Young green warriors teach elders a lesson

The other day, some children from my colony came over to hand out a flyer with the request to read its contents and implement them as far as possible.

After they left for the next house, I started reading the flyer. At first it seemed to be an ordinary list of instructions but a deeper look impelled me to salute the young eco-warriors who were making serious efforts to protect air, water and soil from pollution.

The flyer sensitised readers about the hazards of environmental pollution with the thrust on depleting natural resources. Its tag line was, ‘Save Nature, Save Future’. Catchy and appropriate.

The young eco-brigade made sure the flyers reached every house in the colony. The initiative evoked a mixed response. Some residents heaped praise on them. Others dubbed their bid a mere stunt. And a few didn’t even take note of their recommendations.

But a line in the flyer attracted the attention of both their supporters and critics. It made an appeal to the residents not to waste the flyer and put it to good use to save at least a tree from being killed. It also urged residents to gather in the colony park at 7am the next day.

We flocked to the park at the designated hour. A boy welcomed us and sought our help to fight pollution. His request sparked off a healthy discussion among the residents.

But a few were still skeptical of the endeavours of the young brigade. They were of the view that it was next to impossible to save the environment without the active support of the government. A few disagreed. They felt that a positive initiative by people could go a long way in bringing down the level of pollution. Finally, it was decided to celebrate Environment Day in its true spirit. The next day happened to be E-day.

The residents took practical steps to fight pollution. No one washed his/her car or bike that day. They simply dusted them off. The kitchen waste water was used to water plants and the young eco-warriors stayed offline that day. The schoolchildren, who were assigned projects as home work, also decided to defy their teachers because a few assignments held out a threat to the environment.

It was a memorable day for all of us. We realised that if we put up a united front against pollution, it can help save natural resources for us and our future generations. And if we shy away from taking the bull by the horns, the sights of long queues to get a bucketful of water and people wearing masks, gasping for fresh air, would be commonplace on this planet.

NO ONE WASHED HIS/ HER CAR OR BIKE THAT DAY. THEY SIMPLY DUSTED THEM OFF. THE KITCHEN WASTE WATER WAS USED TO WATER PLANTS