Unless

            We all got one home. We only have one planet to live in. And as for me, I don’t think we will ever live on a Planet B. Because by that time, we most likely already ran out of time to even move out when our first home is gone. We will destroy our Earth unless we act now. We will lose everything unless we do the right thing. In this case, not only our planet will be gone, but us as well.

            We have been warned years ago, yet most of us didn’t listen. It is now the year 2022, and scientists are saying we only have three to five years left to try and restore the clean and healthy environment we used to have. As a matter of fact, our environment is so contaminated by now that it might be even impossible to completely bring back the fresh surroundings of our planet. Specially, not everyone is disciplined enough to even listen to the warnings of our scientists who are desperately trying to save Earth.

            With this being said, as a YES-O President of our school and the whole Vigan Division, I am encouraging you who is reading this to at least do the simple ways to help save our planet. First of all, let us always observe proper segregation of our wastes. Give importance of what is biodegradable, non-biodegradable, and last but not least specially during this pandemic, the hazardous wastes. Besides trashing our surroundings, improper segregation also leads to the risk of exposure to communicable illnesses. Second, always practice the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle). Third, remember to lessen the use of plastics. In connection to this, avoid, or better, STOP throwing your garbage at the ocean. Sea creature’s lives are on risk all because of this. And fourth, learn to reuse your old things. For example, a plastic bottle. You can turn this into a lot of things, such as a pen holder, or a pot for your plant.

            There are also simple ways where we can lessen our garbage from being thrown away anywhere which would cause any kind of pollution to our environment. As for our plastic garbage, we can wash these (specially if it is a candy wrapper or junk food plastic wrappers), and shred it. After shredding, we can put it inside a plastic bottle and that will be used for making cement bricks. This way, those plastics will be locked instead of being a hazard to our planet. Other than turning it into a cement brick, we can also make it into a pillow! Yes, you read that right. Just simply put those shredded plastic inside of a cloth and sew it to make a pillow.

 

            We can help save the Earth specially if we help one another and work together as one. We can all start from the simplest ways to help restore and recover our planet back to its beautiful and fresh green environment. Remember, small things can cause a big impact as well. It’s better to do something rather than doing nothing for the better of our future and most importantly, our home.

 

(screenshot from the ending of the movie, The Lorax by Dr. Seuss)

“UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot,

nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

– Dr. Seuss

 

References:

Earth by Lil Dicky. Retrieved June 19, 2022 https://youtu.be/S2SMvfGe72U

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss – “Unless” Stone. Retrieved June 19, 2022 https://tinyurl.com/fb-TheLoraxMovie-Unless

“Do We Really Have Only 3 to 5 Years Left on Earth? Here’s What Climate Scientists, Reports Tell Us” by Marie Morales. Retrieved June 19, 2022 https://tinyurl.com/ScientistsProtest2022

“Healthcare Waste Segregation” by Megan Chamberlain. Retrieved June 19, 2022 https://tinyurl.com/HealthcareWasteSegregation

Picture 2. Retrieved June 19, 2022 https://tinyurl.com/Improper-waste-disposal

Picture 3. Retrieved June 19, 2022 https://tinyurl.com/STOPoceanplasticpollution