Those environmentally conscious among us are concerned about surface and air pollution, climate change, global warming and several other related issues. But there are also people in this world with a deep love for nature, and have a special place in their hearts for all creatures great and small.

Before you think of buying your next new clothing, stop, evaluate, and reconsider…

For those who live in tropical climes, the advent of summer is not a signal to bask in the sun and forget the blues of the winter. It serves as a reminder of the hot torrid months ahead when the rivers run dry, and people look ­heavenwards to rain clouds for deliverance from the heat. Of course, their hopes are a touch soured when the meteorological department predicts a hotter summer than previous years and the possibility of a delayed monsoon.

In April 2024, we will celebrate our first month highlighting Rotary environmental action. In 1990, PRIP Paulo V C Costa made the environment one of his primary causes, creating Preserve Planet Earth programme. In June 2020, the RI directors and Rotary Foundation Board unanimously approved the creation of Rotary’s seventh area of focus — Protecting the Environment. In 2021, TRF began awarding environmental global grants. Clubs are at the heart of Rotarians’ action to address climate change. To find effective projects, clubs can draw on a rapidly growing trove of expertise and technical assistance from Rotary Action Groups and TRF: the Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group (ESRAG), Rotary Action Group for Endangered Species (RAGES), WASHRAG, and the TRF Cadre specialists in Environment, Water and Community Economic Development.

Do we take water for granted? Unfortunately, we do. Despite knowing that it is a vital natural resource essential for our survival and that of all the animals and plants that inhabit the Earth. In fact, most of us don’t give a second thought to water since we assume that it will perennially be in bountiful supply. Isn’t it ironic that water comes into focus only when there is a drought or a flood — when there is too little or too much of it.

Moving home is akin to making a fresh start. It offers you an opportunity to carry out some serious stocktaking of the inventory of household goods you have acquired. But while doing so, wearing a green bifocal will make a world of difference. You will not only be able to give away things you don’t need but can recycle and repurpose bits and pieces of furniture and clothes lying unused for years. More importantly, you can invest sensibly in new household goods to ensure that your new home is as minimalist and environment-friendly as possible.

Whoever said it was right. Solar power is the energy resource that isn’t owned yet—nobody taxes the Sun! From the break of dawn till dusk, the sun shares its heat with the earth. And in India, which lies close to the equator, there is bountiful sunlight for most part of the year. Luckily for us, this solar energy is not only freely available, but we also have the technology to harness it to light up our lives. Solar power, as is well known, is the cleanest and greenest energy resource that we can easily tap into.

The New Year begins with a countdown to 2030. That will be a landmark year in the global effort to heal the earth and contain global warming. Time moves rather steadily and seventy-two odd months from now, the nations of the world will subject themselves to an environmental audit to see if the sustainable goals they had set for themselves have been achieved. Have we collectively delivered or not.

This new year keep in mind the buying decisions that will make you stand apart. The last thing you want