'B'lore independent home owners indifferent about environment'

Despite intense activism from environmentalists, 82 per cent of Bangalore's homes are not green, which shows their "apathy towards environment," the 5th Biodiversity Conservation India Pvt Ltd (BCIL) Zero Energy Driven (ZED) Eco-Pulse study said.

Green cover in Bangalore was fast dwindling as a mere 19 per cent of those surveyed maintained plants, it said. "This is a sign that zero food miles concept has cut little ice with Bangaloreans," the study said.

Zero food miles involves participants eating what is grown by them, their neighbours or in their community, thereby cutting down on  food miles, which is the distance food is transported from the time of its production until it reaches the consumer.

Moreover, as much as 54 per cent of those with gardens use chemical pesticides, further damaging the immediate environment, the study added.
A cross section of 400 homes owners (aged between 21 and 50) participated in the study. The monthly household income ranged between Rs 20,000 to Rs 40,000 and over half of these homes were two-bedroom, and about 34 per cent had three bedrooms, BCIL-ZED Habitats Chairman, Chandrashekar Hariharan, told reporters.

The survey was conducted only independent homes and not flats, as the latter limited the home owner's options towards eco-friendly measures, he added.
Further, errant water supply and severe summer shortages have not encouraged use of recycled water, the study divulged.

"Cauvery or borewell water is used widely for cleaning cars (78 per cent), flushing in toilets (84 per cent) and for watering plants (78 per cent)," the study added. The study also revealed that popular eco-friendly measures such as solar power for water heating, CFL/LED lamps for lighting and recycled wood for doors have found little takers within Bangalore.

Only 19 per cent of respondents used energy efficient lighting over incandescent bulbs, and 94 per cent of those surveyed used jungle wood for doors over recycled or plantation wood, the study said.

Despite government advocacy and easy availability, solar-powered water heaters are less popular than expected as over 50 per cent of respondents have not installed it in their homes, the study said.

"Yet, on a positive not, a majority of the rest profess to install it in the next two years," the study added. Questions on waste segregation threw up a can of worms.
As much as 70 per cent surveyed did not segregate their waste into wet wastes and solid waste, the study said.

Hariharan said small measures like using recycled water for car wash and toilets, rainwater harvesting, solar water heaters and gadgets to check water flow can go a long way towards reducing the burden on the city's fragile ecology.

"The government needs to bring in regulations and make eco-friendly measures compulsory," he said. "Legislation can step up adoption of sustainable measures which will increase the share of Bangalore's tiny fraction of green homes."

Despite Bangalore's annual average rainfall of 859 mm and government's vociferous promotion of rain harvesting, a mere 12 per cent of homes have installed raiwater harvesting systems, the study revealed.