The air we breathe, the water we drink, the security of all the living creatures on earth, the fertility of the land on which we grow our food, have all deteriorated in the past few years.’I'll go out for a breath of fresh air’ is an often-heard phrase. But how many of us realize that this has become irrelevant in today’s world, because the quality of air in our cities is anything but fresh. The moment you step out of the house and are on the road you can actually see the air getting polluted; a cloud of smoke from the exhaust of a bus, car, or a scooter; smoke billowing from a factory chimney, fly ash generated by thermal power plants, and speeding cars causing dust to rise from the roads.
When the environment becomes less valuable or damaged, environmental degradation is said to occur. There are many forms of environmental degradation. When habitats are destroyed, biodiversity is lost, or natural resources are depleted, the environment is hurt. . The largest areas of concern at present are the loss of rain forests, pollution , ozone depletion, and the destruction of the marine environment. There are a number of serious issues that we, globally, have to deal with, for our own, our children’s and our grand children’s sake. Nature provides us with the very essence of life. However, the world is increasingly taking recourse to synthetic and toxic materials, which is polluting the atmosphere and curtailing human longevity.
Green issues In the broadest sense, all issues faced by a city relate to the environment in some way, even if only indirectly. At their core, green issues are about the choices we make and the impact those choices have on the environment around us. Below is a selection of major issue areas that demonstrate both the interconnectedness of green issues, as well as the many ways in which they intersect with our lives.
Green sleep Organic sleep system has been proven to provide a healthy, restorative sleep for our body and mind which is based on extensive studies and uses only the finest organic materials that nature has to offer.
-Even if we are sleeping enough hours, if we don’t spend enough time in deep sleep, our body and mind will not be refreshed. Even in the absence of an obvious disorder, many things can disturb the quality and timing of sleep like medications, alcohol, stimulant use, even our exposure to strong lighting.
-Brewing a cup of tea made from relaxing, non-habit-forming herbs, which is a gentle sedative; chamomile, which helps calm our nerves and sooth the stomach; or passionflower, a safe sedative that eases anxiety, worry, or an overactive mind.
-Coffeealso promotes anxiety. It makes us constantly think about the next thing on the list so we cannot fall into a deep sleep.
-Sitting with our feelings for a bit at least 15 to 20 minutes a day and eventually we will see a huge improvement in our sleep. Meditation helps us remember that it’s really just our monkey mind taking over and keeping us from relaxing.
-Millions of people complain about not being able to sleep or simply not feeling rested after a night of rest.
-Poor air quality is definitely one of the things that can be factored into not getting enough zzz’s. Another method of breathing easier in the bedroom is to use a clay plaster that produces negative ions. It’s thought by some that these negative ions can increase the flow of oxygen to the brain.
-Even a two-year-old pillow can attribute 10% of its weight to the critters and their droppings. So, if our mattress is old and heavy, we should get a new one. If absolutely cannot get a new one just, there is still a smaller step we can take; we can get a hypo-allergenic, natural mattress cover. The following are some of the tips for goodnight sleep.
-We must stick to a schedule. Erratic bedtimes do not allow for our body to align to the proper circadian rhythms.
-We should avoid daytime sleep if possible. Daytime naps steal hours from night time slumber.
-Twenty to thirty minutes of exercise every day can help us sleep. Exercise stimulates the body and aerobic activity before bedtime may make falling asleep more difficult.
-Taking a hot shower or bath before bed helps bring on sleep because they can relax tense muscles.
-We should avoid spicy foods before bedtime. Giving at least 2 hours from when we eat to when we sleep, allows for digestion to happen well before we go to sleep.
-Sleeping with no distractions is best for a clearer mind.
-We should avoid alcohol before bedtime. It’s a depressant; although it may make it easier to fall asleep, it causes us to wake up during the night.
-Houseplants will purify the air in our bedroom, countering the stink of endless farts and abandoned socks. They filter out pollutants and toxins, add moisture to the air and reduce the incidence of allergies.
-We should avoid mothballs, as they are not just harmful to moths, but potentially bad for the environment. Mixing up cedar chips, rosemary, mint and peppercorns, and finishing off by sprinkling in a little dried tobacco will give a better result.
Green diet A green diet is a healthy, diverse diet that involves eating real foods. A green diet is a return to fresh, flavorful foods. Green Food stands edible produce and processed products produced in sustainable environment and technical standards with whole-some quality control, non-pollution, safety, quality and special logo. It is not about sacrificing an entire food group, or strictly eating vegetables, or giving up the foods we love.
Many people consider a vegetarian diet to be insufficient in terms of the major food groups. The biggest virtue of a vegetarian diet is that it allows for substantial add-ons to the total fibre intake while also allowing the incorporation of good quality fat. All wholegrain cereals and coarse grains like bajra, jowar, thalipeeth, oats, and pulses, as well as dals, nuts, oilseeds, and even green leafy vegetables, are not only full of soluble and insoluble fibre but also have good quality fats like omega 3 fatty acids and mono unsaturated. These are needed to prevent the onset of diabetes, heart diseases and cancers. A major benefit of including these foods in our daily diet is that they help to lower cholesterol and blood sugar, and also help in creating a protective environment in the body.
In order to aid the absorption of iron from these foods, vegetarians should also incorporate foods rich in vitamin C into their diets include capsicum, cabbage, drumstick leaves, guava, amla, orange juice, and sprouts. We should eliminate processed foods, high-fat foods, canned foods refined grain products such as white bread, white rice, pasta and all-purpose flour, which are less healthy and replace them with whole grain bread, whole wheat pasta, and brown rice, fresh fruits and vegetables that are in season, and preferably local and organic.
Green holiday Holidaying closer to home helps us cut down the emissions of our trips. It can also help minimise travel time and, in many cases, save money.
Closer to home, there are many simple ways to become a greener traveler –about shunning from cycling to driving efficiently; we can reduce the environmental impact of our travels at a stroke. If we have no choice but to drive a lot of miles regularly, then choosing a car with low emissions will lower our impact on the environment. Switching from model rated “fuel efficiency” will reduce the emissions per mile by around 40 per cent. If we drive only rarely, an even more ambitious move would be to get rid of our car altogether and join a car sharing club instead. Idling should also be avoided – if a car is stationary for more than around ten seconds, it’s usually greener to turn off the engine.
Green energyGreen energy is a term used to describe sources of energy that are considered to be environmentally friendly and non-polluting, such as geothermal, wind, and solar power. The more we use renewable energy, the more we benefit the global environment.
Solarenergy is created by heat and light radiated from the Sun.
Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into electricity using wind turbines. Groups of these turbines are called wind farms, which are connected to electrical grids.
Geothermal process uses energy generated by heat stored beneath the Earth’s surface. Hydropower comes from the energy of dammed water driving a water turbine and generator.
Biomass produces energy which can reduce the use of fossil fuels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as reducing waste management problems. Most electricity generated using biomass today is by the direct combustion method, primarily burning waste wood products generated by the agriculture and wood-processing industries.
Green fitness Exercise is important for health and keeping less weight Many people go to a gym, but gyms aren’t the greenest places to do it . Gyms use a huge amount of air conditioning, operating the equipment, and heating pools.
We can get greener exercise in the nearest park or at home. Housework is a good form of exercise and it’s no more boring than spending time on the treadmill and we save on those gym fees. Personal fitness makes our body strong enough to better resist illness. We may need some basic equipment such as mats, bands, balls and other exercise and sports equipment. Walking, biking, dance, yoga and Pilates are examples of exercise types that have good physical benefits without adding pollution to the environment. “Green gyms” have emerged on the scene to help fitness buffs focus on natural healing fitness strategies.
Natural fitness gives us a greater chance to connect with the natural world around us. Walking around the neighborhood, the park and other eco-friendly places is good for our spirit and the earth. Taking friends or family members along when we exercise; it not only helps the entire family stay in shape, it promotes a green way of staying fit in a manner the entire family can enjoy.
Green communicationThe success of a green office policy is the active involvement of all members of staff, and this can be achieved by establishing good communication from the beginning. Office environmental policy is special because it needs everyone from the top of the organisation down to the junior office clerks at the bottom of the ladder to play their part. It is crucial to the success of a green office policy to maintain good communication between all levels of employee, and at all stages of the process. If employees are to embrace the green initiative, they need to be worked with rather than dictated to. Businesses that have implemented sustainable workplace initiatives and encouraged their staff to get involved have been pleasantly surprised by their enthusiasm and willingness to support the programme. Regular meetings or briefs should be held and newsletters or e-mail updates sent out, informing everyone what changes are going on, why, when and how they can contribute.
The relatively recent phenomenon of companies encouraging staff to speak out and tell them what they think is a positive development, but too often employees literally cannot because they work within their own little bubble unaware, and uninterested in anything going on in the rest of the workplace that doesn’t directly affect them. Establishing a green network of communication will help give staff a power and interest beyond their desk.
Green areasspending time in green areas lowers stress levels. This could in part be due to our bodies being attuned to a more natural environment. Many of us know that being in pleasant natural surroundings can be relaxing. A walk in the countryside or through a leafy park feels as though it is doing us good.
It could be that the lack of crowding and lesser likelihood of crime in leafy areas give rise to less psychosocial stress; the poor are predominately urban dwellers. It can be refreshing and probably healthy to feel the wind, rain and cold on our bodies. We are also programmed to deal with danger. In urban environments, surrounded by strangers our stress response may be continually stimulated at a low level thereby providing a constant stream of stress hormones.
Green technologyGreen technology or clean technology is the application of the environmental science to conserve the natural environment and resources, and to curb the negative impacts of human involvement. Sustainable development is the core of environmental technologies.
-Hardware and software auditcould unveil inefficiencies in our business processes. We could steam-line our resources to make them more energy efficient.
-Printer & hardware maintenance will extend the life of the machine and save energy.
-By sending our incoming faxes straight to email, we save our business money on resources and enable electronic document organisation especially in combination with using document management software.
-By making an electronic filing system rather than a paper one, we can save printing resources, time and office space. With all our files stored in a categorised electronic system, we can search easily for our files and utilise the space that would normally be filled by filing cabinets.
-Allowing our employees to work from home can make them more efficient. By enabling our employees to manage their time better, eliminating commuting time and making family commitments easier to deal with, we could boost our business and reduce our office space, energy, bills and our company’s overhead.
-Using mobile communications to work on the move can aid our employees in working more efficiently.
-Although face-to-face communication will always be vital to some sales, using video conferencing, we reduce the cost per sale through less travel time and more flexible customer engagement. Virtual seminars or product demonstrations can also be created using IP surveillance cameras which can be logged on to by the viewer from any Internet capable computer, eliminating the need to travel and allowing multiple persons to view at once.
- Having to call in emergency IT support costs our company time, energy and money. By having a facilities management agreement, our IT support service can monitor our company’s technology remotely, alerting us to many problems before they occur, enabling a swift resolution before a call out has to be made.
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February 28th, 2010 
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