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How are you doing, Fonzies? Do you know that Global Earth Day🌍🌎🌏 is coming soon? A fun fact for you, Earth Day falls on the 22nd of April each year. It is an annual event celebrated to manifest your effort and support to the environmental movement. Wait, a day to show steps? Does it really matter?
It might seem like child’s play. However, not exactly everybody can do well and even understand the significance of Earth Day. Protecting the Earth is beneficial to mankind. Do you agree? As a part of communities, no excuses are allowed to neglect our responsibility in ushering in environmental protection. Instead, it’s time to protect our one and only Mother Earth from being polluted and destroyed.
Is the planet that we are living in falling sick? Are the current environmental pollutions really that bad? By looking at the image below, I’m sure that you have the answer. The effects of global climate change and pollution are not future problems anymore, but they are happening now driven by human emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases and human self-centred behaviours. If you have not even realised the urgency behind the environmental movement, we will soon encounter the outbreak of infectious diseases, extreme weather like droughts, floods and wildfires as well as threats to clean food and water.
Source: left - Mellimage/Shutterstock.com, center - Montree Hanlue/Shutterstock.com, right - NASA.
What about biodiversity and the ecosystem?
Could you visualize a world that keeps losing a portion of animals due to the selfishness of human beings? The flora and fauna lose their habitats; wild animals are no longer having food and homes due to deforestation, and the predator on ice - polar bears will be threatened when the temperature keeps rising, causing a rise in sea level, and shrinking ice sheets and glaciers.
The image of a polar bear heavily relying on the ice sheets to survive. Source: WWF
After a long script, what should we do to make changes?
1. No plastics please 🚫
Our planet is choking on plastics! Can you imagine? There are 5 trillion plastic bags used worldwide every year. Most plastics nowadays are designed for single-use purposes. Worst comes to worst, humans throw plastic trashes on the beach and sea, murdering sea turtles and other marine creatures by consuming plastic waste. Right now, Fonzies. You should start bringing your reusable shopping bags along while grocery shopping and buying food. In case you are the one who has 3-second memory, just put some reusable bags in your car! Moreover, make a habit to bring your own water bottle and thermos mug, instead of purchasing mineral water. Besides that, stand by metal straws in your bag in case you crave boba to avoid using plastic straws! It will be more eco-friendly and most importantly you are not contributing to the number of plastics used.
Source: Commonwealth Human Ecology Council
2. Waste Segregation 🚮🚮
This challenge is not that complicated. If you pay attention while walking around campus, you will notice that the corners or the paths along corridors, especially the cafeteria and foyers are placed with waste separation areas by putting 4 different bins with labels. So Fonzies, it’s not too hard right? Think before you throw. Not only on campus but do it at home as well! Sort out the wet waste (biodegradable organic waste) from the dry waste. Your simple step makes a huge difference. You are helping to facilitate the recycling process so that the waste and garbage can be disposed of correctly without adding burdens to the environment.
P.S. Waste electrical and electronic equipment containing foam and printed circuit boards, for example, batteries, light bulbs, household-type electronic appliances as well as hazardous waste like masks and used self-test kits should be carefully segregated from the common household waste for safety purposes.
Waste Separation Areas in Sunway College
3. Reduce Energy Usage 💡📺📻
Fonzies, what would you do when you see the lights and air-conditioners are open in an empty room? Leave it? Or switch them off? You already know the answer but here’s a friendly reminder. Please turn off the air conditioning when nobody is inside the room and when it is a rainy day to avoid unnecessary hydrofluorocarbon being emitted into the atmosphere. Apart from that, try not to take long showers as you are also wasting water energy. A standard showerhead can use up to 2.5 gallons of water per minute. When you reduce water usage, you are also reducing the carbon footprint as it uses a lot of energy to filter, pump, treat, and heat water. It somehow produces greenhouse gas emissions. That’s why conserving water and electricity starts with you!
Source: A-1 Mechanical
4. Practice taking public transport/ Carpool 🚌🚐🚕🚗
I know that some of you doubt or even distrust the efficiency of public transit as there used to be too many unpredictable cases that occurred previously. There’s no doubt that the number of motor vehicles keeps rapidly rising these years, causing traffic congestion, and even producing a large amount of carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide that drive global warming since many younger populations have gotten their driving licenses. Hence, it seems that taking public transportation is more friendly to Mother Earth. Additionally, we have BRT stations and free shuttle buses in Sunway City which provide more conveniences! Another option for you. You can also choose to organise carpools with your besties to take turns driving to campus. The burning of fossil fuels is always not kind to the environment, particularly in a country where vehicles run over its population. Thus, what are you waiting for? Get your MyRapid card now!
5. Avoid Food Wastage🍴
You might not realize that the leftover food will be ended up in landfills and soils. You might be thinking that organic waste will just decompose naturally and easily without any complicated procedure. Nevertheless, the process of decomposition of food waste is not as easy as you think. When the food waste is piled up and packed tightly in plastic bags, the microbes are unable to decay the leftover food owing to a lack of oxygen. Hence, food waste releases methane – a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Consequently, methane in the atmosphere will be trapped in heat, driving a rise in the planet’s temperature. What’s next? Definitely, it causes climate change. Imagine that there is one-third of food produced worldwide wasted every year. How large amount of methane has been emitted? Thus, don’t be a picky eater and please take appropriate quantities of food based on your appetite. If leftovers are in your kitchen, you are highly encouraged to try composting. You can just prepare a composting container to store the food scraps as the organic “compost” and “fertilizer” for your backyard gardening. This practice not only provides “free” nutrition to your plants but also keeps the food waste away from landfills to release greenhouse gases.
Source: Eater
6. Be a good role model 🙆🙆🙆
If you genuinely want to save the planet from going worst, you can volunteer in go-green campaigns. Feel free to participate in beach clean-up programs, planting trees, and recycling events. Several non-profit organizations are initiating environmental protection campaigns such as Tzu Chi, WWF Malaysia, and Greenpeace Malaysia that welcome the public to join and check them out! The easiest way is by joining Sunway College and University’s self-organised program. The Sunway Student Volunteers Society is dedicated to involving in various environmental awareness events to spread their effort and kindness to the Earth. If you want to be one of them to give back to Mother Earth by contributing your sweat and effort, don’t hesitate to sign up to be a part of them! In this case, you are a good role model to educate and enlighten people around you to get involved in the movement of protecting the planet.
Sunway SSV was contributing their effort to Tzu Chi’s Recycling Day.
Sunway SSV was doing their part to preserve the habitat of marine life by cleaning up the beach at Pantai Morib, Banting.
That’s all the tasks and challenges assigned to you. Make sure that you accomplish at least 4 challenges in your checklist. Time will never wait for you. Hence, please start taking action now before the Earth tears up. Not only on Earth Day but we are also supposed to regard every day as Earth Day. It should be mandatory to treat kindly to our planet as it is the only living space for all of us. Or else, the impacts of environmental issues will one day come back to haunt you! Bear in mind, Fonzies. See you!
Written by,
Zi Wei
The Fonz
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