Are we really green?

In a world where everybody seems to want to go green, it is a pertinent need to understand, their understanding of going green or green initiatives. Is it wearing a green ribbon on their sleeve, a green Tee Shirt or using paper made of Elephant dung?

A few days ago, I was at the facility of a major paint manufacturer in Bangalore and on my way to meet their Director noticed a gent rushing off with a forked stick in one hand and a large plastic bag in the other. His mission.....to catch a rat snake that was enjoying a gentle stroll in the sun! Catch the snake he did rather deftly and then he let it off in the wilderness outside the campus. I was impressed enough to mention this to the Director and he said that it was normal practice. After all, humans had invaded their territory.They did not slaughter snakes! I once knew a CEO who claimed that his facility was a green one simply because he had a large green lawn, which was watered by drawing water from bore wells in a water depleted area of Bengaluru. One might wonder if this is really a green initiative. Going Green is using resources as efficiently as possible and cutting out waste, even at the cost of pushing your own costs up. A good example would be Xerox that recycles its old photo copiers at a steep cost. They do reduce waste! Cutting down on the amount of paper used is also highly beneficial for the environment. A product called ElectroForms can help companies capture information without having to store vast amounts of paper. Individuals and Corporations need to make things happen without vandalizing nature.