Star Bamboo Singapore

This is my post for Blog Action Day.

If you’re reading this blog, you’re probably concerned about the environment and the adverse impact human activities have on it.

You are careful not to waste resources such as:

• water – you turn off the tap when you’re brushing your teeth, and take showers instead of baths.
• electricity – you switch off the lights when you’re leaving a room.
• petrol – you switch off the car engine when waiting for more than a minute

etc.

So how did you come to care about the environment?

When I was young, we’ve had all sorts of campaigns to encourage people to conserve resources. There were colourful posters saying how if everyone saved just one drop of water a day, we’d save millions of litres of water every year in Singapore.

But there was always doubt in my mind, how much impact would I have when people around me don’t seem to care?

Water and electricity are priceless resources, which out of necessity, are affordable. The trouble comes when we judge the value of a good by its price. Water is so cheap, what’s the harm in wasting a few litres every day? After all I can afford it.

One day I realised that it’s about doing the right thing. It just feels wrong to be wasting a precious resource such as petrol or clean water. The fact that some people do so is not a reason for me to follow suit.

I guess the message from the endless campaigns did filter into my consciousness in the end.

For the past few years, the campaigning focused largely on cutting CO2 emissions. It must have struck a significant chord with people because Al Gore just won a Nobel Peace Prize for his energetic advocacy against global warming.

Of course, fighting global warming isn’t just about CO2 emissions but a simple message is much more memorable.

So my message to you is simple as well: Buy eco-friendly products whenever possible.

The Green Label scheme is a good place to start (our bamboo flooring is listed under “Recycled/Renewable Materials”).

Global warming is the flavour of the month, just like famines in Africa back in the 1980s.

I hope we will all continue to care for the environment after the hype and hoopla die down.