We all know what ecology is – it’s a connection between biology, geography and Earth science all together. Nowadays ecology is as important as never. But can we think about ecology the same way as we used to? Such problems as pollution, global warming are pushing us to rethink what human race understood about our planet Earth, it is pushing us to the edge of changing our behaviour into the more responsible one in order to save ourselves from self destruction.
There are many ways to help yourself understand the idea of ecology in today’s world. In my opinion, the most effective method is informal education, for example training courses or various exchange programs, that are connected with the idea of saving our planet. I took part in an Lithuanian-Polish youth exchange programme called “Ecologica” in Poronin in 24-30 April. We had an ability to learn about ecology in a lot of new ways – we made posters about it, which included global eco-problems, ways of solving it, advices how to be eco-friendly. Also we took interviews in Zakopane and asked different questions, for example, what are the local eco-problems, how to solve it and if the local government is doing anything about it. We made quizzes about ecology. As I said, the participants took part in various activities in order to learn about saving Earth in informal way.
All the workshops and activities gave me a chance to think about the meaning of ecology and it’s crucial importance today. By attending different activities I learned about global or local eco-problems that I didn’t even knew about and I was shocked that people are just used to that and do nothing to solve them. I understood that ecology is very important because from it we can take ideas for saving the Earth and it also makes you understand why the Earth needs to be saved. There is no planet B. We spend billions of dollars on spaceships that could take us to the outer space, we want to explore other planets so much, yet we forget that those billions of dollars are needed right here and right now, because later it could be too late.
That’s why from now on I decided to both live and encourage healthy, eco-friendly lifestyle. Save water – take a shower, instead of a bath! Also, remember to fully close the water tap when you’re done using it. Save electricity – turn off the lights whenever you leave the room. Do not litter and if you see any trash around you, don’t turn your back and just walk away – pick them up and throw them away, do not poison our dearest planet Earth. Recycle – this way you’re helping even more. Take public transport, don’t drive alone – always pick some people up if you have the same or a similar destination, or even hitchhike, it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you’re saving the Earth by reducing CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. Also, minimize your need of consuming aerosols or spray type deodorants – they’re also a polluting material.
I feel very happy and pleased because of the way I chose to live. I know that my actions aren’t selfish, they are really helpful not only to myself, but for the whole world. Helping our planet will give you a bunch of positive thoughts that in today’s world are really rear. I‘m not only acting green – I‘m feeling green and fresh. This exchange program really changed my life.
We still have a chance to make our world a better place to live and heal it. We don’t need to have money to help our planet. All we need to have is your eco-friendly attitude which consists of different small actions. Always remember – we did not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we are borrowing it from our children.
