“We, humans, are killing our planet”
How many times have we heard someone saying that phrase? How many times has it appeared on the news? How many scientific articles have been published about it?
Yet I believe it is not entirely true. There are two keywords which I find to be a lie. Let me explain myself.
First of all, the term “our planet”. It is a huge mistake to consider the Earth as ours. It has never been a gift nor it has never been available for us to use as we wish. This planet is our home, indeed, but not our property. After all, this planet existed way before we did and it has been inhabited by quite a few other guests before us. Unlike us, all these species that visited the Earth treated it with respect and left it as it was when they arrived.
Are we not able to be as polite as we pretend to be?
Secondly, I’d like to emphasize that there is a misunderstanding lying within the idea of “killing our planet”.
Dear readers, we are not killing the Earth, we are killing ourselves and dragging other animals with us.
Climate change is a reality and global warming does exist (even if Mr Trump attempts to deny it), but these issues do not really affect the Earth itself. What I mean is that when the poles have completely melted and the temperature has risen significantly, the Earth will still be alive.
But what about us, will we still be able to breathe? Who is it that needs the ozone layer, us or a stone in the Kilimanjaro?
It is evident that we need to stop destroying the bits of this planet that allows us to be alive, as well as being compassionate with our fellow inhabitants. To do so, there are so many small practices that can make a huge difference. Tiny changes done today can avoid tomorrow’s disaster.
Some of these practices include:
- Reducing the amount of plastic consumed
- Bringing your own water bottle, cup, Tupperware, reusable bags, etc to shops and restaurants.
- Using eco-friendly essentials: wooden teeth brushes, solid shampoos, bio detergent soaps, etc.
- (For people who shave): don’t use disposable razors, invest in good quality ones that you can reuse and change the blades for.
- (For people with periods): use menstrual cups, period underwear or cloth pads.
- Buy responsibly
- Be aware of the origin of the items and the brand’s ideals.
- Avoid unnecessary packaging.
- Buy local (for example, Farmers’ Markets).
- Use responsibly
- Don’ throw away items which are in good condition, instead donate them to charities.
- Be mindful of your possessions.
- Repurpose items and recycle.
- Live responsibly
- Use public transport.
- Don’t waste energy and invest in low-consuming appliances.
- Evaluate your lifestyle and consider others (vegetarianism, veganism, minimalism).
As WWF said, we are the last generation that can save nature. This message cannot fall in deaf ears.
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