This annual event celebrat-ed on June 5 began in 1972 and has grown to be a global platform for public outreach in relation to the environment. It promotes environmental action and awareness with the hope indi-viduals will realize their responsi-bility on Earth and their power to change the world in a sustainable and greener way.
As it is stated in the Book of Genesis, God created our world and made us to live in it as its stewards. Yet, with the increas-ing harm to the environment, it seems as if we are taking our world for granted and exploiting all our resources. We are taking more than we need when creating new technology, furniture, clothing, etc., and also disregard-ing the negative effects of our methods in extracting resources and producing energy. We are poisoning and destroying the planet for our own personal gain and taking advantage of the en-vironment by using it simply for profit. With the effects of global warming and climate change, our planet is in extreme danger.
Some of us may be aware of these issues, but most decide to ignore them and wait for someone else to take action. We look at these environmental problems and think there is nothing we can do other than hope for them to go away. However, raising environ-mental awareness and doing all we can to prevent these problems may avoid or slow down their effects.
We can start by reducing the materials we purchase to decrease waste, seek a more efficient and renewable way to produce energy, create better recycling programs and plant more trees than we cut down. On World Environment Day, I plan to continue to live a sustainable lifestyle, seek ways to get involved in various environ-mental initiatives in my city and set an example for those around me.
When we begin to see the world as a gift from God, we will begin to treat the globe with respect. It is a precious place that needs to be protected and greatly cared for, just as it is our home and takes care of us. We need to change our bad habits and make better choices for our planet. Lakes and rivers give us water to drink, trees give us air to breathe and plants give us food; and so it is only fair that we treat those with respect. Ultimately, how we treat our en-vironment reflects our morals and how we treat those around us; therefore, we must take action to ensure that our planet is protected before it is too late to be saved for future generations.
(Juson, 18, is a Grade 12 student at St. Joseph’s College School in Toronto.)