Udit Vani Jamshedpur(Resham Raaj): We often think of climate change as something happening far away — melting glaciers, vanishing forests, rising seas. But the truth is, it is unfolding all around us: in the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the electricity bills we pay. While governments and corporations carry a large share of responsibility, everyday choices made by us individuals also shape the planet’s future.
Today, on Environment Day, it’s worth remembering that meaningful climate action isn’t just the responsibility of governments or corporations. It begins at home, sometimes with a light switch or a leftover meal. In this guide, we explore ten small and practical actions you can take to reduce your environmental impact.
1. Your Wardrobe is Warming the Planet
The fashion industry contributes up to 10% of global carbon emissions—more than international flights and maritime shipping combined. Fast fashion has made us buy 60% more clothes than we did 15 years ago, but we’re keeping them for half as long. Landfills are absorbing nearly 92 million tonnes of textiles annually.
Buy fewer, better-quality clothes, and choose sustainable brands or thrifted items. You can reduce your impact by 20-30% just by keeping clothes longer. Skip buying for every occasion, rent instead. This change can lower your carbon footprint by 500 kg annually.
Grammy-winning Indian musician Ricky Kej is known for repeating outfits at global events to promote sustainable fashion.
2. Food is Not Trash
One-third of all food produced globally is wasted, making food waste responsible for nearly 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Meanwhile, more than 800 million people remain food insecure.
Plan your meals, portion carefully, and freeze leftovers. Compost peels and scraps, and share extra food with neighbours or local charities. Even a 20% reduction in household food waste can equal taking 1 in 5 cars off the road.
South Korea runs a nationwide program where households pay for food waste by weight, resulting in a 95% food waste recycling rate.
3. Water You Doing?
Heating water accounts for up to 18% of a household’s energy use. Long showers and hot water laundry cycles can burn through both water and electricity. A 10-minute hot shower alone uses over 100 litres of water and releases 2 kg of CO₂.
Take shorter, cooler showers. Wash clothes in cold water and air-dry them. These changes can reduce your utility bills by ₹500 per month and cut your emissions by hundreds of kilos a year.
A family of four replacing standard showerheads with low-flow models low-flow showerheads can save approximately 11,680 gallons of water annually.
4. Chill Responsibly
Refrigerants used in air conditioners and refrigerators are 1,000 to 9,000 times more potent than CO₂. If old appliances leak or are improperly disposed of, they can cause long-term atmospheric damage.
Maintain your cooling appliances regularly. When replacing them, choose models with low-GWP (Global Warming Potential) refrigerants and proper energy ratings. Always recycle old units at certified centres. Doing so can prevent emissions equal to driving a car for six months.
Replacing an old air conditioner with a 5-star-rated model can save a household up to ₹6,300 per year in electricity bills.
5. Delete Your Carbon Trail
Every online action—sending an email, streaming a video, even backing up files—burns electricity. The global digital footprint accounts for around 3.7% of all emissions, on par with the airline industry. And the more data you hoard, the more servers need to work (and be cooled).
Declutter your inbox, delete unused cloud files, download often-streamed videos, and use eco-conscious browser extensions. Deleting 50GB of data could save 8.33 kWh annually, which is equivalent to reducing 8.7kg of CO2 emissions
In 2022, global data centres consumed around 240–340 terawatt-hours of electricity, nearly 1–1.3% of global demand, much of it from storing redundant or rarely accessed data.
6. Think Before You Thank (AI)
Every chat with AI may seem lightweight, but behind it lie massive data centres guzzling electricity and water for cooling. A single AI query can use up to half a litre of water and emit up to five times the CO₂ of a Google search. Multiply that by millions of users, and it adds up.
Be concise with your prompts, avoid polite but unnecessary messages, and bundle related questions. Reducing redundant messages helps conserve power and reduces cooling demands.
Google disclosed that its AI training systems consumed over 5 billion litres of freshwater in a single year – enough to supply a midsize town.
7. Don’t Let Vampires Suck Power
Devices like TVs, chargers, and routers draw power even when off, called “vampire energy” or “phantom load.” In India, this accounts for nearly 10% of total household electricity use.
Use power strips to switch off multiple gadgets at once. Unplug appliances when not in use. This simple step could save you ₹100–₹200 a month and lower carbon emissions significantly.
Indore’s 100-day campaign, supported by IIT Bombay, resulted in a verified savings of 1.51 crore electricity units, reducing carbon emissions by 12,000 metric tonnes and saving Rs 29.8 crore in energy costs
8. Lighten Your Load at Home
Leaving lights on and ignoring insulation leaks may seem minor, but it adds up. Poor home energy habits waste billions of kilowatt-hours globally every year.
Switch to LEDs. Turn off the lights when you leave a room. Seal leaks, insulate your walls, and choose energy-efficient appliances. These low-effort changes deliver long-term savings and sustainability.
The UJALA scheme distributed 36 crore LED bulbs across India within its first 7 years, from January 5, 2015, to January 5, 2022, saving households over ₹19,000 crore annually and cutting 40 million tonnes of CO₂, more than the yearly emissions of Sri Lanka.
9. Unwrap the Waste from Celebrations
Festivals and birthdays often bring mountains of waste, plastic décor, single-use dinnerware, and wrapping paper that end up in landfills. Due to these occasions, global waste increases by up to 25%.
Decorate with reused or handmade items. Give secondhand or homemade gifts. Serve meals in reusable dinnerware. These changes make your celebration lighter on the planet.
In Pune, the eco-Diwali movement encouraged residents to switch to reusable diyas and cloth decorations, reducing festive waste significantly in just two years. The model is now being adopted in parts of Nagpur and Indore.
10. Slow Down to Go Green
Driving faster consumes more fuel, while dropping your highway speed by just 5 km/h can reduce fuel use by 7–8%. That’s extra carbon you’re putting into the air with every unnecessary acceleration.
Drive a bit slower, carpool when possible, and keep your tires properly inflated. These simple choices lower fuel costs and reduce your vehicle’s emissions by up to 20%.
Operating vehicles at a constant speed of 70 to 80 km/h can save up to 11% in fuel and reduce CO₂ emissions by approximately 66.8 tonnes over 10 months.
Quiet Revolution
Climate action does not always require protests or policies. Sometimes, it starts with skipping a car ride, repairing a torn shirt, or thinking twice before saying “thank you” to an AI. These are not just lifestyle tweaks. They are quiet revolutions built one small step at a time.
If enough of us embrace these shifts, the ripple effect can be massive. The climate may be changing. But so are we. And together, we can change the ending.
उदित वाणी 
टेलीग्राम पर भी उपलब्ध है। यहां क्लिक करके आप सब्सक्राइब कर सकते हैं।