Carbon fasting for a sustainable planet
KOCHI: The fasting during lent usually has Christians foregoing non-vegetarian diet. The decision regarding what to forego varies from person to person. If it is the animal products for some, it might be seafood for others. However, in a novel approach, some environmentally conscious people in the city have decided to take up carbon fasting. Their aim is to reduce the carbon footprint and hence, save the environment.
“The Carbon Fast challenge for Lent originated in England. Six dioceses in southwest England developed resources for individual people, church and school communities to reflect and tread more lightly on the Earth,” said Roopa George, an entrepreneur and an environmental activist. However, it had not been tried out in the state, she said.
According to her, she was inspired to take up carbon fasting for Lent this year after realising the adverse impact of the present lifestyle on Earth. “We can forego non-vegetarian diet. And, of course, by going off the seafood and bovine diet, we do contribute a tiny bit towards reducing carbon footprint. However, in order to make a bigger impact, one needs to reduce the use of electricity and fuel,” she said.
“From the day Lent started, I have taken care to use lights and fans only when needed. Even the bulbs have been changed to the ones that are of lower wattage. By reducing use, we will be lowering the demand for electricity and this, in turn, will help relieve pressure on the power plants to produce more. This will finally lower the emission of harmful gases from the plants,” she said.
A healthy lifestyle
According to Roopa, earlier, she used to take out her car to go to even the nearest place. “But once I started carbon fasting, I began walking. The experience is very good and I am feeling a lot healthier,” she said. The dependence on vehicles increases the consumption of fossil fuels and also the emission from the exhaust pollutes the air, she said. If more people take up this mode of fasting, then we will be able to do a lot in reducing the carbon footprint and hence make sure we leave behind a healthy planet for the future generations, said Roopa.
Carbon fasting can be observed in any way, said Bobby Antony, a member of Tree for Life. “Doing away with the use of plastic bags and planting trees go a long way in protecting the environment. Going green should be the mantra if we want to save our planet,” she said. Diwia Thomas, the founder of Paper Trail, agrees with Roopa and Bobby. She said doing away with the plastic itself goes a long way in reducing carbon footprint. “Making use of discarded newspaper by upscaling it will reduce the pressure on trees,” she added.