Sustainability is no longer a fancy word mouthed by an elite, intellectual group. It is a reality today that compels and demands action by each one of us. Whatever we do, wherever we live, the clarion call is loud and clear, we need to save our beautiful planet. its rivers, mountains, lakes, culture, and everything else for the children still unborn. Yes Governments, NGO’s, and other stakeholders are all geared up and doing their best to steer towards sustainability in different spheres, but individuals need to bring about lifestyle changes to make sustainability a widespread movement.
Table of Contents
Sustainability Starts With Me
What is Sustainability?
In very simple words sustainability means maintaining or conserving the natural resources of the planet, the cultures of the World, wildlife of the world and ensure that we lead a life that does not deplete resources and contribute to its deterioration.
Steps Towards Sustainability
If each individual made even minor adjustments to their lifestyles, this would snowball into a mammoth move towards a more sustainable world. To quote Neil Armstrong, “A small step for man would indeed be a giant leap for Mankind”.
We too are taking small steps towards a lifestyle that is more sustainable and environmentally friendly.
- We drive an electric car for short distances and have been doing this for over 6 years reducing our contribution to the air pollution
- We have drastically reduced the use of single-use plastic and are on the way to eliminate it completely
- As we are regular travelers we always travel with reusable water bottles
- We never take print outs and are focused on digital transactions and try to minimize the use of paper
- We are conscious about the need to conserve energy and hence use power consciously and switch off lights and other electrical appliances when not needed
- We look for environment-friendly and sustainable products wherever possible
Generating Awareness As Travel Bloggers
As travel bloggers and social media influencers, we are uniquely placed to not only walk the talk about sustainability but also create more and more awareness about it. Be it saying no to animal tourism, carrying reusable water bottles, encouraging local products, there is so much one can do.
We have consciously been partnering with brands and organizations that are working towards sustainability in various fields and helping in spreading the word. Here are some of the campaigns that we have worked on.
Talking About Rwanda As An Example of Sustainable Tourism
Many African countries like Kenya, Rwanda, etc., are leading the way in the fight agains plastic pollution. We were really impressed with our visit to Rwanda with its sustainable practices in place. The conservation efforts to protect the endangered Mountain Gorillas, the ban of single-use plastic, the practice of Umuganda in which the entire community joins hands, really amazed us. Rwanda was indeed a beacon to the world in terms of sustainability. We have written many blogs about these initiatives and Rwanda as well as numerous posts on our social media handles as well as in the print media to spread awareness about what this tiny country has been doing.
World Environment Day – Connecting People to Nature
Connecting people to nature is the theme of the World Environment day. We need to contemplate about nature & ensure that it is conserved & cherished.
Saying No To Single-Use Plastics
Plastic is terror incarnate as far as the environment of our planet is concerned. Plastic pollution is creating havoc. More than 5 million tonnes of plastic waste finds its way into the oceans and much of these find their way into the stomachs of the sea creatures. Isn’t that alarming? We have done a few campaigns to raise awareness of this menace through our blog and Social Media channels.
Voyager – Sandy N Vyjay on Twitter: “Do your mite in the fight against Plastic pollution, the scourge of our planet, and pledge to reduce plastic pollution, take the pledge by giving a missed call to 18001371999 #BeatPlasticPollution #WED2018 @ficci_india @moefcc @drharshvardhan @asoulwindow @IndraniTweeets @Mucyo33 pic.twitter.com/mu0oAfx9mg / Twitter”
Do your mite in the fight against Plastic pollution, the scourge of our planet, and pledge to reduce plastic pollution, take the pledge by giving a missed call to 18001371999 #BeatPlasticPollution #WED2018 @ficci_india @moefcc @drharshvardhan @asoulwindow @IndraniTweeets @Mucyo33 pic.twitter.com/mu0oAfx9mg
Association With Project Sanskriti – A Sustainable Tourism Initiative
When you talk about sustainability, it is not only the sustainability of the environment but also sustaining the rich cultures, arts, and heritage of the World. We partnered with Project Sanskriti a joint initiative between an NGO called Grassroutes and the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Board to spread awareness about the project. The project is an excellent example of promoting sustainable tourism to a village called Madhavmala. The village is home to artisans who practice the esoteric art of wooden carving for temples. The project not only envisages the protection and sustenance of this dying art but also provides a means of income to the village through rural tourism and also a market to the artisans to sell their products. We have written about the project in the print and online media and our blog and also promoted widely through our social media channels.
Project Sanskriti – A Sustainable Tourism Inititative In Andhra Pradesh, India
A commendable initiative to promote sustainable rural tourism by Andhra Pradesh Tourism and Grassroutes is Project Sanskriti which is going to be implemented in 15 villages of Andhra Pradesh.
BASCON
Basar is a picturesque place in the pristine region of the North-East of India. The place is the home of the Galo tribe who lives in harmony with nature. We spent a week with them understanding their lifestyles and environment-friendly practices. We spoke to the President of an organization called GRK, that works in the region and organizes a festival every year called BASCON. We have written extensively about this unique place and how they are a great example of sustainable living and tourism in our blog and print media as well as on our social media channels.
Live like Galos
The Galo tribe are nature lovers and they live in harmony with a symbiotic relation with the forests. Traditionally they were hunters as well as rice cultivators, but now, with the ban on hunting, they no longer hunt. Hunting weapons and trophies today act as showpieces on the walls of the Galo homes.
BASCON – A Festival Beyond The Ordinary At Basar
BASCON is a unique festival of culture and music held annually at the confluence of two rivers in Basar, Arunachal Pradesh, India.
PATA AND RESPONSIBLE TOURISM
We have also associated with PATA(Pacific Asia Travel Association) covering the PATA Adventure Travel And Responsible Tourism Conference and Mart 2019 held in Rishikesh, India.
PATA Adventure Travel And Responsible Tourism Conference And Mart 2019
The PATA Adventure Travel And Responsible Tourism Conference And Mart 2019 was held at Rishikesh and was hosted by Uttarakhand Tourism.
The Future is Sustainability And More Sustainability
We feel that there is so much more to do in terms of a sustainable lifestyle. We hope to adjust our personal lifestyles even more so as to reduce our carbon footprints. We want to associate more and more with organizations who are geared towards conservation of the environment and working towards the sustainability of our planet. The more we lead by example and influence others to join the movement, we are sure that the future of our beautiful planet will have a bright future. We hope to bequeath this lovely planet with all its treasures intact to the future generations to come.
We invite all our readers to join the movement to preserve our planet Earth and its environment and take at the least baby steps to contribute to this endeavour.
Do You Love Traveling?
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