What can one do to achieve a balanced equilibrium between these two seemingly opposite ends?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nWhile the questions may seem complex, the answers are quite simple \u2013 change begins at one\u2019s home!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tackling the quandary of desire for comfortable living Vs. being environmentally conscious<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To find the answers, we need to look beyond the aspects of utility, seamless installation and usage, aesthetics, functionalities, and technology used. With ongoing upgrades in technology, can we also upgrade our behavior, the consumer\u2019s behavior?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s take the example of one of the recent additions to most urban households, especially at the onset of the pandemic \u2013 dishwashers<\/strong>! Quite a few of us who use this appliance have the tendency of clearing out the dishes properly before putting them in the dishwasher. What one doesn\u2019t realize is that by pre-rinsing, one may not get the desired results since most dishwashers have sensors inside them that sense how dirty the plates are, and they wash the dishes with a suitably strong jet. <\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat\u2019s more, hand washing and rinsing dishes uses far more water as compared to the amount of water used by dishwashers. These appliances are more energy and water efficient. So, it is imperative to have requisite knowledge about the way to use a dishwasher. It\u2019s important here that the manufacturers\/ retailers apprise the right method of using the appliance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then there are the refrigerators<\/strong> \u2013 from the traditional single-door to the most innovative side-by-side doors, having smart inverter compressor technology, and much more, adding value to today\u2019s smart homes. Consumers must look beyond convenience and see what is the most energy-efficient design. For instance, a top-mount freezer refrigerator is considered to be the most energy efficient refrigerator style.<\/p>\n\n\n\nDuring winters, consumers are dependent upon room heaters<\/strong> such as oil heaters, electric heaters, etc. Most prefer these to gas heaters due to factors such as lower investments, quick results etc., even though gas heaters are less eco-friendly.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe market is flooded with a plethora of products, and consumers are spoilt for choice. While features can be evaluated based on one\u2019s needs\/ convenience, how do we do our bit towards environmental well-being?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>3-Rs<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nTo begin with, every household must embrace the motto \u2018Reduce, Reuse, Recycle\u2019. What this means is that one must proactively try to reduce or minimize the waste we create. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Be it switching from single-use plastic items to more eco-friendly materials such as glass, steel, cloth, etc. for our daily use; or when we purchase a more updated version of an electronic\/ electrical product. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With more purchasing power, easy financing options, technological enhancements, and enhancing one\u2019s lifestyle, one tends to invest in new products while the existing one is in perfect working condition. This results in the discarded product being disposed of to the informal junk collectors. These collectors in turn, until recently, were using improper recycling and disposal methods. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
While the governments have been working towards establishing a more formal waste management system in the country, it has become the responsibility of the manufacturers\/ retailers to establish well-defined and convenient ways for end users to dispose of the goods at the end of their lifecycle, back to them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
By taking a few simple steps such as checking for the product life span at the point of purchasing the product can also help in choosing one with a longer life span to avoid early replacements. Also, invest more in green products. Further, educate oneself about the raw materials being used and their impact on the environment, if not disposed of in the proper manner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To conclude\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nWhile the initiatives on environmental sustainability sound idealistic, they are usually difficult to implement on ground, as they might compromise with the comfort of living for the people concerned, at least in the short run. That could be a potential reason that the projects under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) focusing on environment sustainability usually fail to achieve the desired scales. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The need of the hour, thus, is to find a middle ground. While technology is continuously upgrading, we as consumers can also upgrade our behavior and support the green and environmental initiatives undertaken by the public\/ private sector and take small but firm steps in adopting a more sustainable way of living to help reach the goal of a greener, healthier, safer tomorrow!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Exploring the environmental impacts of development. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":764,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[173,137,136],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ceoww.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/757"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ceoww.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ceoww.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ceoww.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ceoww.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=757"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ceoww.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/757\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ceoww.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ceoww.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ceoww.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=757"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ceoww.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}