---

Visit my new home at
www.adriantai.com
for more comprehensive updates.

---

Friday, March 02, 2007

Our Earth is sick

Our planet is having a fever. Her doctors call it Global Warming.

If you can remember the past 10 years or so, you probably would have also commented recently, that our planet is getting hotter. And you would be right about it. Scientists who have been measuring claim that for the past 100 years, our planet's temperature have gone up by about 1°C.

But this is not all. In the news, we see an increased frequency of natural disasters such of flood and thunderstorms occurring. Our sea level is also rising. In other words, we are facing a climate change.

When we fall sick, we naturally try to find out what caused our sickness. If it is due to over-working, then we tell ourselves to slow down and relax. If it is due to a bacterial infection, we take antibiotics. The thing is, we do something about our sickness.

But what are we doing for our sick planet? We can all start of with simple things like:

1. Walk whenever possible. Hot weather should not be an excuse because we caused it! By driving, we are making it even hotter for our children in the future. Otherwise cycle. Don't forget that air pollution is also caused by us! Reducing air pollution also reduces incidences of respiratory problems.
   
2. Gather rain water. You can use this water to wash your car porch or even water the plants.
3. Recycle. Don't just throw away your aluminium cans. Recycle them. Same goes with old newspaper, pamphlets and especially junk mails!
4. Consider installing solar-powered water heaters.
5. Plant some greens - be it a tree or vegetables. Or together with your neighbours, adopt a neighbourhood tree.
   
   
6. Do not open your window while the air-conditioning system is running. I find this to happen especially in offices. If it is too cold, ask the building management to raise the temperature.
7. If you pack your food from hawkers very often (especially the economy rice), consider getting a container like tupperware instead of using the hawker's polystyrene container.
8. Use the water from your washing machine to wash your car porch and toilet. You would already have saved on soap and will need only a bit of water to rinse.

Everything starts with us. If everyone starts to do even just 2 or 3 of the listed items above, we would already be making a lot of difference.

Locally, YTL is organising a Climate Change Week from 6th to 9th March 2007. Also, the Oscar-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth will start screening at GSC from mid March onwards. Make a pledge (see side bar). Watch the movie. Love our planet.

But remember, don't just 'save the planet' for a week...

Labels: green, thoughts

Please leave your comments. There are 6 comment(s).

Click here to return to Main Page.