Green Behavior, Health and Wealth - The Not So Apparent Connection

Building Wealth can get very boring if you think of it in terms of stocks, Mutual Funds, Bonds, Investments, Savings and Personal Finance Only. There are several other dimensions to it, that are not so apparent, yet very important. A Sustainable Environment is one such an important dimension to wealth.

Flash back to the 1990s. I graduated out of St. Joseph's College Trichy. It is a Great Institution that not only taught academics, but opened my eyes to the real world issues. Helped me develop a broad perspective on real life issues and more specifically the importance of nurturing the planet we live in.

Prof. Arulsamy of the Dept of Chemistry was a great influence on me, specially when it came to environmental issues. Figuratively, he planted the seeds of Green Behavior in me. He would deliver fine lectures about how our ancestors lived a nature friendly life, and how in the name of becoming modern and industrial, we were indulging in behaviors that started causing a big dent to the planet.

He would elaborate on how the green house effect, has started poking holes in the Ozone layer exposing ourselves and our posterity to harmful UV radiations, increasing our exposure to cancerous diseases, and causing dangerous shifts in weather patterns causing natural disasters and catastrophic societal issues like drought.

His views on the importance of living a simple life, leaving a smaller carbon footprint, using the earth's resources in a minimal and sustainable manner, planting greenery around our environment, and protecting natural resources and species had a profound impact on me as a young man.

He took students (like us) through several tree planting initiatives in surrounding villages, and we could see for ourselves what kind of simple living our people in villages happily lead. It was a humbling experience. (I think every institution should be mandated to carry out such education and practical experience in Green initiatives)

Protecting the environment and living a sustainable life got engraved as one of the core values, deep in my brain.

I planted several saplings around my ancestral property, that are trees now.

Flash forward to today, I don't have to tell you how polluted our cities and even towns have become. We are depleting the forest cover rapidly, emitting toxic chemicals in to the environment with our automobiles, A/C, landfills and such. We are destroying our trees to make way for concrete flyovers and not compensating for it by planting more trees elsewhere.

We can directly feel the impact. Our life, water and air quality are deteriorating rapidly. We are causing climate change and global warming.

Our summers are getting hotter, our winters colder, our water resources are drying up.

We are losing our health with hitherto unknown diseases, cancer and such. We are beginning to make the same mistakes as Americans by orienting ourselves in to a consumerist society and mindlessly accumulating stuff (whether we need them or not). We may make more money, but lose much more to hospitals to fix our health issues (year on year).

Before you despair, I want to let you know that there is a ray of hope. Some smart people have started to wake up to this reality. They are doing many things about it. You can do your bit for the environment too. You can participate in many Green Initiatives, by just contributing your time. Not even money.

First to get a handle on how we are wreaking havoc on the environment by accumulating "stuff", check out this cute movie "The Story of Stuff" by Annie Leonard. It was eye opening to me.

Annie explores where these stuff come from , and where they go to. She explains the system in crisis as a linear system on a finite planet, and how Corporations are systematically depleting the natural resources to make stuff (for money), how we are indirectly responsible for hurting people and natural resources in the process.

Root cause? Our mindless accumulation of "Stuff". By our adopting mindless Consumption as a way of our life.

I believe that her message applies not just to Americans, but to all of us equally (specially the city dwellers in India), as we get more and more globalized with every passing day.

Please watch this movie, and show it to your kids, your friends and relatives. Spread the awareness. Annie does not only cite the problem but shows practical things that we can all adopt. Subscribe to her blog if you like.

Dear Readers, what Annie shows as solution is not new to us. This is how our ancestors lived by design or default ( a nature friendly way). Paying respect to the forces of Nature and living a sustainable life. We just got lost somewhere along the way. We just need to get back to our roots.

Another good site that you want to check out is "No Impact Man", that talks about environment issues and what we can do to end the crisis, and lead a happy life.

I am not saying we go back to the stone age or give away all our modern day conveniences or technology . Just requesting that we be more mindful of the environment and incorporate simple practices that make a tremendous impact when carried out by all of us.

What Green Behaviors do I adopt in my practical life?

(1) I have reduced accumulating"stuff": Before I decide to buy any thing (not needs), I sit on it for atleast a month before I buy. Only if I am convinced after 30 days that I still need it, I go for it. The waiting period of 30 days is enough in many cases to deflect me away from impulsive shopping or duplicating products that I may already have. I make sure the products I buy are least hurtful to the environment. Stay away from plastic as much as I can.

(2) I recycle my "stuff" . When I finish using stuff that is in decent condition, I donate away to charity or friends, and make sure not to dump it in trash. That way I extend the life of the stuff.

(3) I try to use my car as little as I can. If I have to go somewhere alone, I tend to use public transportation or walk or use my bike. I ensure that my automobiles meet the latest emission norms.

(4) I buy things locally, from local markets. For example I buy my vegetables or fruits from local/street vendors, who are farmers or source it from directly from farmers. I minimize what I buy from retail shops and chains, which have a longer supply chain.

(5) I try to minimize the use of paper as much as I can. I try not to print papers unless absolutely necessary.

(6) I watch less television than I used to ( < 1 hour a day, and no TV on week ends).

(7) I minimize the use of electricity, and even lesser use of A/C. I switch off lights and appliances when and where they are not needed.

(8) I talk about the environment with my friends and family and encourage 'Green Behavior' in them also.

(9) I drink water and naturally occurring fluids like milk and coconut water. No Soda Pop. Sorry.

(10) I avoid any form of processed food like plague. I don't smoke or drink alcohol.

What are other things that I plan to do?

(1) Plant a little garden in my home (that I'm building now)

(2) Participate in atleast 1 Green Initiative in Bangalore that contributes in a remarkable and visible way to the society, that resonates with my Green Beliefs.

(3) Continuously educate myself on issues with environmental impact and what we can do about them.

• In a nutshell, No environment, No health. No health, no Wealth. What's the point of Wealth without Health?
• Green behavior is simple to adopt, mostly congruent with frugal behavior and is also gentle on your wallet. I am saying mostly congruent with frugal behavior, because in some cases, your upfront investment (e.g. solar technologies) may be higher, but the overall total cost of ownership comes down with time.
• That is our only hope of leaving the world a better place for our posterity, than when we came in to.

Do you subscribe to any Green Behavior? Do you believe in it? What do you think? Let me know your comments.