It’s not my responsibility
By now I think that I have organised a cleanup in each council of this country.
Camilla Appelgren is an Environmentalist
Being a statistics nerd, I always analyse the numbers after each and every one of these events. It is interesting to see that the ones who consider their locality very littered also are more likely to have less active citizens.
It is hard to tell if the lack of active citizens is the cause of the littered council or the opposite. Sometimes I see people who could have been amazingly active within their council, but during the years they got so demotivated by all the obstacles that their fighting spirit was killed. Having a society that makes things hard for the good ones, and easier for the less good, is indeed an issue.
By time I have kind of become a neutral force - someone not connected to any party but yet fighting for a change as a person and not as an NGO. It is something new to many, but more and more of us are emerging. An empowered nation seems to be seen as a threat in Malta, when it’s actually the opposite. An empowered nation knows their impact and will by their own will contribute to its wellbeing. What we need in Malta are leaders that actually cheer the people and put themselves in the shadow a bit. A real leader eats last they say, and it couldn’t be more true.
What we have achieved with this way of leading the country is that people no longer take responsibility. For the environment, which is very close to my heart, it has had a disastrous result.
Every time I do a cleanup there will be people feeling the need to tell me that I am wasting my time, that there are people paid to clean up after us or that we pay tax for a reason. For them it is totally normal to sit back and relax while the so called ‘others’ sort out the mess we are surrounded by.
I am not relaxed about the fact that councils spend thousands of euros monthly to clean up waste and litter. This whole operation could be so much more cost effective with an empowered society - a society that understands the concept of reducing waste for the benefit of all - a society that understands the whole concept of sustainability and the fact that some decisions have to be taken even though it means more work for them but in the long run it would be good for us all.
Some want wider roads and more high rise buildings, but they want less overpopulation. This does not add up. Malta needs a master plan with sustainable environment as a top priority, not personal gain for the few. Wider roads will only benefit us in the short run, because with wider roads more people will feel their right to have their own car and in a blink of an eye we are back to square one.
We can’t keep on widening the roads. I hear Minister Borg say that this is the only way, it is not. I yet haven’t seen one master plan in Malta about alternative transportation methods. We have a public health issue with children being obese. Doesn’t anyone see the link between these?
I think all children have the right to move around independently. For me it is not healthy to have a society where children have to be driven by a parent wherever they go. The kids should use their legs to cycle or walk and the government should enable them to do so, in a safe manner.
Everything is connected, and this is the understanding I see lacking in Malta. Not using the car indicator might seem trivial to some, but it actually is a very good example of how little we understand about this interaction in our society. Not using an indicator will cause a ripple effect throughout the day and the one who decided to not use it, will have no clue about it.
The understanding that we actually affect others every second of our lives is an important lesson to learn and should be taught in schools. This interaction process isn’t always bad - it can be used in our favour when it comes to good things as well. A smile to a stranger can cause the same ripple effect, but a positive one.
Going back to the councils with less active citizens - what is worth mentioning is that the ones complaining but not taking action, the ones saying that someone else is paid to clean up, are part of the problem as much as the ones littering.
“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.”