8th June 2009 UTVI

World Environment Day

Tue, 02/09/2010

World Environment Day (WED) is the biggest, most widely celebrated, global day for positive, environmental action. Commemorated on 5 June since 1972, WED is one of the principal vehicles through which the UN stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and encourages political attention and action.

For WED 2009, Omved took the initiative to make people realize not only their responsibility, but also their power to become agents for change in support of sustainable and equitable development. In return for taking a "SAY NO TO PLASTIC" oath for a week people visiting South Mumbai’s Priyadarshini Park got a free sample of Omved Ubtan (Ayurvedic natural cleansing grains). A record breaking 2367 people signed up.

They also received a flier with the following information:

Plastic - The Facts

They’re ugly and toxic. Here are some grim, cold hard facts:

Plastic bags clog gutters, storm drains, causing water and sewage to overflow (26/7 Mumbai)
Plastic bags and bottles are made of petroleum and natural gas, increasing our dependence on fossil fuel supplies. Around 4-8% of the world’s oil is used for the production of plastics
Plastic takes 100’s of years to decompose. Plastic does not biodegrade, it photodegrades – breaks down into smaller and smaller bits, contaminating soil, waterways and oceans. It sits in huge land fill sites producing tons of methane gas which contributes to global warming.
Plastic pollutes rivers and oceans and also harms marine life. Plastic litter is blamed for suffocating and killing a million seabirds and 100,000 mammals annually worldwide.
Of the majority of the bags given away each year, most are only used once and then thrown away. On average we use a plastic bag for 12 minutes before discarding it.
The Environment Agency estimate that if everyone in India stopped using plastic bags and switched to using reusable bags, we would save enough plastic bags to tie around the earth 103 times!

You have probably noticed that there are two types of plastic shopping bags - the lighter, filmy bags you get from supermarkets and other food outlets, and the heavier bags you get from other retail outlets, like clothing stores. The supermarket bags are made from high density polyethylene (HDPE), while the thicker bags are made from low density polyethylene (LDPE). Unlike HDPE, LDPE can not be recycled.

Choosing SAY NO TO PLASTIC means you are helping to cut carbon emissions right here, right now. You can make an immediate difference. Because immediate action is what is needed.

One small change can start a revolution

Some thoughts to eliminate plastic stuff from your life

For food: use Pyrex or other containers for storage in the fridge -- the same containers can be used for reheating, using glass lids or even saucers to cover. There are many decorative tins that are great for storing dry snacks, chips and cookies.

For storing woollens, clothes or fabric remnants: use old pillow cases -- tie closed with previously used string or cord.

Dump your plastic water bottles for non-toxic alternatives such as stainless steel flasks and bottles.

The 5 gallon plastic containers that get delivered to your home and office are made from plastic number 7 which is a major leacher of BPA. Try installing a water filter or even better store in copper jugs – a proven natural purifier since Vedic times.

NEVER heat your food in the microwave in any sort of plastic container.

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