The environment and me

The Environment And Me

An area the size of a few football fields are being cleared everyday, in the form of trees. Our forests could disappear in a few years. No doubt about that. People are noticing this. But then again, we are only concerned about the disadvantages we will face. I doubt many of us even care about the poor sloths, squirrels and birds that have their home sweet home up there. We are only concerned about the lack of oxygen, faliure to discover new creatures etc. This is where individuals like me come in.

Whenever I go to the supermarket and get plastic bags, I turn them into something else, such as vests for me and my brother to play with, aprons, and if I tie many of them into one very big bag, I get a mini soccer ball. I don't have to throw them away just like they are. Nowadays, I bring some left over bags to the supermarket to use them again. Whenever I do this, I get furtive glances. Why? I always ask myself. Am I doing something wrong?

The other form of teaching customers about global warming is to ask a donation from them for every plastic bag used. This, I am proud to say, is being carried out by most major supermarkets in Singapore. However, how many of us will actually donate 5 or 10 cents for our trouble? Therefore, this idea is not sensible.

What other methods of conservation and education are there? At home, I do not see the efforts taken by the government to initiate recycling. All my trash is thrown down the rubbish chute. I do not see a single recycling bin around my neighbourhood; even if I do take the effort to seperate the different types of rubbish, I cannot find a place to dispose of it. All of my trash is chucked down the chute in one big bundle.

Are we not the first line of warriors in the battle for world supremacy? Why then, do we not fight for saving the Earth? Aren't world leaders extremely engaged in getting world peace? Why do they not bother about global warming? The Americans, whom the world looks up to, use enough toilet paper to go around the world 9 times, and this was in 2002. The obesity rate is off the charts with an average of 7 fast-food outlets per mile.

Global warming is serious, and the biggest culprits are America and China. In China, 60,000 new cars hit the roads everyday. Unbeliveable. In America, tons of paper are thrown away everyday without even being used on both sides. Photocopy machines and computers in offices are left on stand-by overnight in most countries including Singapore. This takes up enough electricity to power a 4-room flat for a year. Does this not show the amount of care we are giving the world?

Pilot Pen Awards 2008 entry
Total words: 487
Done by: Raja Veerendiran
Class: Class 104
School: St Joseph's Institution

The Goh Sin Tub Literary Award Entry Particulars
Subject: The Enviroment And Me
Goh Sin Tub Literary Award Entry
External Competition Essay Entry 1 (One)