By Er Rajesh Pathak, Bhopal
At the onset of every summer season, the Electricity Department issues an advisory guiding citizens on how to reduce electricity consumption as well as control the rising temperature in the surroundings by taking a few precautions while using air conditioners (ACs).
According to the advisory, setting the compressor temperature of the AC below 27°C forces it to work harder, thereby requiring more power to function. Air filters should also be cleaned from time to time, as dust clogging the pores reduces cooling efficiency and compels the AC to run for longer durations. Doors and windows of the room should be properly closed to avoid energy loss.
It should be noted that while running an AC keeps the inside of a room cool, it significantly increases the temperature outside the walls, causing discomfort to residents without ACs who have to bear the brunt of others’ luxury. Also, saving electricity directly contributes to environmental conservation by reducing deforestation. Environmentalists say that producing one unit of electricity requires about 875 grams of coal.
“In the hall where we are sitting, there are five ACs. We have switched off four of them, yet we are comfortable,” says Chetan Singh, a professor at IIT Bombay, during his meeting. For his mission of ‘Solar Swaraj’, Chetan began a yatra in November 2020 based on the three principles of AMG — Avoid, Minimize, and Generate. This means:
· Avoid unnecessary energy consumption,
· Minimize its usage through self-restraint if avoidance is not possible, and
· Generate your own power by installing rooftop solar panels.
What Chetan Singh says today was stated in our scriptures long ago in their own profound way:
“Oṁ īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam yat kiñca jagatyāṁ jagat, tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam.”
(Īśāvāsya Upanishad)
This means: “The domain of God pervades every part of the universe. Thus, all wealth, in whatever form, belongs to Him. Therefore, consumption should always be with the spirit of renunciation.”
Mahatma Gandhi expressed a similar thought when he said that “the earth provides enough to satisfy everyone’s need but not anyone’s greed.” Similarly, Acharya Chanakya stated that true economics is that which nurtures the earth along with all that it sustains.
This is not all, however. Setting yet another inspiring example, Praveen Singh, the Collector of our district, initiated a ‘Plantation Drive’ on the occasion of World Environment Day, starting from his own residence and involving his entire family. Leading the initiative were his son Ranvijay and daughter Samruddhi, who planted saplings of mango, blackberry, and jackfruit within the government residential campus. Thereafter, he called upon all citizens to plant at least one tree each.
But this was not the end of his efforts. Continuing with the same spirit, Collector Praveen Singh took his mother to the collectorate campus and made her participate in yet another heartfelt ‘Plantation Drive’, named “Ek Vruksha Maan Ke Naam” (One Plant in Memory of the Mother), alongside many other residents from the town.
Though our country stretches from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, the place where I live is my country. Among whom I live is my community. Its problems are my problems; its joys and sorrows become my own. Where citizens live with such shared sentiments, life becomes more harmonious and prosperous. And Collector Praveen Singh sets a shining example of how one can move forward in this direction.
(The author is an Engineer by profession and a freelance contributors to numerous Publications)
