Conserving the Environment

Conserving  the Environment

Most Sri Lankan act as if the environment were an unknown quantity, as though they weren’t told what to do to conserve it. This is specially true of people over 40, presumably because environmental studies wasn’t subject in the school curriculum in their time. Of course, this isn’t an excuse since the majority of people in the world have been environment conscious for several decades.

The first point I want to make is about what we, as individuals, can do to conserve the environment. We must accept the fact that if it weren’t for the  environment we wouldn’t be here. It is the environment  and its resources, which have kept us going for centuries. Therefore, it’s our duty to ensure that this same force will be able to nourish and sustain the generations to come. If it weren’t for this life-giving source, the birds, the bees and all of us would be no more.

So, in order  to preserve what we have inherited, we must give to nature what we take from her. In day to day living, try to course the least harm to the environment. For example, if you were the Principle of your school, would you allow the polythene bags or siri siri bags to be thrown around? These bags have become a menace because they are not bio-degradable. Even if they were buried, they will not perish and become part of the soil. So I appeal to you, even if you feel you must use polythene bags  because they’re useful, make sure they are not lying around, cluttering up the and clogging up the drains.

Now, for my second point, about garbage disposal ; in the welcome speech, the speaker said, quite rightly, that most of us don’t know how best to dispose the garbage. Some people say if it weren’t for garbage. Wouldn’t have cows. The aesthetic  value of cows debatable, I am sure we can’t live without cows, we have enough birds life otherwise! Seriously, which is the best method of garbage disposal? Here again, we come up against the problem of polythene. In some areas, the municipal authorities distribute polythene bags for collection of garbage.

Whatever the situation, my advise to you  is if you need to get rid of garbage, sort it out first. Collect your garbage in separate piles: for example, tins, plastic bottles, polythene product together; paper, cloth etc. together, and leftover food, leaves etc. together. You can always use the food, leaves and garden stuff to make compost, which is giving back to the soil, what you take from it. Burying garbage, other than plastic products is not harmful, but burring garbage can’t be harmful. Creating compost and using it as nourishment for the soil is best.

Finally, I would like to wish you the best of luck in preserving the environment. How ever, I wish all of us were living in a world where nature was always in bloom, and there was peace on earth.

Thing of beauty is joy for ever.

Thank you.