The talk about sustainability is nothing new. We hear about sustainable living and changing the way we live and our mindsets to take the environment into consideration going about our daily routine, but honestly speaking, it’s not easy. There are many times, you would be tempted into taking the simpler way out and just slip back to your old ways to take that plastic bag you don’t really need or leave the lights on, leave the power switch on the entire night even when it’s not use – appliances on standby can consume up to 60% energy – so how sustainable are our actions towards sustainability ? What is it that keeps you going ? To continue to champion and believe in the green cause ?
Fresh from a diving trip in Sipadan in East Malaysia, it was a timely reminder of the things worth fighting for. The legislation enacted to conserve the marine environment at Sipadan was well worth it when you enter the water and be able to immediately see the vast difference in the vibrant marine and coral life compared to other dive sites. The massive schools of barracudas, vast groups of jacks and bump-head parrot fishes was something i believe one would never see if not for the conservation efforts.
It was an experience to be shared. Not just within friends , but these were experience to be shared across generations. These were stories to be told for all ages and while we are fortunate enough to be able to experience these stories , i shudder to think that some years down the road, a fellow diver might tell me that the bump-head parrot fish or the green turtle is an elusive marine creature only to be found in reference books. It’s a scary thought , but it might just be reality. We have already seen species become increasingly decimated and to let this continue would be a grave grave mistake.
It is not enough perhaps then, to just sit behind desk and think you know what is going in the world, you have to go out and see it for yourself, you have to go out and smell and taste it and experience it and from that experience , realize that it’s something worth sharing , something worth treasuring and preserving for all times.