Happy Earth Day!...Let’s change that to…Earth Day is every day. We cannot survive without nature; it keeps us alive, so we need to make sure that we do the same for it – keep it alive and thriving! Now more than ever, we must be mindful with regards to the environment around us in our daily lives as well as around the world. Breathe in…and now slowly breathe out. This air gives us life, so we must not pollute it. When you go out, feel the sun give you warmth and light, helping you to grow and heal, so we must not take it for granted and not simply let average temperatures to rise. And even on your busiest days, take a moment to stop in that present moment and hear the sweet and peaceful singing of birds and appreciate the beauty and importance of the myriad of different species globally, so we must not destroy their homes and endanger their lives. Now join me through the garden of awareness towards protecting our home…planet earth.

Did you know that only approximately 3% of the world’s ecosystems remain healthy and originally intact? Plus, we are in a severe biodiversity crisis where animals such as: tigers, lions, elephants, gorillas, whales (and this list is heartbreakingly endless) are immensely endangered. Why? A large issue is the extreme use of deforestation and poaching, which is destroying habitats and greatly contributing to global warming along with the increase of pollution. Also, did you know that about 2400 trees are cut down each minute? However…

There is hope.

An increasing use of reforestation and afforestation is helping to rebuild habitats and reduce carbon dioxide. The UK’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 were 51% below 1990 levels, according to new Carbon Brief analysis. This means the UK is now halfway to meeting its target of “net-zero” emissions by 2050. Also, due to the rise in awareness of climate change, more people are becoming cautious about their carbon footprint and are taking local initiatives to provide a positive impact to the environment.

How can we help the environment?

  • Raise awareness
  • Walk/Ride a bike more often
  • Recycle
  • Create local initiatives at school or in the workplace
  • Shop and support your local farmer’s market
  • Reduce food wastage
  • Create your own vegetable patches
  • Plant a tree
  • Support local small environmentally friendly businesses
  • Use the ethical and environmentally beneficial search engine ‘Ecosia’, whereby 80% of its profits go towards planting trees
  • The Meditation app ‘InsightTimer’ is working with Ecosia by creating a 10 day eco mediation challenge, where after the 10 days, Ecosia will plant 3 trees for each person who has taken part.
  • Use sustainable products

At Caterham High School, we are helping the environment by growing our own vegetable patches, which include a variety of tomatoes, green beans and lettuce. This has been done through the help of the Year 7 students, who are hardworking and dedicated to protecting our planet. It is fantastic to see the younger students be so proactive and engaged in learning and educating themselves about sustainable living and what we can do locally with such ease.

I was curious to ask some people about what they do to help protect our environment and their hopes for a the future:

How have you contributed in helping to take care of the environment?

“My family take a lot of time in recycling…and going to the shops by walking instead of the car. ” (Student)

“I have become very good at recycling and re-using materials. I am trying to walk more and use my car less.” (Teacher)

“I make sure all that is to be thrown is going to the bin and not to the streets.” (Student)

“I have learned from secondary school/collage about keeping the environment safe, which has inspired me to recycle more.” (My Brother)

“I like to educate myself more about the environment and ecosystems around the world by watching documentaries.” (My Brother)

What are your hopes for the future of the earth in the next 10 years?

“We will be progressing to reduce our carbon emissions, making sure that we use more sustainable resources. I think the future is electric and solar.” (Student)

“My hopes are that we continue to look after our planet and come up with new and innovative ways to keep the earth as safe as possible. My hope is that the younger generation will be at the forefront of this movement.” (Teacher)

“Hopefully the use of plastic will reduce.” (Student)

“I hope we prevent the increase of global warming by recycling and using more sustainable approaches to living by creating more greenhouses. People should be more aware of the situation, because previous generations did not take it seriously enough.” (My Brother)

I myself, have consciously been more proactive in learning more about the climate crisis as well has taking care of the vegetable patch in my garden. I also enjoy visits to my local garden centre (Redbridge Garden Centre), amazed and fascinated by exploring different plants and flowers. Especially during lockdown last year, I learned to appreciate the nature around me more in my garden; watching the variety of flowers slowly grow, making sure that I regularly water them too. More recently, I have been using ‘Ecosia’ often and I am taking part in the 10-day eco meditation challenge by ‘InsightTimer’ joined with Ecosia. I highly recommend it! I started Day 1 today and I feel mindful and inspired to take action in helping to protect earth for a greener future!

LET’S PLANT THE SEEDS OF THE FUTURE…NOW!

THE WORLD IS IN YOUR HANDS!

How are you going to help save our planet?

Written By Saambavii Suthakaran, Caterham High School

Here are some informative articles and a video about climate change currently:

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/climate-change-summits-5-big-23962088

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/15/thursday-briefing-ecosystems-warning-covid

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PRJL07-WK0

This is the link to the 10 Day Eco Meditation Challenge....if you do it, you will help to plant 3 trees! :

https://insig.ht/xSJI7v0iFfb