Did you switch off the lights?

Earth Hour was just 4 hours ago. Did you do your part for the earth?

I've started working already. At a restaurant in a hotel as a kitchen commis. Surprise surprise. After a good long rest. (Lepak more like it) Am slowly adapting to everything. Have to pick up my speed and basics again. Fuhh... not easy after a year of being lazed down.

Anyway, back to Earth Hour, I was happy to see many people and organizations participated in making it happen, including the hotel I work in. During briefing we were told that only a few of other areas switching off the lights. Nearing Earth Hour, chef say we can do a part too.


Honestly I was very, very happy, although it caused some difficulty to some sections of the kitchen, but we did our part. I thought I don't have the chance to take part in Earth Hour, but at last I can! Yippee!

Some might complain that it's useless just switching off for one hour. But, if thousands of individuals and organizations do so, mama earth will get a good rest. Of course, practicing it every day is remarkably best of the best! Don't you realize that the weather is getting warmer and warmer nowadays? Don't you know the temperature in the north pole is rising, causing the ice to melt and methanol leaking out to the surface of earth?

One might not realize how much energy we consume each day, how much toxic and gases we release onto mama earth, how much heat we produce. At home you might try to save quite a bit, but at your working place? At hotels? At shopping malls? All these establishments have to on maximum air conditioning to make the place cool enough (thus release hot air out), lights are on 24/7, at hotel kitchens water keep running to wash the pots and pans, to refresh the pasta boiling machine, the ovens are on which consume high energy. All this to produce the best for the hotel guests, but the worst for mama earth.

Therefore we cannot complain that 'with only my own ability, it's equivalent to doing nothing' or 'why i do but he don't have to do?' or 'it's useless'. Each action matters! Even by using 1 ply of tissue instead of 3 ply matters! Be proud that you take part in conserving the environment. Today it might only be just melting ice, but 5 years later it might be a burning earth! We won't have enough place for landfill. No more oceans for fishes to swim in. Animals will have to eat wastages. So please do something!! Not just short term but long!!! Even a small change will make a difference.

Some things which you might be able to do:

• Off the water while you're brushing your teeth, soaping your body, shampooing your hair instead of letting the water run whole time. It can save up to a whole bucket of water.
• Use 1 ply of tissue to wipe your mouth/wrap your chewing gums instead of the whole 3 ply.
• Carry your own water bottle/cloth bag out for shopping. Reduce plastic usage. There are plastic bag recycling bins at most major supermarkets. Just tell the cashier 'no need plastic bag, thank you' (What's so difficult in saying that?) if you don't need it necessarily.
• RECYCLE!!! Be it paper, newspaper (sao gao bou ji... old newspaper... surat khabar lama...), plastic, glass, battery lama, tilam lama (tilam tilam tilam... tilam lama, tilam baru...). Keep the plastic bags for rubbish dumping or future usage because most plastic bags are not bio-degradable. It cause harm to mama earth. But mind you, there might be things that you think can be recycle actually not recyclable. Check it out first.
  
• Water the plants or toilet bowl with the water you wash rice with. Make your own compost. Save trees, better still PLANT ONE!
• Print on both pages. Don't throw away paper which you don't need anymore which only has 1 printed page. The blank page on the other side can be used as rough paper, make into your own note pad, to write drafts, diary or whatever.
  
• Things that you don't want but still in good condition can be donated to SPCA for their jumble sale. You might don't want it but others might need it.
  
• Be considerate. Be nice. Treat mama earth like you treat your loved ones. (Although some abuse them, wtf)
• Don't simply throw wastages. (Try spitting on your house floor like you spit on the road) Handle oil wastages with care. One gallon of oil can contaminate one million gallon of clean water. You wouldn't want to bath in oily water right?
  

Will update the list when I can think of more. There are also a lot of recycling tips you can find online. Try reading them and why not try them!

http://www.reducerubbish.govt.nz/recycle/tips.html

http://www.pioneerthinking.com/recycle.html

http://www.recycle-more.co.uk/nav/page1982.aspx

http://www.orange-soft.net/test/crisp/content/view/41/22/

http://www.recyclenow.com/

http://recyclingnearyou.com.au/education/recycling-facts-tips.cfm

and many more...

3Rs - REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE. THINK BEFORE YOU THROW!!!