Lockdown is now a well-known term all over the world. All are trying to live at home and to do as much work from home as possible. Therefore, information technology is the thing most used to operate at home. People communicate on various social networking sites with each other by using smartphones, computers, laptops, tablets, etc.

Not only this, but there are all sorts of governmental and non-governmental events taking place at home, where information technology has applied entirely. But at the same time, it’s become a major concern for us! Experts believe that extensive use of technology decreases physical activity that could lead to significant health risks for young people in the near future. It can also exacerbate their emotional condition and much more. Is that all? Aren’t we just worry about ourselves and forgetting nature?

Educational institutions are currently implementing the online learning program as students can not leave their homes. They join the class through several applications including Zoom, Google Meet, TeamViewer,and more and send homework or assignments to teachers via email. As well as students can easily take part in the exams using Google form, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel etc. through the online test process. Moreover, most of the official work is now going on like this. Employees of different organizations are also presenting their work to the higher authorities in the same manner. Do we know how nature is getting benefited from this?

People are now getting less out of the house due to the adoption of virtual practices in all sectors. So, less traffic means less carbon dioxide emissions, which have a significant role to play in improving air quality. The use of paper has also decreased. In the past, a lot of paper was used for classes, examinations, and other official functions, but these activities are carried out via cell phones and computers during this locking time. Millions of trees are being saved due to the declining use of paper. Besides, thousands of acres of forest and their inhabitants are also being protected.

A recent study found that using less than 1 ton of paper can saves 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, 6953 gallons of water, 4,077-kilowatt hours of energy, and 3.06 cubic years of landfill space! Closed workplaces reduced electricity consumption by saving large amounts of natural resources such as coal, natural gas, and water.

Moreover, the waste disposal rate is also decreasing day by day due to the limited movement of people. This is a big reason behind the cities are clean and pollution-free.

The Covid-19 lockdown has taught us a lot. This has made it clear to us that nature can be taken care of even while sitting at home. It does not mean that we will always be under lockdown. It means that we can change the way we are destroying nature in order to live our lives. And the effective use of information technology can make a huge contribution to the protection of nature if we can add such alternative ways to our lifestyles after the corona crisis.

So, it is high time to focus on these issues to bring nature back to its own image.

The writer is a student at Institute of Forestry and Environmental Science, University of Chittagong.