Think about our share

I often come across campaigns to promote ecological consciousness. There is a call for forestation, reducing emission of air or water pollutants, preserving lung space in towns and cities, planting saplings, recycling of waste, reducing use of plastic bags, etc. This is a timely reminder to a consumerist society, which uses the natural resources without pausing to think about the effects of mindless consumption on themselves and the future generations.

I come across its impact upon families and children who come to visit  for consultation. I enquire from families if they have sufficient space for children to play in the neighbourhood or at their schools. The commonest answer is 'no'. They mention that the available spaces are being used for building complexes for housing, commerce or adding to the school facilities.

The trees cut for widening of roads, construction, etc are expected to be compensated by planting new saplings, which is followed by some and not by others. We are gradually losing our tree cover  sometimes at an alarming rate. It is when we visit places that we were used to frequent, we would notice how bare the place looks without the trees, which were cut down.

I came across some examples of promoting the concept of 'green earth' in  a school. The teacher demonstrated how news paper can be used to make paper bags, which then can be given to provision shops to dispense goods to consumers. The school supplies bags to three provision shops and with the income form this project, the school is developing  a butterfly park.

The patients who stay in the hospital are encouraged to make a paper bags, which has almost replaced the use of plastic bag in the pharmacy.

The challenge is formidable. Le this not deter us form making a small start. Think of recycling; think of preserving the green earth form any more exploitation.

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)