IT DOESN'T JUST DISAPPEAR. 😓

Sometimes, we don't realise we're causing harm because we don't see who is affected.

I volunteer at the environmental and sustainability unit at the law clinic in my university and some months ago, we had a rally to sensitise people about environmental sustainability, proper waste disposal and taking better care of our environment.

During the rally, we got to a factory where cocoa was being transported.

And there, at the entrance, a man was burning waste.

The head of my unit approached him and asked why he was burning it.

His response?

“The government hasn't provided a proper waste disposal system. What else are we supposed to do?”

It made me think.

Of course, proper waste disposal systems should exist. Governments and institutions have a responsibility to provide them.

But does the absence of a proper system mean we stop thinking about the consequences of our actions?

Burning waste doesn't just make the waste disappear.

It affects the air.

And somewhere, someone with asthma or another respiratory condition could be breathing that same air.

The same goes for dumping waste in rivers, blocking drainage systems or throwing plastic wherever we please.

Sometimes, we don't see the person who bears the consequence.

And perhaps that's part of the problem.

Environmental sustainability isn't only about protecting trees, forests and oceans.

It's about protecting people too.

We may not always have perfect systems.

But where we have the ability to make better choices, perhaps we should.

Because the environment we neglect today is the environment someone else has to live in tomorrow.

Maybe the first step towards a healthier environment is simply becoming more conscious of the impact of our everyday actions. 🌱

What is one environmental habit you think we need to take more seriously?

#ClimateAndEnvironment #EnvironmentalSustainability #Indegenius #WasteManagement #Sustainability