Recycled thoughts!

What I love about being in the United States is the fact that I can give back to nature. How, a lot of people would be wondering. I mean America is known for their wastage and overuse of plastics, cans, and almost all resources. However late it maybe, they have realized the importance of recycling and minimizing the use of such non-degradable products.

It just amazes me at how many efforts they put into making their community go green. They could have stopped using plastics completely (like we did in India), but they exerted more to find a solution to the damage caused and the foreseen damage due to their actions in the future.That is something I like about the mindset here; they don't cut off their luxuries, because it might cause a problem, they just go one step ahead and find a solution. I don't know if that is the right way, but it is certainly better than ignoring the issue altogether. It is good to see people take responsibility for their actions.

My workplace has almost 50 bins, each assigned to recycling either paper, plastics or cans. I thought people here were obsessed with going green, but it has brought a sense of awareness within me as well. Today, before throwing anything in the trash, I think for a minute if it can be recycled. The best part is that you at least have the infrastructure to be able to save the earth. But, it hurts when people in India want to do something and are limited due to the resources. It is not like they don't think of minimizing wastage. If you come to think of it, selling papers to the "raddiwala" is nothing but a way of recycling!!!

And you know, it is not like I am being introduced to the concept of recycling and saving the resources for the first time too, but you have to have that one moment of sudden realization, when you feel you owe something to the society. For me, I did have the realization, but didn't know how. It was one little message in a cafe' that showed me how a simple step could make a big difference.Next to a stack of tissue papers, it said "This paper was made from a tree" and that's it. No instructions, no public awareness announcement, just a plain fact. But that stopped me in my tracks. Just like that, I had found a way to channel my thoughts in the right direction.

I think I am a better person for it today and I am trying to spread the message wherever I can. I am not thinking of changing the world or anything, just the communities around me. Because change happens one step at a time.

People say, "You should take care of the environment to preserve it for the next generation", but let's be honest, the way things are going, nature may not stay the way it is, even for when we grow old. So, don't do it for anyone else, but at least for you, because let us accept it, it's only a handful that put the needs of others above their own. I would say, be selfish and think about your comfort, but not just for today, plan for your future too!!!