What is the Cost?
ECOLOGICAL
WHAT IS THE COST?
You may be wondering what a lame question? Cost is the price or economic value of a product or a service. But I will ask again,
‘What is the COST’? Next time when you intend to buy something and before you ask the price, ask in your mind, what is the cost and I mean what is the ECOLOGICAL COST of a particular thing?
For centuries we have been asking ‘What is the cost’ but now we must add ecological dimension to it. We can’t stop companies from manufacturing, we can’t stop people from buying but we certainly can be conscious before buying it ourselves. It won’t happen overnight, but will surely happen if you are determined. The point is there would be many things where we can question and find and adopt greener options. Simple example, comb, why go for plastic try wooden, may be little expensive but you do not have to buy it again and again, one comb may last years so not huge difference if you have to spend a little extra. Bamboo toothbrush instead of plastic one. Plastic plant pots vs. earthen or porcelain pots, choose ecologically better option. There would be many examples, start with any product you can think of.
Plastic is convenient, readily available, we are used to seeing it for so many products. The moment you consider the ecological cost you will immediately see a whole new dimension.
Especially for products if there are options, then choose the less damaging or green options. Let us begin with smaller things, let us consider the ecological cost every time we buy anything, our buying and usage behaviour will change. Let me change mine, try with yourself, with few products. Let us make a beginning. If some of us start doing it, it will have some impact before it becomes a movement.
If ecological cost is huge, don’t think you will not get affected, maybe it costs you a breath of clean air, a glass of clean water. It is not you or me, all of us, the entire planet is, will and is continuously getting affected. So, the cost is huge and we are paying it with poor air, bad health, heat waves, droughts, floods. It is just we forget to correlate and visualize events or things in silos, while everything is connected. Your choice matters and affects you and others.
We have the right to choose and we should exercise it. There are products and campaigns to sell them to us, companies want us to buy and make money out of that that. But we should buy ecologically. We cannot replace what we have already bought, and the resources have been used in it. But going forward for every new purchase, just think rationally, very rationally.
Apart from purchasing cost we also need to factor in the cost of storage, cleaning or maintaining each item and then finally cost of disposing it.
Firstly, identify one or two things right now where you can choose ecologically better options next time you buy. Secondly, whatever you buy next time offline or online consider the ecological cost, let the question cross your mind. Let us choose wisely, choose ecologically!