your e-waste disposal. Get into this responsible habit and increase your green footprint!
Clothes Collection
Ever wondered what happens to your clothes after you throw them away?
The staggering statistics of the quantity of clothes that end up in landfills is not news—in fact, what is new information is that landfills are brimming with so much urban waste that by 2050, India is reportedly going to need a landfill that's the size of its capital, New Delhi. When we dispose our clothes, they either end up in landfills or are found choking the canals and making their way into the water bodies!
So what should you follow?
Well, Re-use, Reduce, Recycle, Repeat or Upcycle because, what goes around comes around, especially in fashion.
How to play?
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Identify charity organizations in your city where you can donate the clothes. Donate old clothes and help a needy get dressed up than covering our planet! Click pictures of your donating these old clothes and also weigh the quantity given.
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Make a DIY video from your old clothes and share it with us!
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Every time you carry out the act of donating, re-using or re-cycling your clothes, click pictures, make videos and share it with us and earn your eco-points!
So get innovative and re-create useful things from your old clothes because we’re sure your clothes are not doomed for the landfill!
Plastic Collection
Did you know, globally, more than 1 trillion single-use plastic bags are used each year, and less than 5% get recycled?
In our plastic-filled world, avoiding plastic can be pretty challenging. But finding alternatives to common items and disposing them off thoughtfully and cautiously —and not a moment too soon for our plastic-choked planet.
How to play?
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Segregate plastic from everyday waste and give it to the waste-pickers.
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Calculate the amount of plastic you have segregated, click pictures or record it in creative ways!
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You can also choose to collect plastic from your neighbourhood and spread the word about ‘plastic free and collection initiative’.
We have to Break the Plastic Habit, or else along with the planet even we’ll be choked up by plastic.
FIRE
Today, 1,104 terawatt-hour (tWh) of energy is used for cooking in India. The annual usage varies from household to household. But on an average, the yearly use is quoted as 7-8 liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders of 14.2 kilograms; 170 standard cubic meter (scm) of piped natural gas (PNG) or about 1,022 kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity.
According to Niti Aayog’s Indian Energy Security Scenario portal, the energy demand for cooking in 2047 will be between 410 tWh to 599 tWh.
All these pressing issues has left us with no option but to transition to energy-efficient cooking systems which is a sustainable and eco- effort!
Use Pressure Cooker
Cooking Need Not Be a High-Pressure Job. A Pressure Cooker Can Help You!
You can take it for granted but you can’t imagine your kitchen without it. The pressure cooker, a humble kitchen appliance, is a perfect rescue method to reduce your cooking time, gas usage and energy wasted!
They can reduce cooking times by up to 70% and retain nutrients well, making them a healthy and responsible cooking method.
How to play?
Why wait? Cut the prep time and cost of your meals and punch in this action every time you use a pressure cooker instead of your standard pans.
All you have to do:
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Like a picture of you cooking with a pressure cooker
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Upload the live picture and record the time taken to complete the cooking!
So switch to smart and green cooking techniques and be a part of this sustainable living movement and track your green footprints!
Cook on an induction
It's time you decide to upgrade your kitchen's cooking capabilities in the form of a new and eco-conscious cooktop or range!
Cooking with induction makes mealtime easier with quicker heat, precise control, more energy efficient and easy clean-up. A major difference between a gas and induction stovetop is that induction is significantly more efficient than gas – food being cooked with induction will receive 90% of the heat generated, as opposed to only 40-55% for gas. This keeps your kitchen much cooler and more comfortable while you prepare meals. Induction cooking also decreases risk of burns and accidental fires, as there is no open flame and the cookware itself is the only heat source.
How to play?
So opt for induction stovetops and make you cooking quicker, energy efficient and safe.
How to earn sustainability points?
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Click a picture when you install an induction cooktop.
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Click a boomerang if possible showing what’s cooking!
So switch to smart and green cooking techniques and be a part of this sustainable living movement and track your green footprints!
MATERIAL
Materials, products, and clothing are constantly evolving and following new technologies, discoveries, and market trends. The question is: are we, as individuals, evolving with them?
How should we use materials—both in their traditional forms and in their future conceptions—so that we are making relevant contributions to the way we are inhabiting our planet is crucial.
It’s easy to forget the impact of a purchase or the power you have as a consumer. Choosing the right material, sustainable fabric and environmental conscious textiles are small steps we can take each day to pave the path toward a more sustainable future!
Choose Sustainable Fabric
Did you know, it can take up to 2700 litres of water to produce a cotton t-shirt?
The concept of sustainable fashion is not new; in fact, it has been talked about by various verticals over the years
Sustainable fashion entails making things out of local, biodegradable fabric that can eventually return to the ecosystem after you have worn it out. Textile isn’t wasted, chemicals are used in production, therefore reducing the pollution caused. Organic fabric, khadi, linen etc. and the likes should be your new go to. These clothes also last longer, look custom made, and make you stand out!
How to play?
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When you choose an environmentally- friendly textile, click a picture and log your green action.
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Or, if you are wearing a sustainable apparel, flaunt it and share it across and inspire many to choose better fabric!
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So think twice before shopping and choose good quality, sustainable material and be a part of this sustainable living movement and track your green footprints!
Green Cleaning
Green cleaning products clean your home naturally, without the unpleasant chemical residue that can harm your family and your pets and the wellbeing of the earth. Eco-friendly cleaning products are made using sustainable manufacturing practices and naturally derived, safe, non-toxic, and biodegradable ingredients that don't negatively impact the environment or your family’s health.
How to play?
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Green cleaning products can either be bought or can be made at home by using vinegar, water, lemon rind and rosemary.
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So every time you buy or use organic and green cleaner, log you action by clicking picture or videos and sharing it with as many as you can.
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Think twice before shopping and buying home-cleaning products and be a part of this sustainable living movement and track your green footprints!
Happy cleaning!
Know Your Appliances
Think you know your home appliances? It may be time to think again.
While lighting is a vital component to our everyday lives, it’s important to consider the impacts of excessive energy usage from an ecological perspective as well as the strain on societal infrastructure. Properly conserving electricity through maintenance, technological advancement is not only responsible for the environment and future generations but can save your money!
What can you opt for?
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Switch to led bulbs
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Install dimmers
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Use lamps
How to Play?
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Every time you install a LED or energy saving light fittings in your home or workplace, capture it and send it across!
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This way you can also keep a track of the eco-impact that you have created!
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So get all cutting-edge, and be a part of this sustainable living movement and track your green footprints!