And Man created the plastic bag and the tin and aluminum can and the cellophane wrapper and the paper plate, and this was good because Man could then take his automobile and buy all his food in one place and he could save that which was good to eat in the refrigerator and throw away that which had no further use. And soon the earth was covered with plastic bags and aluminum cans and paper plates and disposable bottles and there was nowhere to sit down or walk, and Man shook his head and cried: ‘Look at this Godawful mess’. — Art Buchwald.
This is what we have done to this wonderful world we live in but most do not realise that we are responsible for this mess. We are now living in a world plagued by global warming, fast depletion of fossil fuels, pollution of air, water and earth and hastened extinction of flora and fauna. The depletion and degradation have been happening at a greater pace than in the past. We also have more laws and rules, globally, to repair, restore or at least preserve whatever is left. But how effective these laws and norms are is a big question.
We have only ourselves to blame for the present sorry state of our mother earth. The present generation has a lot more responsibility than the elders for they are going to be the future generation. They must address problems related to annihilation of resources, loss of biodiversity, and pollution of all forms.
There are quite a few children who have committed their lives to saving nature. Sixteen-year-old Alex Lin got to know about e-waste and wanted to do something to prevent its dangerous impact on the environment.
With the help of Western Innovations Network (WIN) he campaigned and spread the practice of refurbishing and recycling electronic components like mobile phones, computers, and televisions.
Over the years he was able to save thousands of pounds of e-waste. There is another boy, Alec Lorez, who, inspired by the movie An Inconvenient Truth started his campaign against climate change. Al Gore, the US politician, called Alec and supported his cause. At present several thousands have joined Alec’s campaign.
There are also several children in India as well who have made a difference. K Ramnath Chandrasekhar at the age of 16 chose to be a wildlife photographer and later plunged into conservation. He, along with the renowned wildlife filmmaker Shekar Dattatri, founded Youth For Conservation (YFC), a non-profit environmental and conservation education initiative, and reached more than 50,000 students in various schools across Tamil Nadu and spoke about the depleting natural resources and the need for conservation.
These young individuals may be exceptions, with passion and strong commitment, who went beyond the limit to play a major role in conservation. But these examples are for other youngsters to take a cue from, get inspired and do their bit to save our earth and its resources. If any one of you has not realised the urgent need, all you need to do is to just take a look around the place you live in. Garbage being dumped callously, barren avenues without trees, vehicles spewing thick smoke, loads of e-waste generated, and the harm we do to ourselves and mother earth is endless. Aren’t these enough reasons for you to act?
You should realise that you are suitably prepared and equipped to endorse environmental consciousness merely because you have better access to facts on nature than the yester-generation and you have a larger share in the distant future. If these reasons are not enough, read what Edward Abbey says: ‘Let us save at least half of our lives for the enjoyment of this wonderful world, which still exists. Leave your dens, abandon your cars and walk out into the great mountains, the deserts, the forests, the seashores. Those treasures still belong to all of us. Enjoy them to the full, stretch your legs, expand your lungs, enliven your hearts — and we will outlive the greedy swine who want to destroy it all in the name of what they call GROWTH.’
