IIT Bombay professor wears torn socks at luxury hotel: ‘… to reduce carbon footprint’

IIT Bombay professor wears torn socks at 5-star hotel: ‘To reduce carbon footprint’

By Muskaan Sharma

Oct 01, 2024 12:46 PM IST

Chetan Singh Solanki, who is known as the Solar Man of India, defended his torn socks seen in a photo, highlighting his commitment to sustainability.

1. A picture showing an Indian man wearing socks with holes as he sat at inside a luxury hotel in New Delhi was shared on social media by a user. Now, the man, an IIT Bombay professor, has responded to the image and explained the reason behind his peculiar wardrobe choice.
2. Chetan Singh Solanki, who has taught at the prestigious institute for over 20 years and is known as the Solar Man of India or Solar Gandhi, said that the photo was clicked when he was delivering a talk at a leadership summit.
3. Solanki is on a mission to raise awareness about environmental degradation over the past few decades, travelling over 43,000 km across 20 states to promote solar energy.
4. “Someone snapped this photo of me at the Hyatt in Delhi, during a quiet moment before delivering my talk at the The Economic Times Energy Leadership Summit on 25th Sept,” he wrote.
5. “Yes, my torn socks were exposed! I need to replace them, I will and sure, I can afford to – but nature cannot. In nature, everything is finite,” the professor said, adding that while he can afford to replace his socks, nature cannot afford more waste.
6. Solanki said he has been making conscious efforts to make efficient use of anything he buys.
7. “I may use the best gadgets to enhance my productivity, but I strive to use the least amount of material to reduce my carbon footprint,” he wrote in the post.
8. Solanki said that just as businessmen want to increase their profit on every investment, he as a “social worker” wants to maximise the “impact of his time”
9. He ended the post by mentioning sustainability, leadership, climate correction, and minimalism in hashtags.

How internet reacted

1. The IIT professor’s words resonated with social media users who lauded his attempt to “prioritize nature’s well-being”, while others took a light-hearted approach to the post.
2. “Thanks Chetan Singh Solanki, your example has given me the courage to come out of the closet as a fellow torn socks wearer! This is really reducing carbon footprint!,” one user said.
3. However, many users pointed to the Solanki’s efforts for India’s sustainability over the years.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. No Poverty

• Target 1.4: By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular, the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership, and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new technology, and financial services, including microfinance.
• Indicator 1.4.2: Proportion of total adult population with secure tenure rights to land, with legally recognized documentation and who perceive their rights to land as secure, by sex and by type of tenure.

7. Affordable and Clean Energy

• Target 7.2: By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.
• Indicator 7.2.1: Renewable energy share in the total final energy consumption.

12. Responsible Consumption and Production

• Target 12.5: By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse.
• Indicator 12.5.1: National recycling rate, tons of material recycled.

13. Climate Action

• Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising, and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning.
• Indicator 13.3.1: Number of countries that have integrated mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning into primary, secondary, and tertiary curricula.

Analysis

1. The SDGs addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article are:
– No Poverty (SDG 1)
– Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7)
– Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12)
– Climate Action (SDG 13)

2. Specific targets under those SDGs based on the article’s content are:
– Target 1.4: Ensuring equal rights to economic resources and access to basic services for all.
– Target 7.2: Increasing the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.
– Target 12.5: Substantially reducing waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse.
– Target 13.3: Improving education and awareness on climate change mitigation and adaptation.

3. Indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets are:
– Indicator 1.4.2: Proportion of total adult population with secure tenure rights to land.
– Indicator 7.2.1: Renewable energy share in the total final energy consumption.
– Indicator 12.5.1: National recycling rate, tons of material recycled.
– Indicator 13.3.1: Number of countries that have integrated climate change education into curricula.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: hindustantimes.com