One of my fav yogis from India says “We may have a plan A and a plan B, but there is no planet B, we must protect the one we have. It was Earth Day on April 22nd, if it were up to me, it would be Earth Day every day, every hour and every minute, because without the earth we wouldn’t have days, hours or minutes.
We always talk about recusing the planet, but the fact is the earth has been here for over four and a half billions years, she will continue to survive with less oxygen, more carbon dioxide, melting glaciers and less trees, it’s us that won’t, it’s us that need saving. We need Mother Nature, she doesn’t need us. There really is no choice, we must preserve and protect her in order to save the future generations and ourselves. All it takes is a little awareness, some thought into what we buy, what we wear, what we eat and how we live.
Here are a few simple ways we can do our part, you may think your individual actions don’t make a difference, but collectively they play a huge role in protecting our glorious home.
1. Refuse plastic whenever you can. Say ‘No Thank You’ to any ‘single use’ plastic items, from cutlery to straws in shops and restaurants and when the staff asks why, tell them the reason.
2. Stop coffee cup waste by carrying your own reusable cup. These days there are many eco-friendly ones that are made from bamboo with silicone lids.
3. Invest in a refillable glass water bottle – so you avoid using plastic ones.
4. Love your old bags – Keep a stash of used carrier bags by the door; in the car and in your handbag so you won’t have to buy one or continue adding to the waste plastic mountain. Keep small plastic bags to reuse for fruit and veg.
5. Recycle all paper and cardboard packaging – pick up rubbish from the street, parks and beaches, and deposit them in a community bin or your own recycling bin at home; consider forming a rubbish collecting group in the community.
6. Use an eco-friendly toothbrush—bamboo handled toothbrushes are packed in 100 percent recycled materials.
7. Plant trees to help combat air pollution and provide homes for wildlife. You can grow organic herbs.
8. Save power—turn off lights every time you leave the room, run the washing machine at a lower temperature.
9. Cut down on car journeys- if possible; try getting rides with friends or family.
10. Go vegetarian at least once a week if you can, we don’t realise what an enormous amount of resources livestock production takes.
* The author is a consultant and coach. Instagram handle: @miss_shefa, Website: missshefa.com
Shefa Ali
