“As you start to walk on the way, the way appears.” - Rumi
A few very natural decisions in life, sometimes may unknowingly take you towards and through the right path.
Even though I'm not much of an environmentalist, my carbon footprint is still quite low I'd say. The credit all goes to my father, who always told, and taught me to adapt. Even though I grew up in a family that was fairly well off; my father always took the extra step to teach our whole family to always adjust and reshape.
Starting with the long walks as a kid while holding his hand, and then learning to be comfortable with using different means of public transport. Even though he was confident with himself and us, he always mentioned - no matter how everlasting it may look, things don't take much time to change and to go downhill.
ᴵᵐᵃᵍᵉˢ ᵃⁿᵈ ᵒᵛᵉʳᵃˡˡ ᶜᵒⁿᵗᵉⁿᵗ ᵃʳᵉ ᵐʸ ᵒʷⁿ ᵘⁿˡᵉˢˢ ᶦᵗ'ˢ ᵐᵉⁿᵗᶦᵒⁿᵉᵈ
Living in this city has taught me the value of time, and through that the offshoot resulted in a low carbon footprint.
This is a small city we have here, yet it's also one of the most populated. So in order to get from A to B, you'd have to go through quite a struggle. Taking the very common route and means of transport just meant that you'd be wasting your precious time, pushing traffic for countless hours.
So, being someone who was taught to adapt, I always chose the uncommon route.
Whether it be riding my own cycle, hopping on a rickshaw or a bus. My cycle would easy help me cover 4 to 5 kilometers for anything casual. But when it came to school or work, cycling wasn't an option, because I am someone who sweats profusely; thanks to my abnormal body temp.
Hence, whenever I have to cover a long distance, my go to options would either be a bus or a rickshaw, or a combination of both. It helps me save money, and if there's a traffic jam ahead then I just get down and start walking until I've left that area behind. There have been days where I've quite easily covered over 7 to 8 kilometers with ease. Even when the streets were empty or even if it was raining heavily, I just decided to walk; just because it felt right.
I could always choose to take our family car, but that would cost me time and gas; also, I just can't leave my vehicle somewhere and start walking when there's a traffic jam. It's better if one less vehicle is on the streets; it's not like it will make a ton of difference, but it does make a difference to me, time is money. Besides, there's the long-running issue with parking space in this country. You might just be lucky enough to reach your destination on time, but then it may just take you 20 to 30 minutes extra to get a proper parking space. And even then it's not too "secure", because there's also the chance of theft. You may leave behind a spotless car, but after you come back your headlights may go missing or your side mirror, sometimes even the whole car haha.
Thus, I'd rather choose the easy way out; it's either a walk or a peaceful rickshaw ride for me, a bus ride if the distance is a lot. That's how it's been since high school, exactly how I like it. When the other kids were waiting for their private cars to come pick them up from home, I would already be out walking towards my destination.
Pollution is another annoyingly huge problem here, one that goes hand in hand with the increasing population in this city. Every time I'm done with a packet of chips, a juice box or even a tissue, I immediately look for a trash can. It's just something that's hardwired into me at this point; thanks to my parents and their actions. Even if there wasn't a trash can nearby, I would see my parents "stash the trash" in a pocket or purse, and keep it there until they found a place to dump it. Sometimes we would even bring the remains back home and dump it there haha.
If we don't keep our city clean, then who will?
These are my "green habits" that have helped me keep my carbon footprints on the low. I'm pretty sure there's more, but these habits of mine are a part of my day to day life. When you've successfully turned it into a habit, that is when it all starts making a difference and holds out in the long run.
