Employability Skills II: Green Skills-II

Hello students, welcome to Kwickprep. Many Indian cities face water shortages in summer. Will there be enough water, clean air and fertile land when you are forty? Today we learn sustainable development, its problems, the Sustainable Development Goals, and what you can do.

Let us start with the meaning. Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of people today. At the same time, it does not reduce the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It balances three things, people, the planet and the economy, so growth does not destroy nature.

Why should we care about sustainability? Many resources, like fresh water, coal and petroleum, are limited and can run out. Pollution of air and water causes serious diseases. Our children and grandchildren will need these resources as much as we do. And protecting nature also protects plants and animals, which keep our food chain alive.

Let us look at the main problems. Fertile land is lost when too many chemicals are used, or when soil washes away, so less food grows. Water shortage comes from overuse and waste, and wells dry up. Burning fossil fuels, like coal and petrol, pollutes the air. Cutting forests leads to floods, soil loss and hotter summers. And greenhouse gases cause climate change, bringing extreme heat, storms and unseasonal rain.

The world decided to act together. The United Nations set seventeen goals, called the Sustainable Development Goals. All member countries, including India, adopted them in twenty fifteen. The target is to achieve them by the year twenty thirty. India has committed to these goals and tracks its progress on them.

Here are six of the seventeen goals. Goal one is no poverty. Goal two is zero hunger, food for everyone. Goal four is quality education for every child. Goal six is clean water and sanitation. Goal seven is affordable and clean energy. And goal thirteen is climate action, fighting climate change.

Big goals need small daily actions from each of us. Save water by closing taps and reusing RO waste water to clean floors or water plants. Save electricity by switching off fans and lights and using LED bulbs. Walk, cycle or use buses and metros for short trips. Carry a cloth bag, because India banned many single use plastic items in twenty twenty two. And plant trees, then water and protect them.

The three Rs are an easy way to cut waste. Reduce means using less, like carrying your own water bottle instead of buying plastic ones. Reuse means using things again, like glass jars for storing spices. Recycle means turning waste into new products, like old newspapers made into new paper.

Many cities ask homes to separate waste into two bins. Wet waste is kitchen waste, like food, vegetable peels and flowers. Dry waste includes paper, plastic, glass and metal, which can be recycled. Wet waste can be turned into compost, which is natural manure for plants.

Pause and think about this. Aman throws vegetable peels and a plastic bottle into the same bin. What is wrong? Wet and dry waste got mixed, so the peels cannot become compost and the bottle is hard to recycle.

Green skills also open careers, called green jobs, that protect the environment. A solar panel technician installs and repairs solar power systems. Waste management workers collect, sort and recycle waste. Organic farming experts grow food without harmful chemicals. Water conservation specialists design rainwater harvesting and save water.

Let us revise what we learned today. Sustainable development meets today's needs without harming tomorrow. Its problems include land loss, water shortage, fossil fuels, deforestation and climate change. The United Nations set seventeen goals to reach by twenty thirty. We can save water and electricity and avoid single use plastic. And we should reduce, reuse, recycle and separate our waste.