I worry about the climate crisis and the lack of concern among many people.
I am worried. I worry about climate change a lot, constantly.
I live in Singapore. An affluent nation, where most people have an abundance, and few have to worry about survival. We have moved on to living, rather than surviving. Don’t get me wrong, this is wonderful. It is fantastic that people are secure and have access to all their basic needs and education. However, it has also led to an ignorance amongst the people on how much they are consuming and how much wastage they are producing.
I rarely hear any of my local friends and acquaintances talking about the climate crisis, or wastage or recycling. They only bring it up when I happen to be nearby, and they are about to throw something away or get an extra plastic bag, sheepishly telling me some excuse. Of course, I am not there to preach to them, I just encourage them to do better next time if I even say anything.
I have become the “green” guru amongst my friends about this topic. I am proud to wear it as a badge, but I do wish that they would think of it and act responsibly, even when I’m not around, just in their daily lives. Like many people around me, they buy fast fashion and buy frivolous single use items (like aluminum balloons for a birthday party that was put up for a few hours).
I have had guests in my home who expressed so much surprise at my recycling bin or that I rinse out cans and don’t just dump them in the trash. I have not used a plastic grocery bag in at least 4 years, since I moved out of my parent’s house. In Singapore, most people use plastic shopping bags to throw out their household trash. Yet, I never have a problem with having trash bags. I just use chip bags, flour bags, bread bags, and the very many various packaging that I get with my groceries.
I have tried shopping at stores that offer goods for bulk purchase where we can bring our own containers. There are not many in Singapore but I think I have tried at least half of them. The problem with them is that they sell organic products and are therefore more expensive. Oh, how I wish they sold non- organic products in bulk. I guess I just have to keep searching for one. In the meantime, I buy my olive oil and peanut butter from Scoop Wholefoods and just get large bags of other things at my nearest Sheng Siong. I think having one big bag that I can use as a trash bag later is better than having many smaller bags that I cant really use effectively.
These are just some small ways in which I try to reduce my waste. I am a firm believer that every little bit counts. Every small change by each and every person will eventually add up to a large collection of good that we can all benefit from. I will still worry about the climate and how little we are able to do to reverse it. I will still think about the garbage patch floating in the oceans. I will continue to feel saddened by the loss of biodiversity in many places. Yet, I will be in my small corner of the world, trying to do everything in my power to help.
