Perspectives Abroad it and that trickles down to what we eat and it’s ok. If you talk about why you should not waste food at home, you should I sat down with Pronoy Rai, an International Development not waste water—it’s not yours. It’s something that’s Studies Masters student from Hydrabab, India to talk about nature’s. The attempt is to talk about the world from an differences in how sustainability is addressed in the U.S. and in ecocentric perspective and not an anthropocentric India. I learned that India has a better transit system than the perspective. Like you are the center and environment is all U.S. and has a National commitment to greenhouse gas around you. It doesn’t work that way. It’s like the emissions reduction. Here are a few other tidbits environment is the entity and you are a part of it like there Pronoy shared. are animals and trees and birds and clouds and all of it which is J: Do you talk about sustainability related issues in part of the environment. That’s the broad understanding. If school and when does that conversation you do take an ecocentric view of the world perhaps it start happening? creates opportunities to convey the message that you—just because you have the power to, you cannot waste things. So P: Scarcity in some ways has created opportunities. I for example in my house, where I grew up, it was engrained in remember at least from my 5th or 6th grade we are taught us that you cannot waste food. You only take as much food as constantly about environmental conservation. I think I would you can eat. If you left food, you know, everyone would be credit that to the fact that there is already the realization that uncomfortable at the end because that is not what you should resources are scarce and there isn’t as much monetary be doing. resources to invest in creating infrastructure and that kind of J: Does that ecocentric view carry over into how thing. So our schools always had conservation in the syllabi. business is conducted? Do businesses try to That aside, I would also credit the dominant religion in India to minimize waste? have played a role because environmental preservation in P: I would like to think so, but no. Unless there is economic Hinduism is very essential. Ensuring trees are not cut, food is incentive. Which is why the level of pollution is so high not wasted, for instance, these are things that are central to— because companies just don’t care and regulatory reforms are and it’s not a religion by your standards because it’s not very weak. organized at all, it doesn’t have any structure, it’s more philosophy. Hinduism is essentially a way of life...it’s like Interested in learning more or how to get involved? Pronoy Buddhism, it’s sort of broad categories of instructions on how recommends starting with the Ministry of Environment and to live a happy sustainable life. I think sustainability is a part of Forests in India, ATREEE and any number of NGO’s.
A glimpse into India | Jessica Bilecki
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