(This story was first published on 9 December 2017. It is being re-published from The Quint’s archives to mark Dia Mirza’s birthday.)
Dia Mirza dons many hats – actor, producer, beauty queen – but the role she plays with most gusto is that of an eco champion. The actor has been working towards habitat preservation and wildlife protection. Sustainable living is her mantra and she advocates making green and environment friendly choices on a daily basis.
On her birthday, we get a peep into Dia Mirza’s home in Mumbai, as she gives us a few tips on living sustainably in our urban jungles.
Dia Mirza’s Tips:
- In an urban jungle, it is always nice to have some form of greenery, so grow as many plants as you can.
- You can grow small plants that allow birds like pigeons and sparrows to nest in them and plants that can feed the birds with their fruits and berries.
- Offer bird-feeders and water to the birds.
- Keep a water holder made of an earthen pot for birds outside to keep the water cool always.
- Refurbish old wood and make it into new furniture.
- Switch from plastic to glass bottles to keep water.
- At home, replace all plastic containers with glass ones and use ceramic jars
- When you buy any product, which is stored in a glass bottle, try and reuse it.
- One of the most important things to keep in mind, especially in the kitchen, is to segregate dry waste and wet waste.
- Do not use those black plastic garbage bags but use newspapers instead to line your dustbins.
- Make a compost pit in your society or locality, so that the wet waste can go directly into it, this can later be used as fresh fertiliser for the plants.
- To control the overflow of tanks and avoid wasting water, set up automation systems (lights that switch on automatically) to indicate that the tank is full and stop water wastage.
- Use only one bucket of water to clean a car, and not a hose pipe.
(This story is from The Quint’s archives and was first published on 10 October 2017. It is being republished to mark Dia Mirza’s birthday.)
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