Welcome to EcoVive...

I am Divya. I have been an Environmentalist for as long as I know and have created EcoVive to share my thoughts and raise awareness.

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I was born in India; my family migrated to Singapore when I was 11 years old. During that time I was totally fascinated by an animated Television Series called Captain Planet and the Planeteers; I grew up watching that series. Even back then caring for our environment resonated strongly with me and my environmental consciousness to a large extent could have been instilled by just that series. It also helped that I was living in one of the Greenest Cities in Asia, Singapore, where the Government had several campaigns ranging from encouraging the public to reduce the use of disposables, promoting Recycling to adopting a healthy lifestyle.

I graduated from Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore with a Bachelor's Degree in Materials Science & Engineering

I am now living in the Wonderful Mile High City, Denver, Colorado.. Then all of the sudden, there was Covid19 that upended & disrupted our lives.. but then this also happens to be a time when it gave me a pause just like it did to the rest of the World, to think about whatever is actually going on around us, our Environment, our Planet...

 

If anything, I've been feeling overwhelmed and distraught by everything that has been happening to our Planet & felt I had to do something about it

 

As Helen Keller has so wonderfully said it “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.”

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During this time, I created a Social Media account on Twitter (@IvyKriss) to connect with more people across the Globe; been really glad to be connected with other like minded people, trying to raise awareness about Environmental issues albeit in my own small ways. I've also launched EcoVive. In addition to sharing my thoughts and raising awareness, my main goals on EcoVive is to inspire others to take action & live with environmental consciousness..

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Along the way I've been learning more about our Environmental issues that's really plaguing our Planet like Climate Change, Deforestation, Plastic Pollution, even about Greenwashing, some of which are indeed appalling.

Speaking of Greenwashing, all my life I had been religiously recycling the plastics, had no qualms about purchasing items in plastic containers believing they are being recycled but totally dismayed and flabbergasted to learn that most plastic doesn't get recycled; According to National Geographic, 90% of plastics ever created still exists polluting the lands, water and air; microplastics have now become a part of us as we breathe, consume them along with our food. In my opinion, the Recycling of Plastics is one of the biggest Greenwashing Scam.

 

To begin with, Plastics to be recycled need to be collected, sorted and melted all of which are expensive. Besides, recycling degrades plastics. On the other hand, new plastics are simply cheaper to produce and virgin plastics are of better quality as they are made fresh from oil and gas. This certainly undermines the viability of the recycling sector.

 

While China’s Ban on importing waste has stalled global recycling, (but of course for that matter no country should be treated as a dumping ground; the responsibility of plastic waste management and recycling ought to be shouldered by manufacturers, producers and to an extent the consumers too), like adding insult to injury, Covid19 had further caused a plunge in demand for oil as economies around the globe slowed down, making new plastics even more cheaper than recycling.
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The issue of waste is pivotal and intertwined with major environmental issues like Climate change and Pollution. Needless to say Covid alone has driven increased Plastic waste due to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Single Use Plastics especially take out containers and a surge in online shopping that has caused a spike in packaging waste most of which could not even be Recycled​

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“Activism is my rent for living on the planet.” ~ Alice Walker

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I have now started to Tread on the path of Environmental Activism, from talking to people on & offline about Environmental issues, reaching out to Governments / Environmental Organizations voicing my concerns & suggestions and even been contacting some companies and requesting them to consider alternatives to Plastic Packaging.

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Furthermore, excessive consumerism is depleting natural resources & is the major cause of pollution. The fundamental principle to sustainable living is to consume less and reduce waste.

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​"A recent study confirmed that the United States is the most plastic-polluting country in the world. Every 16 hours Americans throw away enough plastic to fill a football stadium." ScienceDaily

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To keep us & our Planet healthy and to avoid the further degradation of our environment, more than ever now it is crucial that we become more conscious of our Environment and embrace a sustainable way of living. While some of us may find even zero waste lifestyle easy to adopt, to a vast majority of us it may be difficult to practice. However, that shouldn't be the reason to completely give up on a more eco conscious, green lifestyle.

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Remember "We don't need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly." ~ Anne-Marie Bonneau

 

Also, I prefer the term minimal waste which to an individual would sound pragmatic rather than be overwhelming.​​ Zero Waste is a way of life that promotes the goal of reducing the amount of material we throw away and maximizing the reuse of materials at the end of their useful life.

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Leading a Green life can be pretty simple and easy to adopt.. Little steps, little changes by most individuals can have a significant impact on our Environment.

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On a final note, most of my blogs tend to be concise and succinct; not particularly verbose. So at a glance, in about a minute to 2, one would be able to understand the problem discussed as well as the actionable solution(s), presented without having to drown in words / scientific jargon 

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Let's all together Make Earth Great Again; do whatever is within our means, to make our Planet a better place Once Again...