Here we are – living on a planet, calling it mother earth but not showing the respect due to a mother. We are without doubt doing a good job tearing the environment apart and handing over a world practically unlivable to the next generation. And we proudly think we are doing our children a favour.
Governments have to be serious and take measures to protect and preserve the environment. Every individual must do his/her part without the thought that I am fighting a lone battle. To start something, we need to be united and feel the power of one. If everyone thinks that they are fighting the green battle alone and abandons it, then there isn’t any battle at all. The war is lost even before it starts. We are the ONE!
Recycling has been promoted so much that there is the impression that recycling can solve all problems. There is only so much material we actually want to and can re-use. We have to watch what goes into the bin because it eventually ends up in the landfills that have direct contact with earth especially ground water. We must stop putting food waste into the bin. One would be amazed at what goes into the bin – leftover or unfinished food, and even packets of curry! What is supposed to be dry waste now becomes wet and chemical reaction takes place in the landfill. And yet we complain that the garbage truck is smelly and liquid waste drips all over the route of the garbage truck. What else can we expect? You and I are responsible for it.
How many of us know how to dispose of dead batteries, fluorescent tubes and bulbs? At the moment it ends up in the bin and heads to the same landfill. In fact, the fluorescent tubes cannot even fit in the bin and gets crushed either in the bin or in the garbage truck. And yet we believe we are doing things right!
The government has been talking about garbage separation at source. This is a huge effort that requires a paradigm shift in the people’s mindset. However there has been no significant progress in this area so far. We can at least start by educating the people and getting the local authorities to change the way garbage is collected.
At Ametis we have taken our own small steps towards being environmentally friendly. In time to come Ametis will look at bigger things like rainwater harvesting, natural light utilization, solar panels, and many more initiatives.
Enrolment is now open for primary and secondary classes. Please call 05-2413141 or 019-3883349 for enquiries, or visit us at www.ametis.edu.my.
