Global Warming - Let's Play a Part

"I love to cover myself with thick comforters and turn on the aircon at 16 degrees",
said my friend, Jessie, almost gleefully. I looked at her with sadness in my eyes.

"Jessie, do you realise the world is getting warmer and warmer? Turning on the aircon is bad enough; but turning to its coldest and then covering yourself with a thick comforter is even worse!"

Jessie looked at me with her eyes wide open. She was surprised by my vehemence. It was hard for me to hide my frustration at the ignorance of some people. "Could you not just set the aircon to turn off after two hours and keep a fan running. This way, your bedroom would be kept cool till morning. You could just use a thin blanket to cover yourself," I suggested. This way, you help save the world as well as save some money for yourself.

I am glad Jessie is one of those teachable characaters around town. It is so sad that so many of us take things for granted. We are careless with leaving lights and electrical fans on without bothering to switch them off when not in use, etc. Now I try to turn on the fan instead of the air conditioner every night as it is more economical. I already enjoy the aircon in the office; too much exposure will dry up my skin. Morever, it costs about 30 cents per hour for an aircon to run but only 30 cents per day if we use the fan.

During the Feast of the Hungry Ghosts, my heart burns with pain when I see people burning incense in the open, as sometimes patches of lovely green grasses also get burnt. There is nothing we can do because this is a religious practice of the Buddhists and Taoists. With due respect to the Buddhists and Taoists, I wonder if there is another method of conveying the incence papers in another way without burning, maybe via the electronic way. Since we have virtual toys, can we have virtual incense papers which we can send via email?

If cars and vehicles could be reduced on the road, we will have less air pollution. Perhaps we should try to car pool instead of driving our own cars. Sometimes, when people queue up at taxi stands, they could ask one another if they could taxi-pool; ie. those heading for the same estate could share a cab. This way, there will be less pollution, and commuters could also get to save some money. People in the same neighbourhood could also get to know one another.

We could all try to recycle our unwanted stuff. I am glad that the 800 Superwaste Management Pte. Ltd. has been set up to collect unwanted things bi-monthly. Cleaning up is such a joy for me now as I can put my newspapers, magazines, old electrical objects, porcelain cups and plastic containers in special bags provided by the company. We need to recycle and reuse to help save the world.

If every one of us throughout the world can play a part, we can overcome the acute problem of global warming. It's a beautiful world that God has created. Let us all help to preserve and help make the world a better place for everyone.