World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated on 5 June every year and is the United Nations’ principal vehicle for encouraging awareness and action for the protection of our environment. First held in 1974, it has been a flagship campaign for raising awareness on emerging from environmental issues to marine pollution,
human overpopulation, and global warming, to sustainable consumption and wildlife crime. So, on 5th June 2020, we will share videos and photos related to the environment on our social media just like we share pictures with our mothers on Mother’s Day, fathers on Father’s Day, grandparents on Grandparents’ Day, etc., while most of us have blocked them from our Instagram and Facebook. In simple words, just like our parents can’t see the Instagram stories we post, nature cannot see our love for itself because unfortunately, the environment is not using Instagram.
On this day, some of us will take extra measures and maybe not take our cars to work,
not throw garbage on the road, and maybe the rarest of us will plant a tree. But, why do we need a particular day to think about the environment or why was there even a need to launch such a campaign?
“The Earth is dying”, we all say but what are we doing to save it? Speaking specifically of India, a lot of us complain that India is very dirty while other
countries are clean but while saying this, we are throwing a plastic bottle out of our car window. When asked why are you throwing something on road, they reply, “Me
throwing an empty chips packet on an already dirty road won’t make any difference” or “What change will it make with just me throwing something in the dustbin while the country is throwing garbage on the road?”.
Now, it’s high time that we take control of everything and save our lives. With Amazon
Rainforest fire, Amphan in West Bengal and Orissa and the latest being Nisarga in
Maharashtra and Gujarat, the end is near. When we get very sick, we show various
signs, now the Earth is sick and it is showing symptoms by these natural disasters. We
all need to start changing our ways before we start suffering for the basic needs of our
lives like food and water. You may think that how can I, one person, change the situation but it’s a little help that counts isn’t it! So, here are some easy ways to save nature:
1. Don’t use plastic straws: Use steel straws instead. Or much better, go for no
straw because you know its kind of fun when that cold coffee makes a
mustache.
2. No plastic crockery: We all have some beautiful crockery in the back of our
kitchen drawers which we rarely use, so ditch the plastic crockery and take out
that crockery with beautiful designs and your crockery will be the only thing
people will talk about.
3. Don’t use plastic bottles: Plastic is a threat to the environment so stop using it.
Go for reusable bottles instead. This way you’ll save the money and a lot of
money.4. Don’t use plastic bags: Disposal of plastic bags harm the environment in more
than one way. Go for reusable cloth bags which nowadays come in lot of different designs and colors.
5. Walk: Long drives with your significant other is good but long walks are still
more romantic. So, ditch the car and save the Earth from pollution while also
spending romantic time with your significant other.
Saving the environment is very easy we just need to take one step. With the Earth
depleting at a very fast pace, we need to take action and we need to take action now.
Don’t worry about what others are doing, you just do your bit. Nature has been very
kind to us for very long and even though right now it is angered, it can be brought
back to its kind version by just showing little kindness, after all, we are the “mankind”.
Lipakshi Seedhar :