The slogan of this year’s World Environment Day is: Think, Eat, Save. Man has been destroying the environment knowingly and unknowingly for its unlimited wants. Now most of the world resources are controlled by a few, while the rest are just at the receiving end.
While one in every seven children goes to bed without food, one third of the total food productions either gets wasted or lost. The mismanagement of global economy and eco-systems has resulted in lop-sided growth and spread poverty, hunger and disease in a majority part of the world.
Some sensible people have tried to move the youngsters to think for the destitute and the have-nots. Hence is this compassionate slogan to build a new globe. ‘Think’ means to form opinion, judge and do any work which will not harm the bio-diversity.
The environment is increasingly getting polluted by man, which brings successive disasters and climatic changes throughout the globe. In the name of undertaking development projects and wanton exploitation of the natural resources, the environment is polluted. The exploitation of minerals for trade and industry cannot be termed a sound economic policy unless it is viable.
So the young generation should be educated from their childhood for sustainable management of resources. Just think about Odisha. When its mineral and fossil resources will be exhausted, how will it sustain its industrializationIJ When most industries get shut down for want of raw material and other logistic supports, what will be its impact on the economyIJ So the need of the hour is proper thinking and judicious management of the State resources.
When we ‘eat’, we must take care that no food is wasted. It is a very bad habit wasting food in the dining plate. Every child should cultivate the habit of eating sans wastage. Usually in marriages and other ceremonies, a large number and varieties of food items are served to the guests over banquets.
larger are the number and varieties of food items, higher is the status of the person throwing the feast. But most often, the invitees waste food items in the plate, unable to consume them. This leads to huge dumping of left-over food items at the banquet places and filling of the atmosphere with filth. It is a very bad habit. It is disheartening to find that when a huge block of population in the world goes hungry every day without food, the rich people waste food out of carelessness, false show of status, ignorance about its impact or due to overeating.
Compare human beings with the animals. The tiger or the lion is the most conservative animal of the animal world. They never allow wastage of their food. They never kill animals more than they require for consumption.
The human beings must borrow a leaf out their book and should be most conservative in respect of consumption of food. Wasting of food is a social crime. Similarly, allowing others to eat waste food is also a crime. Rather, we should pay a thought for the millions of hungry poor and ‘save’ food for them.
Great philosopher Karl Marx’s birth day is June 5, 1818, which coincides the date of World Environment Day. Marx was a great advocate for rights and dues of the underprivileged sections. Though these sections are a great resource of the world, but they are neglected and ignored.
(The writer is a former senior forest officer and an environmentalist)