It all began quite innocuously at the Spring Festival of my son’s baseball club. The chance purchase of a soda from a stall set me off on a discovery of ‘strength in unity’, on a mission that takes priority in the Japanese way of life. Its elements are: cleanliness, eco-consciousness and dedicated efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle.
I did notice a table lined with three garbage bags and a small basket but didn’t pay much attention to them. No sooner had I dropped the soda bottle in one of the garbage bags, two eager mothers came running up and pulled the bottle right out of the bag. Taken aback, I watched with embarrassment coupled with amazement as they took it upon themselves to demonstrate the correct procedure to dispose of that harmless-looking soda bottle.
The wrapper went into one garbage bag; the lid into another and the bottle into yet another. Finally the washer and ball of the bottle were gently placed into the small basket. I cannot forget that day for the simple reason that all this was being done perfectly and effortlessly and by every single person including children, without being told to do so and without a complaint. It was an eye-opener and I realised the power of unity.
Yes, I’d heard how the Japanese recycle and sort garbage like nowhere else on the planet and all that; but I didn’t think I’d see it in action at such a mundane level, nor get such a fine lesson on it.
All systems are continuously being tuned towards eco-friendliness. It’s because everyone believes it to be their bounden duty, their responsibility towards their nation, to Mother Earth. Government policies and corporate actions are oriented to it. Non-governmental organisations and volunteers, schools, colleges do it all the time. The everyday actions of individuals help drive this noble mission forward with zeal, sincerity and enterprising innovation. Coupled with a gentle yet vehement reminder of global warming and climate change and their effects on our daily lives, every medium of communication is being used to educate and spread awareness among the people and get them to act responsibly towards the environment. Whether the message is on a simple paper fan or on a table mat in the eco-conscious restaurant, people are always reminded, coaxed and made to act in eco-friendly ways.
So it is that I’ve learnt to take my garbage home wherever I go, carry “my bag” to the corner grocery store, take only one or two tissues from the fast food outlet... feels good to be part of this united effort to save our planet. Unbelievable stories such as that of the city of Yokohama which reduced its garbage generation by 60,000 tonnes in six years, actually shutting down incinerators due to lack of use; and of the zero-waste town of Komamatsu, are reflections of the fact that if every individual just did their bit, great things can be accomplished. Eco-conscious citizens of all ages participate in cleaning streets, parks, public places; whole rivers have been revitalised from their polluted state.
Manufacturers big and small create environmentally harmless products. Their social responsibility ensures educating and involving ordinary citizens to take up eco-friendly activities.
But it is also the actions of everyday individuals that have left a lasting impression on me. The frail, elderly lady in my neighborhood who religiously tugs her trolley looking for cigarette stubs and other scraps on the pavement, come rain or shine, as if it was her duty and as if it was her pavement in the first place!
And the friendly grandfather who is always happy pulling out weeds, trimming the beds on the roadside as if the flowerbeds actually belonged to him! It is just so gratifying to see an entire population doing the right thing just because they want to and not out of fear of fines or punishment.
Disciplined policies and actions, a bold decision to rewrite the future, will help India ride gently but surely into a new world. It’s time we learned that actions indeed speak louder than words and get serious about protecting our planet, starting with our immediate surroundings in the first place.
kalvole66@yahoo.co.in
