The Earth Needs You and Me to Create Change

Sustainability. This word has probably never been used as much before as it has been during this decade. We’ve had several conferences, debates, speeches and awareness programs to discuss the one pertinent issue of creating sustainable sources of food, water and various kinds of energy.

Why is this so important?

Put simply, the Earth has never been this ravaged before. An increasing number of trees are felled, animals reared, forests wiped off and streams and rivers that are either too polluted, or just plain dry. In the balance of nature, anything wrong with one part of it, automatically results in an imbalance elsewhere - pretty soon, there’s a threat to the whole ecological system.

Our human population has been growing, so have our needs. Sometimes this reflects in the forests that must be cut down for excess land, leaving forest animals with no natural habitat, causing them to roam astray, creating an increasing number of endangered animals and a steady depletion in greenery and forest percentage.

Basic science in school taught us that plants protect us, they balance the amount of carbon dioxide and oxygen, they provide food, shelter and fodder … the list is endless.

Technology has made it possible for us to invest in the kind of research that could provide us with a probable solution for this crisis. Yet, the progress made in this regard is still negligible.

Let’s ask ourselves, instead of pointing fingers at the government, our neighbours or at organizations, how much have we contributed to create sustainable products? Or have we, for our part at least offered to recycle products that could be considered potentially damaging to the environment?

There are three ways we can do our bit

-         Consuming organic food products - Organic food or locally sourced food from farms is not just healthy, it’s bio-friendly and responsible.

-         Cut down emissions - You don’t need to own a big industry and dump sewage in a nearby river to be guilty of emissions, even your car and bike contribute to this. How about carpooling to work or college? It can also help cut petrol bills and reduce the traffic problems that our cities face.

-         Recycle - So many regular products can be reused instead of being dumped. Social media has several art pages where many talented artists convert used products to a work of art. Isn’t this idea infinitely more beautiful than dumping waste?

-         Our trees need help - So many trees are cut down each year to cover the demand from the pulp and paper industry.  Limiting the use of paper in various industries will curb the need to cut so many trees and limit damage to the environment.

These are just simple methods in which we can be vigilant if anything, to do our bit for the planet. Thankfully, the government has decided to invest more into the research and development of sustainable sources of energy with minimum damage to nature. Meanwhile, let’s do our bit before we start pointing fingers.