Let’s Teach To Conserve From An Early Age Earth Day

The celebration of Earth Day is numbered. We will be witnessing a huge number of Facebook posts about Go Green, Save Earth, Converse Wildlife etc. but the sad reality that that such voices become limited to social medias only. We are educated enough to know better. We should use social media and it’s platform to write things but our education has no value if we don’t practice what we preach. 

Someone said “What is the point of your education if you throw garbage on the streets to be ultimately picked up by an uneducated person working?” It is about time we re-think our values because the act of degradation is outnumbering the act of conservation. We are well aware, the earth is our home that our actions on Earth have long-term effects.Overpopulation, genetic modification, ocean acidification, global warming, degradation of natural life and extinction of wildlife, acid rain are some of the examples of negative effects that human has imposed on earth. So, what can we do as the most intelligent people on earth to make mother earth a better home
for everybody to live on?

In a recent conversation with Miss Nepal Earth 2018, PriyaSigdel, we got the opportunity to gain her insights on Conservation and the importance of learning about it from an early age.

Conservation has always been a broad concept. It’s meaning or an exact definition can be googled to gain an insight but the practice of conserving is a topic far from education or discussion. Like every other student in school, she learned about conservation as a general curriculum to be studied but she mentions, the knowledge and exposure of practicing the actual meaning of conservation came into light when she started contributing in this field. 

As we get older and if lucky, wiser, the concept of conservationchanges for us and we realize the truth that, conserving is not about initiating the big actions rather simply is a change brought by a small initiative of an individual who seeks to bring a difference.

There are numerous aspects to which conservation can be initiated from, but simply to take an example,in terms of food, people have been following the culture of wasting a lot of food without consuming it. What we need to analyze is that, quality is better than quantity and consuming a little of everything is much better than letting it go to waste. The waste of food has resulted in production of gases like methane that absorb infrared radiation and heat up earth’s atmosphere which ultimately leads climate change and global warming. It is a vicious cycle that also indirectly links to the waste of land, water and oils used to produce food. 

Similarly, another issue that needs to be addressed is the use of plastics.

The use of plastics is vigorously growing due to it’s affordability and easy access in the market. We all are well aware of the effect of plastics on the atmosphere but a bigger issue needs attention regarding the depletion of marine life that suffer and choke to death from the excessive throwing of plastics in the seas and oceans. There are more plastics in the world than humans. We are the market and if we choose to stop using plastic consciously then we shall be creating a market for an alternative that is environment friendly.

As much as awareness is essential, it should be done on a daily basis where children from a very young age must be exposed to the practical knowledge of conserving the environment. Teaching them the concept of 3R; Reduce, Reuse and Recycle and unveiling practical knowledge will foster a community of young and hopeful individuals who are responsible towards their actions and it’s impact on the environment.

Problems like these are just like an island on a ocean. There are many other issues that needs to be addressed and conservation of each and every aspect of nature comes from an individual. When one person initiates, then a home practices it, sooner it will be practiced by a community that aids in bringing bigger change in our actions. People have education but lack the awareness to do what is necessary and correct. Specially in the urban areas where most of the migrants settle, their lack of ownership to the land as not their own leads to more pollution and environment degradation. Thus, it becomes the duty of mainstream media to raise their voices to aware people on issues of conservation and how people can contribute as individual and as a whole for the greater good of the nature.