We need to resolve to change things, say celebrities

Mumbai (Maharashtra): World Environment Day is celebrated on September 26 by the Council of the International Federation of Environmental Health (IFEH). On this World Environment Day, celebrities share different ways to help the environment, from saving water to keeping the area clean.

Anupama Solanki

On World Environment Day, I think the government should strictly ban plastic in India. Otherwise people will stop using it. Sometimes we should make tough laws for the public, otherwise they spoil the environment and then blame the government. That being said, before we ban plastic, we should agree on some alternative solutions. Apart from that, we should focus on growing trees to make the environment better.

Sumit Kaul

We all need to realize that we are just a by-product of the environment. We live only by the air we breathe, the food we eat and the water we drink. Our survival and most importantly the well-being of our children and future generations depends on the well-being of the environment. Sadhguru’s #savesoil initiative is one of the most amazing efforts to mobilize people around the world to raise their voices for soil. I think we should all become part of the movement so that our government feels it has the support it needs to take long-term steps to improve soil health.

Charrul Malik

I am very fortunate to be associated with a project called Project Mumbai and that association is verbal because Shishir Joshi was my colleague when I was working in the news industry. Shishir Doshi is in charge of Project Mumbai and he is the one running it. Everything is regulated underneath. Therefore, on World Environment Day, I would like to urge everyone to minimize fuel consumption, because we are spoiling the environment and our health. That won’t help us in the long run. So I think we should walk, ride bikes and at least depend on petrol or diesel operations. And of course we have to take care of the cleanliness. When we visit foreign countries, there are different penalties if we don’t keep the environment clean. We pursue everything there that we don’t do in India. So this is not only important for the environment, but also for ourselves. So we have to think like this and act more responsibly in the future.

Vijayendra Kumeria

You can make small changes in your everyday life to make a difference. We’re all in this together and the only way to survive is to make this a priority for all of us. I try my best to be a responsible citizen of this planet. I have plants in our house and I even give plants away to my friends on various occasions as we think they are more valuable than things like candy etc. Since the ban on plastic materials was put in place I have avoided using the material in anything to use form. Another cause that is very close to my heart is water conservation and at my level I try my best and encourage everyone to conserve water when doing household or personal work.

Jay Zaveri

The central idea behind World Environment Day is that human health affects the environment. Therefore, to protect advanced human health, maintaining and improving the health of the planet is not a matter of choice. It’s a matter of concern. I think there are many issues that need to be addressed in terms of the environment, such as cutting down trees, global warming, vehicle pollution, use of plastic, no littering in the sea, but all of these can be reduced by following the 5R mantra that we were taught back in school but most of us as elders have forgotten. The 5R mantra is Refuse, Reuse, Reduce, Recycle, Renew. I think on this World Environment Day we should learn about the concept of World Environment Day and try to make it a habit. There are many things you can do on a personal level if you just keep this 5R in mind.

Ashoka Thakur

We should stop cutting down trees because oxygen is important. When there are trees, there is life. The balance of the environment is disturbed when there are fewer trees. So we have to save her. And instead of cutting down trees, we should try to plant more trees. I would also like to say that you use electric vehicles instead of petrol/diesel vehicles as much as possible. It will be very useful and good for the environment.

Gaurav Singh

Today we see a lot happening in terms of environmental health and sustainability, which is good. And I think that should start at home. Small daily habits like avoiding single-use plastic, buying second-hand, buying products with less packaging, choosing local and organic products, using water responsibly, etc. can make a difference.

Nivedita Basu

On World Environment Day I think for India I want to talk to some people specifically about following all the norms when traveling to keep the other countries clean. But it’s so ironic that every time I drive through the city I see someone opening the window and throwing their plastic bottles and plastic on the street and nobody says anything because there is no penalty in India. So I think the basics are what we need to teach our kids. First, as elders, control yourself and show some kind of decency when it comes to throwing trash on the street. As I always say, water conservation is a big deal for me. You don’t have to go and dig a well or probably clean the salt water, but do a little basic thing like when you brush your teeth, turn off the water when your helper washes utensils, tell them to shut the tap off , when you don’t use it. And if there is a way to recycle the hand water for rinsing as I have seen in some countries where the hand water is used for rinsing. So there has to be a way to recycle it and make it eco-friendly, and to me that’s going to be eco-friendly.