Pandemic. One word, thousands of emotions.
The global coronavirus outbreak has, well I don’t need to elaborate much on how it has caused a dramatic, unimagined and lasting change in our lives. And while we all build ourselves up mentally and emotionally, to make peace in the chaos, let’s not forget what actually builds us. Nature.
Nature is abundant, sustaining and important- one cannot stress on this enough. We are all aware and acknowledging of this. No wonder that we, in smaller or greater terms, have contributed in our own ways towards being eco-conscious; and, indulging in practices that help, not hurt the environment. The drastic changes posed by the coronavirus outbreak to our lifestyles, have had interesting results, to say the least. The following are the “just COVID-19 things” that I found most intriguing:
1) All efficient, waste deficient:
The COVID-19 outbreak changed consumerism of essentials- bulk-buying by shoppers usually leads to quick shortages of items. The resulting lack of choice leads most households to buy what is available rather than putting much thought into brand comparison. The whole scarcity-based approach towards shopping nowadays, has made people realise the value of essentials like food. This realisation was not present earlier as people could buy items of their choice whenever needed. Moreover, due to risk of infection by purchases, most households are trying their best to avoid purchases and instead make do with things already available at home. A striking example of the same is the idea of a DIY mask- several videos have been circulated showing how to make masks from old cloth, from handkerchiefs and rubber bands, and even socks! A personal example I would give is the post-lockdown reuse of packets of snacks. In my house, after emptying packets of snacks like farsan or potato chips, the packets are washed. These then serve as packets to hold small things like accessories, playing cards or pendrives.
Its safe to conclude that the new form of consumerism today is compatible with the common 3Rs -Reduce, Reuse, Recycle viewpoint of reducing pollution.
2) Reflections and Reminiscence:
For some of us, the lockdown has resulted in extra free time, and in this free time, none of us can deny having reflected on our lives. Reflections could be on the emotional side of the past no doubt, but a lot of us have reflected on the material aspect of the past too. It could be something as simple as realising that a lack of ‘eating out’ has saved a lot of money. It could also be something rather complicated like looking through our wardrobes and rooms and realising how many items have we purchased or hoarded, that we actually do not need.
Either way, the introspection that follows about oneself and one’s spending tendencies, is pretty insightful and actually leads one to change their spending habits for the better. As more and more people improve their spending habits by purchasing items only when it is necessary, their minimised purchases in a way reduce waste and move the lifestyle towards the ‘zero-waste’ and ‘minimalism’ spectrum. Both ‘zero-waste’ and ‘minimalism’ are common sustainability paradigms.
3) More innovation, less deprivation:
Social distancing norms have reduced outdoor activity of consumers. This has worked against the consumption functioning in industries like fitness, beauty and grooming, and teaching-people cannot physically go to gyms, salons or educational institutions. Thus a survival of the fittest scenario has resulted- only those businesses that retailor their business model in lieu of the current situations, will ‘survive’ the pandemic. No wonder that virtual Zumba classes, FaceTime photoshoots, and online classes are becoming a part of the new normal.
And a special mention is also deserved by the salon I usually go to- they personally called their customers to offer help in terms of addressing hair and beauty-related concerns during the lockdown, and in terms of hair and beauty products that they could courier to them. It will be interesting to see if these altered business models are retained in a post-COVID-19 world-the resulting lesser travel associated with these, would be beneficial for the environment.
4) No pollution, big solution:
Our lockdown days are incomplete without a mention of the wonders of low pollution. Mountain peaks being visible hundreds of kilometres away, wildlife reappearing, air quality improving-all of these have made headlines.
If it takes a global pandemic for us to reach this level of good quality of environmental components, and not the ongoing global call for sustainability, then I cannot deny that we urgently need to rethink our lifestyles as a society of global citizens who want the best for ourselves, be it regular travel or lower pollution. What is heartening is that we have inspiration from many countries- such as Costa Rica, and the Scandinavian countries-regarding a switch to sustainable living. This makes our rethinking easier for us.
The coronavirus outbreak has had a brutal impact on the world be it in terms of deaths, halted business operations or the resulting large-scale unemployment. No sane person in the world would ever want to witness such a bleak world, ever again. Having ‘survived’ the COVID-19 crisis, we definitely don’t want another crisis on our hands anytime soon; and, we all know very well that it will be no wonder if an environmental crisis is upon us any day. How do we fight against another crisis? Learning from this lockdown and altering our production and consumption decisions. We can’t not learn from our past- its like failing an open-book test. Who likes failing an open-book test?
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