Meet 29 year old Suprakash from Cuttack, Odisha, an engineer who got bored of the regular corporate world and found his true calling in something to do with the environment, a love that made him start writing and working with OdishaBytes, a publication in Odissa, and PlanetSaverz, a website that talks about all things that save our planet!
By his own admission, if anyone asks him what he does, his first answer is that he is deeply passionate about the environment and dreams of living the net zero carbon life.
“I didn’t want to stay stuck in a corporate life where all I would do is run after making a career and money, come home and sleep, and repeat every day. I decided to change my career choices and also make time for what really calls out to me.”
My dad is my biggest inspiration when it comes to environment. Ever since I was a child, we’ve talked about LEDs, solar panels, electric hydrogen cars, conserving water, recycling and reusing. Almost 20 years back he had predicted that LEDs would become mainstream lighting when they were only used for signals and other purposes. My maternal grandfather was the perfect engineer I know. He had designed a modular kitchen 50 years back that became the talk of the town, and that was a time when barely anyone here had even heard the term ‘modular kitchen.’ His work and attention to detail got me interested in engineering and DIY projects.
His main aim is to reduce, reuse and ultimately recycle
I try to buy things that can be reused or recycled, for example, I’d buy something made of paper or metal rather than plastic. I collect every bit of paper, aluminium cans (deodorants, soft drinks) and take it to the nearest kabadiwala who melts and recycles them. I ask people to buy used products, even used cars in good condition. I encourage people to give away unused things to people they know – it reduces buying something new and creating more waste.
But again, not all old or used things are good, for example, a very old car will not be efficient. Old air conditioners and refrigerators are a big no – they consume double the power of modern ones, so it’s best to recycle them. But used furniture and books are great for the environment. I keep a stack of one-sided printed paper near the printer so that I can use them to print.
Suprakash’s biggest concern is saving energy, as it is one of the largest sources of pollution
Air conditioning consumes maximum energy in our homes and offices. I changed some of our ACs and placed the most efficient ones in rooms that are used most. Investing in 5-star inverter ACs helps reduce your bill. I’ve switched to LEDs and installed automatic motion detecting lights that light up only when someone passes.
Suprakash has a very effective way of saving electricity – using white paint!
For about 20 years now we paint the house roof white, it helps cool the house by a good 10 degrees and reduces our use of ACs. The electricity bills also reduce. White paint also lowers global warming by reflecting light back to the atmosphere. It prevents buildings from warming up and decreases urban island effect.
I also collect water from ACs – one AC can produce a bucket of water a day, which I use for plants or mopping floors.
I placed bottles of rocks inside cisterns to reduce the amount of flush. I’m planning to setup a proper rainwater harvesting system once I have sufficient funds for it. It is sad that people think water is free. I wish government introduces higher tariff and metering for water, keeping the basic requirement free.
So how does he come up with all these ideas about recycling?
My research is mostly online, most ideas are curated from the internet. I read environment and clean energy related sites. I search about how much power something consumes or how to recycle something – blogs and forums help.
As Mahatma Gandhi said, “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”
There is still a bit of ignoring but there is no laughing anymore. The biggest challenge is that most people don’t know what is right for the environment, what is bad and if there are alternatives. I still hear the occasional ‘What will saving one bucket of water do?”
One of the 2 rivers in my hometown Cuttack nowadays remains dry for most part of the year. During my childhood it was always full. Reading articles on waste, air pollution and contamination in water bodies and knowing how it directly affects our lives is scary enough to realise that every step of our lives determines ours, and also the lives of our future generations.
I haven’t done anything big yet, but the smile when my neighbourhood store picks up the polythene and realises it is me, and keeps it away, keeps me going.
When he is not ‘working’ or spending time recycling something or finding out new ways to make our planet a more comfortable and safer home, Suprakash enjoys eating, sleeping, travelling and instagramming (!).
Read Also: Sweden Has A Mall That Sells Only Recycled Stuff And It’s Totally Worth A Visit
