| When we speak of the ecology, we are speaking | | | | polythene bags and introducing ones of lesser |
| of our environment. In cities like Pune and Mumbai, | | | | thickness. Sadly, pressure from the commercial |
| the first thing that comes to mind is traffic | | | | sector did not allow this ruling to come through. |
| pollution. A lot has been said about this, and Pune | | | | That, however, does not mean that it was not |
| is certainly a significant contributor to | | | | valid. |
| environmental pollution. | | | | What You Can Do: Avoid and discourage the use |
| The problem is much lower in the Pimpri | | | | of plastic bags. For shopping, carry your own bag |
| Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, thanks to its | | | | with you, and insist on brown paper bags for |
| green cover, carefully controlled real estate | | | | individual items. |
| development norms and wider roads. However, | | | | Alternative Energy Sources: Solar Energy |
| we can rely only so much on regulated real | | | | As developers of modern township properties in |
| estate - if we want a sustainable tomorrow, each | | | | Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation know, solar |
| of us must begin to think 'Green' on an individual | | | | energy is the answer to may pollution-related |
| level. | | | | problems. Though solar water heating equipment |
| Yes, each of us can make a real difference in | | | | is expensive and does not yield the speedy |
| keeping our environment clean for our children, | | | | results that electrical or diesel-driven units do, it |
| and our children's children. It requires awareness | | | | harvests a free source of energy without giving |
| and discipline in our personal lifestyles, and these | | | | rise to pollution. |
| are values we can pass down to the generations | | | | What You Can Do: Use solar water heating |
| to come. | | | | facilities where they are available. Consider |
| Many Pune property developers, particularly in the | | | | investing in a small solar heating unit if you are an |
| more sustainable PCMC region, are introducing | | | | individual homeowner who is not lucky enough to |
| various new ways of preserving our ecology. This | | | | live in a sustainable Pune township. Installing a solar |
| is their contribution to the day when we can | | | | heating unit for your home will give you access to |
| hopefully, a few decades from today, strike Pune | | | | a limitless, cost-effective and environmentally |
| off the list of the most polluted cities in Asia. | | | | friendly source of energy. |
| How Sustainable Are You? | | | | Cleaner Automobiles: LPG Fuel |
| With growing awareness comes responsibility. The | | | | Liquid petroleum gas (LPG) is a cheap and almost |
| Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation has already | | | | non-polluting alternative to conventional, |
| undertaken many eco-friendly initiatives to provide | | | | petroleum-driven automobile engines. With the |
| cleaner, greener homes to its citizens. | | | | introduction of LPG drives for autorickshaws and |
| Many developers have begun to take sustainable | | | | private cars, a significant step has been taken in |
| real estate development seriously and begun | | | | saving our environment. Petrol-to-LPG conversion |
| launching Green Homes on Pune's outskirts. Now | | | | kits are getting cheaper and more readily available. |
| comes the question - how ready are you to | | | | What You Can Do: If you own a personal |
| bulwark these efforts on a personal level? | | | | automobile, consider installing a LPG drive. If you |
| Solid Waste Management: Non-Biodegradable | | | | own a business that employs a lot of inner city |
| Plastic Bags | | | | transport, using LPG instead of fossil fuels will |
| The Government's drive to ban non-biodegradable | | | | make a significant difference. Also, encourage |
| plastic bags was a step in the right direction. The | | | | others to do the same. |
| premise was that plastic (polythene) bags do not | | | | Reducing Your Carbon Footprint: Plant More Trees |
| break up into harmless elements with the passage | | | | Trees and plants are more than just decorative - |
| of time, and that they are extremely harmful to | | | | they are Nature's first line of defense against |
| our environment. It had been noted that cattle | | | | pollution. They absorb carbon dioxide and convert |
| eat the bags they find in municipal garbage | | | | it to oxygen. The more trees an area has, the |
| disposal sites and often die as a result. Burning | | | | cleaner the air will be, as is evidenced in the PCMC |
| them was not a solution - the fumes do more | | | | and some of the less over-developed areas with |
| damage to the health of citizens. | | | | residential properties in Pune. |
| The answer to the problem lay in banning regular | | | | |