Saving the earth, Part IV - Explore

OK, now you've collected a LOT of information from different sources. Now comes the fun bit: Explore. No, I’m not telling you to go and find more facts. This time around, you need to work with the knowledge you’ve collected. You've already started this in the second step of the last part. Now you have to take it further by experimenting. Compile your observations, brainstorm with buddies, put up your ideas on the internet, pen down your creative ideas in a diary, it’s up to you. Basically, in this step, you should aim to really wok with your information by exploring it fully. There are many different ways to do this. Besides the ones I just mentioned, you can try all sorts of things. If you like, try some of these:

1.     Juggle the location of the ideas around - Put different ideas next to each other, change the chronological order, draw up a mind map or try going through the ideas randomly.

2.     Look harder – Look for new things within the information you’ve already collected. Identify patterns and links, contrast and compare, list problems and solutions, analyze data from different perspectives. But don’t take it at face value straight away.

3.      Draw links – This is very important. Information may or may not be available to you in an ideal format. You should look for links between different bits of information. For example, while studying, many times I find that information linked to each other (say by a common year) is in different subjects. But properly understanding it in one sphere helps me see it in a whole new light.

4.     Find the unconventional – In our world, there are plenty of examples of people who’ve strayed off the beaten path (cliché, I know). In the field of environment conservation, many of these have led to unique ideas and innovations. Try to find out about such cases. In your own sphere, try looking beyond the commonplace. Sure, you can help save the environment by following tips like saving paper, electricity and water, but if you want to really feel satisfied with your contribution, try to do something a little different.


5.     Investigate your options and resources – In this era of technology and internet, you have a incredibly large number of options and resources. There is a large amount of power at your fingertips, and there are many ways you can harness this power to help you help the environment.


a) The internet is a large storehouse or information if you want to fill up the gaps in your knowledge, or gather fresh data.

b) There are a variety of ideas you can find too. Many people have posted ideas and it’s odds that there is something you’ll be able to do too.

c) It’s a good place to spread the word. With the spread of sites like Facebook, Twitter, etc. you can easily spread the word among others, concerned or not.

d) Lastly, it’s the best place to explore. There’s no better place to find out about other efforts, keep up with the news, discover new resources etc.

         No picture this time; this post is long enough already ;)