April 21st, 2011
Other than being Good Friday (in Singapore), today is also Earth Day – a day to remember the importance of living sustainably and responsibly, in protection of the one great gift we have received — our planet Earth.
Singapore has a long way to go in terms of environmental consciousness. Many of our people are too busy with building our future — our work/studies and our families/friends. There may also be some of us who are busy with killing time. So there is little time for the Earth.
Yet, if we think hard enough, what is a future without the Earth? What will our achievements at work and study mean, if tomorrow we have no more energy to power our computers, offices and handphones? What well-being will there be for ourselves and our loved ones, if tomorrow is filled with intoxicating atmosphere or climate-change triggered disasters?
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There’s so much that can and must be done, but there’s no way we can achieve all that at this moment. So I asked myself, what is the least that Singapore can do for the environment.
I think the least we can do for the Earth is to recycle. It doesn’t take much really. All it takes are simple actions like collecting your unwanted paper (e.g. newspapers, magazines), plastic bottles (e.g. mineral water bottles) and aluminum cans (do give them a rinse first to keep the ants away), and sending them to the nearby recycling bins instead of the rubbish bin.
You might not realize, but these simple efforts to recycle can actually have lots of impact on the environment.
First, you help to reduce air pollution, by reducing the amount and type of rubbish that has to be incinerated. Not only will we then have cleaner air, we will also contribute less to global warming. Second, you help to conserve energy in production, because it takes less energy to produce things from recycled materials as compared to using virgin materials. In turn, when we use less energy, we actually contribute less to global warming. This is because most of our sources of energy are currently fossil fuels, and green house gasses are released when fossil fuels are burnt.
If the environment hasn’t been a concern to you before, maybe it is time you give it a bit of attention.
If you are keen to do more than recycling, then a good way to start is to find out about the principles of going green.
May all of us have a meaningful Good Friday and Earth Day.
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