Conservation

Let's start on a simple topic: conservation. Now, many of us have heard this term before, but what does it really mean and how does it apply to our saving the environment?

Well, the Green Tips on the right hand side should give you a clue. Conservation is about conserving what we use and keeping that usage down to a minimum. For example, you can conserve electricity by switching off lights and fans when they are not needed. Air-conditioning takes a lot of energy to run, so it's best if you save it for really hot days. Gas, petrol, and water can all be conserved by smart usage. Walk or ride a bike instead of driving a motor vehicle when you can, don't spend ages washing your hands or bathing, take showers instead of baths, and cook one meal for everyone at once shot. I'm sure if you think about it, you'll find other ways.

I know it may seem like a lot to ask, especially the no air-con thing. But every little bit saves something. If more people do it, less energy is used, and we can use the amount we saved for later, because depleting fossil fuels is a very real thing.

Green Love

These days, one of the most prominent subjects of conversation is the environment. People talk about global warming, the greenhouse effect, pollution, conservation, abuse of the earth and so on and so forth - but how many actually do something about it?

Let's face the facts: This world is the only one we have. Can you imagine living on Mercury, the closest planet to the sun, or on Pluto, the planet farthest from the sun? Could you imagine life on Jupiter, the enormous gas giant, or on the moon? If you can, good for you - you might just be the one who invents ways to make those heavenly bodies hospitable for human habitation. But most of us can't imagine living on any other planet except the one we currently call home - Earth, our Terra Firma.

Our mother planet has been good to us. We have continents to live on, seas and oceans to cruise on, freshwater sources to quench our thirst, green plants to provide oxygen, an ozone layer to protect us from the sun's harmful UV rays, animals and plants galore to satisfy our hunger, resources that make life what it is, and a beatiful place to call home. But we have repaid her by trashing the land, dirtying the waters, clearing the forests, damaging the ozone layer, hunting animals and chopping plants almost to extinction, polluting the environment, and stripping the earth of its beauty and resources. How is that fair?

We only have one world to live in, and we only have it for as long as it can sustain us. At the rate we're going, we might just be forced to leave and find shelter on another planet sometime in the future. But who says we can't do anything about it?

Scientists are discovering new sources of energy to replace our decreasing natural resources, ecologists are studying the world to gain a better understanding of the ecosystem, researchers are looking for solutions to the pollution problems - these people are all doing their part for the world. But what are you doing?

You cannot think that just because you're not a scientist, or an ecologist, or a researcher that caring for the world does not concern you. Stewardship of the earth is everyone's responsibility. Why? Because you live here too.

So my challenge to you is, will you take up that responsibility, and help make the world a better place? Will you do your part to save the endangered species, conserve energy, and clean up the environment? This blog can only provide you with the tools and information necessary to do all that. The choice to use them is yours, and yours alone. Think carefully and choose wisely. You have the power to make a great difference, whether you're the President of the United States or just a lower-middle-class working Asian. So, what is your choice?