Dixya Poudel

During my social studies classes in school years, I learnt about earth's environment and its sustenance. I remember how my younger self would get anxious over environmental problems. I would worry that the global warming would lead to a rise in sea level. I believed in recycling and always disposed plastics on the bins and whenever I saw people throwing plastics on the streets without any care, I felt dismayed. I learnt that the world needed to go green. And I learnt that we are short on time.
What is a green world? It is a world that preserves its natural resources and environment. Green is the colour of foliage, trees and the spring season. When we think green we immediately visualise nature in the wilderness. The colour green signifies not just nature but also life, energy and growth. And human beings are indebted to trees which sustain lives on earth. The question then is: how are we as the only rational being on earth paying our dues to the Mother Nature?
A while ago, photographs of marine pollution became viral in the social media. One of the pictures was that of a jellyfish helplessly entangled in a sheet of plastic. That picture has become an emblem of human being's blatant disregard for nature. Our generation might be on the clear and able to take all the advantages that this earth has to offer. What about our future generations?
It is in human nature to focus on the short term problems. We might worry about environmental problems but in a distant and hazy way. Once in a while there are enraged activists speaking up for environmental conservations but their voices are marginalised by inconsequential matters. We take care of ourselves, our families, our houses and properties. We worry about education, health, employments and house mortgages. But how often do we think of the earth and our mother nature?
We ought to be aware of the many advantages of a greener world. A green world is one of the keys to controlling climate change. Climate change occurs due to global warming which in turn is a result of greenhouse effect. The earth absorbs and reflects sun rays as it revolves around the sun. In greenhouse effect, gases such as carbon dioxide accumulate in the earth's atmosphere which traps the heat on the earth leading to an imbalance on the earth's climate.
For a greener world, we need to save fuel, energy, trees and water resources. We can start at an elementary level. Firstly, we can plant trees in our communities since creating green environment is an efficient way to conserve ecosystem. We can recycle plastics, promote organic farming and use alternative sources of energy such as solar and wind energy. We ought to encourage eco-friendly activities. Waste management, particularly of plastics is also a way to save the environment since plastics pollute lands and oceans endangering biodiversity.
We can all find a way to create awareness about environmental conservation. As a young student, I worried that the earth could be inhabitable for future generations. I still do. Today, I support organic produce. I consume less plastic. I buy eco-friendly products. Maybe I am also doing my part by believing, envisioning and writing about a greener world!