Bring nature home and reap its benefits

Green signifies life, nature, freshness, and fertility, and hence, the presence of natural green in and around us can have a huge impact on our lives. As of 2018, more and more people have been making green choices in their lifestyles, from going vegetarian or vegan and transforming their surroundings to eco-living.

Eco-living as a concept has gained popularity and means nothing more than adopting a lifestyle that helps us understand, respect and give back to Mother Nature. You will, of course, come across more complex terms such as sustainability, environmentalism, synergy, etc. while learning about eco-living, but in its essence, it is all about a basic and simple livelihood aimed at not causing any or minimal harm to people, animals, plants, and other organisms.
If you watch the news or have attended an environment education class, you will know that this planet that we call home hasn’t really been in very safe hands for the past few decades and has started showing severe symptoms of degradation. Global warming, deforestation, increasing carbon emissions, and depleting ozone layers have all become causes of grave concern that scientists, ecologists and environmentalists are trying to deal with. Another set of problems includes poor health and immunity, an unhealthy diet and lifestyle, animal cruelty, etc. that another bunch of experts is trying to rectify. However, while we as laymen may not be able to propose hard and fast solutions to completely terminate the problem, we can still do our bit. Not just in terms of picking up garbage and throwing it in the trash or carpooling but bringing about a whole change in our lifestyle.
So how can we live an eco-friendly lifestyle, you may ask. Well, there are numerous ways, starting with the three Rs we all studied in school — Reduce, Reuse, Recycle — something we can easily try. Buy recycled products such as cutlery, razors, paper, etc. Stay away from the use-and-throw culture and start reusing bottles, containers, fabric and the likes.
Secondly, avoid food wastage. It is a global concern and at many times, we are individually and directly responsible for it. Think of the amount of food that goes into the bin in your kitchen every day. Think of the amount of food that you take while serving yourself and how much of it you leave. Think of the tons of buffet meals you’ve savoured and how many of them you’ve wasted. If you are planning on shifting to eco-living then empathy is something you must have.
Try preparing your own meal by rationing it. Composting is something you must consider. And even if you are not yet ready to turn vegetarian or vegan, that shouldn’t stop you from growing your own veggies in whatever space you have at home and preparing a sumptuous meal at home. And that brings us to home gardens.
Apparently, we spend close to 90 per cent of our time indoors, especially in the Middle East, where the day temperature is capable of frying you alive (not literally). It is paramount to be out in nature for both your physical and mental well-being. Now, if it isn’t possible for you to spend a majority of your time outdoors, understandably, then why not bring the outdoors inside.
A typical home garden is the cultivation of a small portion of land in or around your household, encompassing a mixed cropping system, essentially constituting vegetables, fruits, flowers, and other plants. It can range from being a whole fancy set-up spread over tens of yards to just a small space in the balcony of your apartment.
While growing plants, it is very important to know feasible plant varieties, favourable conditions, and the precautions one needs to take for successful gardening. So a thorough study needs to be done before starting your own garden.
Although growing the right greens and nurturing them will seem like an uphill task, once you start seeing the results — first, when the little fruits, vegetables, plants, or flowers start springing up, and later, when you realise the impact it has had on your life and lifestyle — it will make the effort totally worth it. So get set to bring nature home and reap its benefit wholly.