Think Sustainability

The Fig Tree or the Banyan Tree (वट or न्यग्रोध in Sanskrut) is one of the best examples of Nature’s Sustainability and Cyclicity. It’s aerial prop roots reach the ground and thicken into ‘pillar roots’ or subsidiary trunks ultimately making it a continually expanding system. The Sanskrit word Vata (वट) means to surround or encompass, derived from the tree’s ability to put down aerial roots and cover huge area.

If taken a closer look, one can easily understand that this tree is an ecosystem in itself. It becomes a home for different types of living things. Hence it is also called as Tree of Life. The banyan emits oxygen during the day and night as well.

In this ecosystem of Banayan tree, all the living things there co-exist. Many of them live in symbiosis with each other. Making this micro-ecosystem highly sustainable.

Similarly, in the natural environment, everywhere we can observe that there is an inherent cyclicity, continuous give and take mechanism, inter-dependency, equal importance to each living organism, perseverance of achieving balance in highly changing environment, dissolution/decomposition capacity, diversity, decentralization and modesty.

With above fundamental characteristics, nature facilitates infiniteness with finite resources.

For example, during the day, trees inhale Carbon Dioxide from air (which is actually a result of exhalation by other living organisms) and exhale Oxygen. This is the example of how the finite Oxygen on earth is constantly renewed. And this is how the life on the planet is sustained.

Every living organism as well as a non-living thing on the earth has some role, some job to perform and there is no synthetic replacement of that organism or there is a very less scope for their replacement and that is also not without any major trade-offs.

The way we are exploiting the resources and other living, non-living things on the planet earth, they are diminishing rapidly and soon they will be reduced to zero.

We must think now whether the linear growth that we are trying to achieve is sustainable or weather the natures proven cyclic growth is sustainable.

Above video gives just a glimpse of what we are talking about. Everyone can watch it, think and re-think.

Video Credit: NIST Institute: Safety Courses Provider

Note: Please note that above video is not any kind of advertisement or support to any individual or organization by Vanarambh. Our only intention is to convey the environment message to viewers through the video.