
Everyday Habits to Practice Sustainability Beyond Earth Day
Here are 'simple acts' that can help you practice sustainability in everyday life beyond Earth Day!
1. Switch to sustainable/compostable products
By offering eco-friendly alternatives, compostable and sustainable products are leading the charge to create a greener future. We lessen our environmental impact and guarantee the use of renewable resources by deliberately choosing materials that break down naturally. Future generations will be able to live healthier, more environmentally friendly lives thanks to this change. Businesses like CHUK, Bambrew, and numerous others are leading the way in introducing innovative solutions to support a more environmentally friendly world!
2. Practice the 3 R's - Reduce, Reuse & Recycle
Reusing, reducing, and recycling are the three R's of sustainable living. Reusing, recycling, and cutting back on excessive consumption can help the plant, save resources, and reduce the amount of trash we produce overall. Maintaining the health of the planet and creating a more sustainable world depend on these behaviors.
3. Begin composting at your house.
Composting has numerous environmental advantages. Composting lowers soil contamination and methane emissions by keeping organic waste out of landfills. Additionally, it promotes biodiversity, improves soil health, and reduces the need for fertilizers that contain a lot of chemicals. Widespread composting has the potential to contribute significantly to a more sustainable and healthy planet in the long run.
4. Homemade cleaners over chemical ones!
There are many benefits to using homemade cleaners for sustainable living. We can steer clear of dangerous chemicals and lessen our reliance on commercially packaged goods by using natural ingredients like vinegar, baking soda, and lemon. A thoughtful, low-impact lifestyle is perfectly complemented by homemade cleaners, which promote eco-friendly behaviors and help create a healthier home and environment.
5. Get involved in grassroot initiatives
Supporting local conservation efforts and volunteering with NGOs are powerful ways to contribute to environmental protection. By getting involved in grassroots initiatives, individuals can make a meaningful impact in their communities. These actions promote awareness, foster community engagement, and drive tangible solutions that help safeguard local ecosystems and advance global sustainability efforts.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Time of India
12-05-2025
- Time of India
Report waste dumping to cops, vehicle will be seized: CM
New Delhi: Cows at a garbage dumping site on Earth Day 2025, in east Delhi. Earth Day is celebrated every year to spread awareness to protect our environment. (PTI Photo/Manvender Vashist Lav) Panaji: Chief minister Pramod Sawant on Monday said that any person who spots a miscreant dumping garbage illegally by the roadsides can alert the police about it. 'If you hand over all things being discarded for collection, then there will be no littering in the village. If any person is dumping waste in your village and if you spot it, then stop right there, and call the police and the police will seize that person's vehicle. If we keep our village clean, then others will also not litter there,' said Sawant. Sawant said that garbage collection is not meant only for waste, but any items one wants to discard. 'People are in the habit of handing over only waste for garbage collection. Anything you want to discard qualifies as waste, including furniture. Do not dump it by the sides of the road. You hand over all the things you want to discard. From waste too, money can be generated. The contractor will see what has to be done with it. You don't worry about it. Let the contractor and panchayat worry about it,' said Sawant. Sawant also said that reviving agriculture and keeping it alive in places where cultivation is carried out is vital to help fight climate change. 'Keeping agriculture going is very important for sustainability. Today, there is unprecedented increase in heat. We are all responsible for it. Do not hold govt alone responsible for it. To maintain the balance, keeping agriculture alive is also very important,' said Sawant.

Time of India
30-04-2025
- Time of India
India's quiet power: How soil can shape a resilient future
Praveena Sridhar is the Chief Science and Technology Officer of the Save Soil movement. She has a Master's in Environment Engineering and is a public policy expert. She has been working in the environmental sector for over 20 years. Over the years, she has worked on projects to deliver sustainable drinking water and sanitation, agriculture, and farmer welfare. LESS ... MORE As the world marks Earth Day, India faces an urgent need not just for reflection, but recalibration. With climate volatility, declining nutritional security, rural distress, and biodiversity loss converging into a complex national challenge, the solution may lie beneath our very feet. Soil—living, dynamic, and often overlooked—emerges as a strategic asset that can address these overlapping crises through one integrated approach. One Root, Many Branches India's soil health crisis is no longer invisible. According to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, nearly 147 million hectares—about 37% of our land—is degraded. Alarmingly, 30% of agricultural soils are classified as severely degraded, with organic carbon levels falling below 0.5% in many regions. The economic toll is substantial: land degradation costs the Indian economy an estimated ₹3.17 lakh crore annually, nearly 2% of our GDP. These figures are not abstract. They show up in reduced farm incomes, shrinking yields, rising input costs, and food with 15–35% fewer essential micronutrients like iron, zinc, and vitamin A. For nearly 100 million small and marginal farmers—the backbone of Indian agriculture—soil degradation is directly linked to growing debt and dwindling resilience. Soil as a National Strategy The appeal of soil restoration lies in its multiplier effect. Healthy soil supports thriving microbial life, anchors biodiversity, buffers against climate extremes, and produces nutrient-rich food—all while stabilizing farmer incomes and reducing public spending on inputs like chemical fertilizers, which crossed ₹1.7 lakh crore in subsidies last year. Farmers adopting regenerative practices—from agroforestry and crop rotation to composting and reduced tillage—report 30–45% higher net incomes, along with up to 30% lower irrigation needs. The benefits go beyond economics. Soils managed with organic principles can sequester an estimated 7–10 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent per hectare annually, while enhancing water retention—a crucial adaptation tool in an era of erratic monsoons. Solution for a Nexus of Problems The need for integrative approaches is echoed globally. Experts and policymakers now call for collaboration among the Rio Conventions on Climate Change, Biodiversity, and Desertification. Soil offers a unifying framework: addressing its health unlocks progress on all three fronts. And India is well positioned to lead this approach. With centuries of ecological knowledge, emerging regenerative farming movements, and vast cultivated lands, we hold the tools to mainstream a Soil rejuvenation as a solution for a nexus of problems linking environmental health with economic well-being. India has already initiated several efforts—the Soil Health Card Scheme, the National Agroforestry Policy, and the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana, among others. These are important steps, and lay a robust foundation. What's needed is a systems-level redesign: one that sees soil not as an isolated environmental issue but as foundational to agricultural productivity, public health, and fiscal stability. Reframing the Future In an age of geopolitical uncertainties and shifting trade dynamics—such as the temporary pause on U.S. tariffs on Indian agricultural goods—self-reliance in food systems becomes not just prudent, but essential. Fertile, resilient soil is the bedrock of that independence. As India charts its path toward sustainable development, soil should no longer remain beneath the radar. Investing in soil regeneration is not just a matter of ecological necessity—it is a pathway to economic resilience, nutritional security, and climate preparedness. This Earth Day, it's time to stop treating soil as an afterthought and start seeing it as the strategic national asset it truly is. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.


Hans India
29-04-2025
- Hans India
Vedanta's Matri Van initiative for a greener tomorrow
Jharsuguda: As the world observed Earth Day on April 22, this year's theme 'Our Power, Our Planet' is a compelling reminder that the duty to protect and nurture the planet lies in definite actions. In Odisha's fast-growing industrial landscape, Vedanta Aluminium has emerged as a beacon of proactive environmental stewardship. While the company consistently champions sustainability through diverse initiatives round the year, it has recently achieved an important milestone through its Matri Van initiative. Having pledged to plant 1 lakh saplings in Jharsuguda, Vedanta has now announced the successful completion of this significant goal. Interestingly, the company has achieved this feat within the span of a year, a testament to its commitment to ecological restoration and preservation. The Matri Van initiative had started in July 2024 with a mass plantation drive aligned with the government of India's 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' campaign. Organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), the event saw several district officials, Vedanta employees and schoolchildren come together to plant over 2,000 saplings on a reclaimed ash storage area at Kapumal in Jharsuguda district. The successful completion of one lakh sapling plantation target underscores Vedanta Aluminium's dedication to enhancing Jharsuguda's green cover and fostering diverse biodiversity in the region. It is set to have a significant impact on the local environment by contributing towards better air quality, more carbon absorption and wider natural habitats, while also highlighting the potential of transforming previously utilised land into thriving green spaces. This landmark achievement is the outcome of Vedanta Aluminium's continuous focus on enabling sustainability efforts.