Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdy

 

Are we conscious of the damage we are doing to the environment? Is the government aware of this problem and is it making people aware of the dangers involved? If so, then what is being done to protect our environment?



There is no doubt that there have been efforts exerted, conferences and discussions held, proposals made and recommendations put forward to address this vital problem that affects the future of life on our planet. I don’t want to analyze or criticize the approaches governments and countries have taken to protect the environment, but rather to look at what people are doing to either protect it or destroy it.



In the past people did less damage to the environment. When they went to the market, they took baskets made of palm leaves, which were popular in those days. When grocery store owners sold them consumer goods in paper bags, they put them in the basket and took them home. Similarly, they carried empty glass soft drink bottles to the grocery store and exchanged them for bottles of soft drinks.



In those days, housewives used aluminum or china dishes and plates, as well as metal spoons, knives and forks, and glassware. They washed these items and kept them in their appropriate places in the cupboard in order to use them daily.



Nowadays, a shopper goes to a supermarket, and buys whatever he needs, and even much that he does not need, and then puts everything in plastic bags. He buys boxes of soft drinks in aluminum or plastic bottles that will be used only once. As for housewives, they use readymade tablecloths as well as plastic plates, spoons, knives and forks for one time only. Then, they collect them and throw them into garbage bins in a random way. They mix solid and liquid waste together with food remnants which emit foul smells that disturb the neighborhood.



We must change the way we dispose of our garbage and trash. We should realize that what we are doing to our environment is a crime and that future generations will not forgive us for passing on to them a polluted world.



The protection of the environment must start with the family, and it will be clear that the environmental awareness of families has increased when there is a decrease in the quantity of waste they deposit in rubbish bins. Their awareness will have increased when they place hard and liquid waste in separate bags and put them out to be collected by the municipality. Their awareness will be higher when they take to eat the exact quantity of food that they want without leaving any on their plates to be thrown away. This is part of our Islamic tradition that should be observed at the dining table. The practice of taking a plate full of food and then leaving part of it and throwing the leftovers into a trash bag is clear evidence of the lack of awareness about the protection of the environment as well as about our moral responsibilities.



It is the duty of families to make their members aware of the importance of following basic economic and environmental principles — reduce consumption, reuse and recycle. Take for example the case of the tablecloth. Why do we use it only one time and then throw it into a trash bag? There are some good quality tablecloths that we can wash and use many times. Why do we use plastic cups, plates, spoons, knives and forks? There could be potential health hazards involved in using them. Why don’t we use good quality cups, plates, and silverware which we can use many times? (In the next article, I will deal with the role of municipalities and civil society organizations in protecting the environment.)

Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdy is a former Saudi diplomat who specializes in Southeast Asian affairs. He can be reached at [email protected].