Up until I joined tunza.eco-generation.org
I never knew World Earth Day (WED) was celebrated every April 22 nor was I
aware that there was anything like World Environment Day (June 5) or World
Water Day (March 22). The truth was that I never cared.
I first discovered tunza.eco-generation.org
two year ago while rummaging the web for any ongoing essay and short story
contests that Nigerians can (an opportunity I always grabbed to sharpen my
writing skills and also evaluate myself). At that time, I was concerned about a
number of things; if my writing actually made sense, how people felt about my
work. My idea was that if I should win any contest or even get short-listed, it
meant I was doing great (that never happened. An awful way to evaluate oneself).
Meanwhile, I decided to read a few articles
on the website (there is always something new to read every day by the way).
When I did, I found a new purpose to life greater than my hunt for bounty; our
planet is dying and I was one of the murderers.
Like myself, there are millions of people
out there who are unaware of how their behaviours change our planet. Many years
ago, I knew the exact month to expect the rains, when it will stop and when
harmattan will take over the mantle of leadership but that is no longer so.
Climates have change; earthquakes, volcanic
eruptions, tsunami, erosions and melting of glaciers have taken over our
environment. Why won’t the earth be annoyed? We keep taking and never give.
Caring for the earth is not a government thing but the responsibility of
everyone.
Yes, we have to cut down trees for timber, but
what stops us from planting another to replace the one cut down? Why acquire
more than you need and end up discarding many of them? Why can’t industries
figure out better ways to manage their waste rather than dumping them into the
sea? Why must we burn coal and fuel when the sun is there to give us cleaner
energy?
The most disturbing and most prevalent
especially in Nigeria is the culture of wastage (to show the world that you
have ‘arrived’). People throw lavish parties with lots of food and drinks
spilled. Same is the case every evening at drinking joints. People eat and
drink and become drunk, leaving foods on their plate which are later collected
into a dustbin.
At no other time has this crusade of
attitudinal change been more relevant than today when parts of the world are
gripping with food shortage. Even in Nigeria, there are still families that go
to bed on empty stomach. The truth is that the earth is capable of supporting
everyone’s dream but not their greed. We have approximately 7 billion people in
the world in one planet, so consume with care.
I used to think I was an individual, what
difference can I possibly make? But going through tunza.eco-generation.org I got
ashamed of myself; youngsters––as young as fifteen and under––raising their
words and living the talk to make our environment a better place. You may be
just one person in 7 billion but believe me, there are tens of people that look
up to you to model their lives. Live the change and it will trickle down.
More recently, an ambassador on the
platform (Miss Bindu Bhandari) wrote about her interview with what she tagged ‘the
real Eco-hero’. It was about a man, a refuse collector that goes ahead to sell
the scraps he picked from the environment to recycling plants so as to generate
money for his family’s upkeep. The people that do this kind of job are the ones
we most often look down on but through her interview I discovered otherwise.
The action of the man helps remove wastes
that are not biodegradable from the environment. If not for this great website,
tunza.eco-generation.org I may still be basking in my ignorance environmental
matters.
To end this write-up, I want to dish out 5
pieces of advice;
1) Don’t let a year pass without planting a
tree or flower.
2) Reduce; while you dine, remember there
are people out there who can’t afford to.
3) Re-use; all the old plastic and tyres
can be put into other uses.
4) Insist on clean energy
5) Recycle; to reduce the rate at which new
raw materials are mined
That refuse scavenger in you vicinity is an
Eco-Hero. Who are you?
photo credit: Arushi Madan on tunza.eco-generation.org
photo credit: Arushi Madan on tunza.eco-generation.org
