Shiva N Koliar comment on Back to basics

 This is a comprehensive and radical vision for a "Back to Basics" lifestyle aimed at saving the planet. Your proposal suggests a total restructuring of modern civilization—shifting from a globalized, industrial economy to a localized, agrarian society.

1. Eliminate Non-Essential Production

Many production companies that are not actually needed for human beings must be stopped. The manufacture of excessive products creates pollution; therefore, minimizing our products will reduce pollution. We produce many things we do not need, such as cold drinks, leather products, potato wafers, chips, fruit juices, chocolates, biscuits, pickles, and ice creams. These items should be cooked at home only. Furthermore, the process of coloring clothes causes pollution. If we let everything remain in its natural color, we can stop the pollution resulting from fabric dyes.

2. Cook Foods in Natural Form

We should eat food in its natural form, like rice and wheat grown in farms. Currently, these are transported to warehouses and wholesalers before reaching retail shops. However, if a company makes bread from them, it requires a factory, machines, staff, and plastic packaging. By cooking at home, we eliminate the need for bread companies, tomato ketchup, noodles, jams, and burgers, along with their plastic, paper, and glass packaging. This saves money and reduces pollution.

Previously, before the Industrial Revolution, our foods were richer in nutrients. Today, technology pollutes our food and causes health problems. While this shift would mean many jobs are lost, people should transition to farming. Governments should provide loans for this. To assist the transition, Food, Medicines, Surgeries, and Education should be free until the world settles into farming.

3. Stop Using Makeup Products

Instead of using makeup to look beautiful, women should exercise daily. Sweating and eating fruit daily removes dead skin and creates natural beauty. This would save money and allow makeup manufacturing companies to shut down, ending the pollution they cause.

4. Addressing Electricity Pollution

While windmills and solar energy are better than coal or water, their manufacture still causes pollution. If we shut down unnecessary manufacturing companies, the world will not require as much electricity. Less demand means less pollution.

5. Ban Firecrackers

Firecrackers must be banned because they harm animals. Dogs have sensitive hearing and flee from the loud noise; birds can suffer internal organ damage and die from explosion sounds. Additionally, the smoke causes problems for people with asthma. Banning crackers protects animal rights and human health.

6. Ban Hair Dye

Hair dye companies dump waste into rivers and seas. These factories should be shut down to protect our water sources.

7. Stop Consuming Processed Sweets and Alcohol

We do not need to manufacture sweets and cakes because fruit is naturally sweet. By eating fruit directly, we eliminate the need for sweet factories and paper packaging. Similarly, liquor, wine, and beer are made from fruits; eating the fruit instead removes the need for factories and transport boxes. Those who cannot quit should go to rehabilitation or prepare small amounts at home. Tobacco users should grow their own and use pipes to shut down the tobacco industry.

8. Stop Using Perfumes and Powders

To manage body odor, men and women should exercise and sweat. Removing these products eliminates the need for bottles, cardboard boxes, and transportation.

9. Reduce Milk Consumption

The nutrients in cow’s and buffalo’s milk can be found in other foods. This would stop the use of glass and plastic bottles. Milk should be reserved only for infants who cannot be breastfed. For tea and coffee, coconut milk can be used as a substitute.

10. The Benefits of Closing Unnecessary Companies

Stopping an unneeded company saves land, eliminates the need for machines, and stops the demand for oil, plastic ropes, stationery, and packaging. This reduces the need for transportation, meaning fewer trucks, fewer oil rigs, and fewer shipping vessels. This also improves the lives of drivers who currently lose their "day life" by driving at night, which leads to sleepiness and accidents.

11. Limit Low-Nutrient Foods

Products like Horlicks and Bournvita should only be for the very weak. Others should eat natural food and exercise for better absorption. This reduces the need for plastic, glass, and paper packaging.

12. Reduce Television Time

Television should not be 24 hours. Constant broadcasting distracts students from studying. Television should be limited to specific hours:

 * 7 PM – 8 PM: Cartoons

 * 8 PM – 9 PM: Teenager programs

 * 9 PM – 11 PM: Adult programs

 * News and Sports: Can remain 24 hours.

Only 52 movies per year should be produced per country (one per week). There should be no CDs or cassettes; movies should only be uploaded to the internet to reduce physical waste and screen addiction.

13. Use Projectors instead of TVs

Manufacturing a television requires many materials. Using projectors is a more efficient alternative that requires fewer resources.

14. Other Reductions

We should stop using heavy exercise equipment, hair straighteners, and most shampoos (except for lice/dandruff). We should use mud utensils instead of steel to reduce iron ore mining. Jewelry should be limited to wedding rings only to stop excessive mining. Groundnuts and other crops should be sold in their natural skin/shell and carried in cloth bags to eliminate plastic packaging.

15. Agricultural Reform

To prevent areas from becoming too hot, we should avoid massive 100-acre clearings. Instead, we should alternate: 10 acres of farm, then 10 acres of forest.

16. Mud Homes and Population Control

We should build one-story mud houses. They stay cool naturally, removing the need for air conditioning (which creates outdoor heat). Mud is cheap, available everywhere, and easy to rebuild after disasters.

Population should be maintained through a "balance" system. If the Earth's capacity is 10 billion, we should move to a one-child policy until the population drops to 9 billion, then allow two children until it reaches 10 billion again. Everyone should grow their own basics like ginger, chillies, and coriander.

17. Reducing Global Transportation

Countries should stop exporting finished products and instead teach the invention to other nations. Only raw materials should be traded if they aren't available locally. This reduces CO2 from shipping. While companies might fear losing profit, they will gain knowledge from other countries' inventions in return. This excludes weapons and weather control.

Summary:

While life would be difficult during the transition and many would move to labor or farming, the cost of living would decrease significantly. This ensures that even with low wages, everyone can afford a home, food, and education.