April 22 is known as Earth Day. It is now recognised by the UN and observed each year by more than 500 million people in 175 countries, and Pakistan is one of them. It is the day on which we generate as many environment-friendly actions as possible to show that we understand our responsibility for creating a cleaner and safer environment in our communities. And it is vital to always remember that taking care of the environment is part of our responsibility for the next generation.
Getting our children involved in Earth Day activities can be fun and a rewarding idea. Planting a tree, picking up trash and reading together on the Internet about how to take care of the environment can be a wonderful way to celebrate Earth Day with them. The most important thing is to remember to enjoy yourself while doing it. On Earth Day 2012, the international community has set some key goals to achieve. It would like to create more jobs for people, have more events for the environment, grow more attention and respect for the land, purchase more recycled products, and conserve non-renewable resources.
All of this can be achieved if we believe that there is still room for more improvement. It is not economic benefits that companies and individuals look for when they participate in environmental activities; some recent studies showed that saving on power and recycling and other acts can save companies millions of wasted dollars every year. So it seems that taking care of the environment can take good care of the economy. Caring for the environment is a good habit that we can all develop to have a positive impact on our lives and on the place we live in everyday. People who show interest in their surroundings are more concerned about the future of the world. This needs to be part of our character as individuals and groups.
Earth Day represents a great opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of the environment. We can expect many great things when the majority of the people come to realise that the resources and environment we misuse today is only a borrowing from our grandchildren.
NADEEM ALI WAGAN,
Karachi, April 20.