Seeing this week's prompt took me back to 2024, when I was still serving my motherland. That time I belonged to the Environmental Sanitation and Protection CDS, of which I was the president, and every Thursday, we went out to schools, marketplaces, communities, or anywhere we were led to where we sensitized and kept the people aware of how they can keep their environment clean always because health is wealth. And to be honest, I am very happy that I was able to make a good impact in telling people about waste management, public health education, and ensuring that our environment is always left clean and safe at all times.
I was out recently, and I drank a bottle of water while I was walking. The person I was with was like, I should throw the empty bottle inside the gutter, but I kept on holding it until I saw a waste bin to dispose of it. Even though I see how people litter everywhere with waste, I get tired sometimes, and that is why I have refused to add to the mess.
Sometimes back, I thought that keeping the environment safe was only for people living abroad, because here, what we are always thinking about is how we will pay rent, buy food stuff, and survive. But I am glad that anytime I enter some area, I always see how clean those environments are kept, and that is the little thing that matters. Anytime I am indoors, I always switch off the appliances that I am not using to conserve energy. I switch off the bulbs when not in use, though doing that also saves money too. And one habit I have developed is when I want to get something, I always go with big or medium bags instead of collecting plenty of nylons, and sometimes, I usually reuse my plastic bottles before disposing of them properly.
Even though in my house, water is not an issue and it is free, I always make sure I conserve it and not waste it anyhow because sometimes, we might have light, and sometimes there might not be light for days, so I will say it is wise for me not to waste it even though it is available.
Though all these things start with personal and self-awareness, at the same time, we cannot do it alone, and that is why if a lot of people become more mindful and come together, I know that our street, our home, will become better for us to live in.
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Thank you for reading.
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