WHAT IF? WHAT if you could finish eating a candy bar and not have to walk half a mile to the nearest bin? What if someone could be on a bus and not have to glance twice then drop an empty juice box on the floor?
It's so surprising how simpler and better day-to-day life could be with just small changes.
For example, if our buses had trash cans, wouldn't that contribute to a cleaner environment? Yes, you'll say that like smoking, eating is also prohibited in passenger buses. But can you tell that to 'Grandma ' heading home from the market tired, thirsty and barely able to have won herself a seat in the bus? Good luck.
But then what do we want our children to learn? Is it cleanliness? Or is it the already carefree nature that has proven to be so threatening to our environment? Well we better choose quickly because our gullies and trenches are soon becoming landfills with water passing through occasionally to meet the sea.
Many times I've heard a parent say to a child "thro' it pon th' floor di bus mus' sweep". While it is better than throwing it through the window, it doesn't feel comfortable to have garbage at your feet.
So imagine bins at the entrance and exit of buses. Wise thought?
According to Biology every living organism has its habitat and strives to take care of and protect it. But unlike other life forms, except parasites, we (humans) tend to take from our habitat without putting back much. And because of this our waters are being polluted, our wildlife is fast becoming extinct and forests felled for 'development' or other such ventures. Hotels and resorts are no use to us if there are no trees to help the water cycle and give us fresh air which so many take for granted.
I've always wondered how someone who makes a living from the sea destroys it by bombing for fish, killing schools of young fish in the process, not to mention damaging coral reefs which are as essential to the sea as it they are to land. At times I wonder if it's just ignorance or stupidity. In the long run when the 'ship' is sinking it's every man for himself and God for us all. So why not stand together now both young and old? Launch a clean-up campaign. Residents that live along gullies should stop dumping old refrigerators and other refuse into these water outlets. Though there are efforts by several organisations to better the present state of our surroundings, it's obvious that nothing can change until the people change. This change will come only through voluntary labour and personal involvement. Sounds funny? Well it isn't. I'm not just saying how I think it should be, but I also ask, what if?
