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September 28, 2006
Random Thoughts on How We Can Do More
You want to save the world. Start simple. Politely decline serviettes, use less tissue paper - carry a handkerchief around. Switch from paper towels to napkins. Decline plastic bags at the store and instead bring a nice bag to carry your groceries. Don't eat exotic meat (common in Asia). Stop buying ivory or seashells. No more sharkfin soup.
Speaking of sharkfin soup, I've been trying to quit that for years. I'm a chinese. When invited to special occasions, celebrations, wedding dinners - any eight course or ten course chinese dinners would come with sharkfin soup. And to decline would be an insult to the host. I've declined successfully several times - but there are those one or two dinners where the hosts are so sincere in wanting to please me that I have no heart to decline the soup, and I find myself sipping it reluctantly.
That is not good enough, I know. Still, I will continue trying.
Turtle eggs are a delicacy where I'm born. You can find them in the market, bagfuls. I used to enjoy them as a kid. That all ended when I took up diving and saw how graceful they were. I couldn't eat another. Also, my family learnt about them. How every nest of a 100 odd eggs, only one makes it to adulthood. That's a 1% rate of survival per nest. My entire family swore off turtle eggs. Adult turtles die because they mistake floating plastic bags in the sea for jellyfish and choke when they try to swallow. So think twice before carelessly discarding rubbish into the ocean.
The turtle egg sellers are poor fishermen folks. The eggs fetch a high price in the market and this means food on the table. You can't talk about conservation to them because collecting and selling these eggs are a form of survival. How can they care whether the turtles will live to see another generation if it means that their family were to starve? The government plays a crucial role here. Offer them alternative means of economy. Turn the tables around, use their knowledge of the nesting areas and turtle habits and pay them to take care of the nests.
Also - next time you're snorkelling around and you spot plastic bags floating around, please take it back to the boat and dispose it properly. Do that and you save a turtle's live. Simple no?
Speaking of snorkelling, it really annoys me when snorkellers kick or touch corals. Plain irresponsible behaviour. Please respect the corals. Don't show off underwater and barge into them like a sinking sack of potato. This goes for divers as well - if you can't control your buoyancy, stay away from coral beds. They grow at a delicate rate of one inch per year. Respect that.
Peace and love. Earth bless you.
written originally for mankindnews.com
posted by nyx at September 28, 2006 9:52 PM
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