The first of January should, in real terms, be another day. But it is happily not just that since we attach a special significance to it. As someone put it, we see it as a reset time when we start afresh, dream a new dream, and set new goals. The day serves as an opportunity to start on a clean slate, think anew and even seek inspiration from those who have successfully ventured into areas we haven’t and made a difference or achieved a measure of success.

An environmentalist friend has wisely said that green habits should be gently inculcated rather than pushed down people’s throats. Her take is that humans like to break the rules and dislike being dictated. So, any harsh list of dos and don’ts will likely be discarded or forgotten quickly. The more rebellious may even follow all the don’ts diligently and avoid the dos!

Can schools go green —not with envy — but by being environmentally conscious? They can do so with encouragement and support from the local community, parents’ groups, clubs and socially conscious establishments. You and your friends can help your local school take a green leap forward by exercising your persuasive skills to convince the management, parents and students to turn over a new leaf.

Are the products on supermarket shelves marked ‘green’ genuinely green? In a world where consumers are becoming increasingly environment-conscious, there is no dearth of marketers luring unsuspecting shoppers with labels such as “organic, chemical-free, 100 per cent natural, sustainable” or even “vegan”. These tags may appear on a range of goods, from food to cosmetics, and make half-true or often false claims.

Google co-founder Larry Page once said, “You never lose a dream, it just incubates as a hobby,” and that’s exactly what happens to people who pursue a sustainable lifestyle. Just like their lives, their hobbies are also inspired by a desire not to harm the planet, to do things in their free time that do not tax the earth nor leave a carbon footprint. You could call it the art of engaging with the finer, subtler and sometimes mundane side without feeling guilty.

If someone has summed up the meaning of what it feels to keep a garden, it is Victorian poet Alfred Austin. He said, “The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul.” And to his poetic words, allow me to add, a ‘green’ soul that has taken saving nature to heart.

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.