The first thing that came to my mind immediately after I saw this prompt was how people in my country don't care about the environment and the earth as well.
I live in a country where people don't see that pollution is affecting the earth and of course, people that are living as well. They prefer to suffer along with the earth than to take good care of the earth. I am not excluded because before I know the importance of taking care of the earth I have also contributed to the damage by littering the environment with waste.
I am not saying this to tarnish my country's image but the truth must be told, though that pollution doesn't happen in every part of the country because there are some areas where you can litter the environment no matter who the person is.
The image belongs to me
There was a day I followed my friend to Lagos island, she was invited to a birthday party and she took me along with her boyfriend, on our way we bought ice cream and immediately I finished my ice cream I threw the plastic out of the car window. That was how we do in my environment so don't blame me yet.
Meanwhile, there were people arresting anyone that littered the road they were called the taskforce and immediately they saw the plastic we were stopped and I couldn't do anything other than apologize but there was a fine for what I just did. Thank God it was my friend's boyfriend who drove us there, so he was the one who paid the fine for the crime I committed.
This is a coconut shell and an empty bottle, it was used as a DIY by me*
I was surprised because in my area we throw dirt anywhere we like even the lawma that carry waste are not that active so you will definitely see some waste in the street which looks normal to us.
I was ashamed of myself for behaving that way but there was nothing I could do than apologize to my friend's boyfriend for causing him trouble. Ever since then, I have realized that I shouldn't be part of the people who make the earth suffer.
Ever since then, I started managing my waste, for instance, all my waste plastic is being used for DIY, and the ones I can't use will be burnt, used clothes that I no longer use again I don't throw them away anymore, I made sure to burn them along with any slippers I don't need again.
I wish everyone could learn how to keep everywhere neat so that the earth wouldn't suffer again. Someone once asked me where I poured dirty water after washing fish before I cooked, and I told her I always flushed it because throwing such water outside would only make the environment dirty and smell bad.
I was able to convince my neighbors not to throw such water outside again and our waste bin is not always scattered everywhere like it used to be when I first moved into the apartment, because some of them now burn things they don't need and then keep the ones that can't be burnt for lawma to carry.
Sometimes one person could make everyone stop polluting the earth, and I am glad I could do that in my environment, if only I could tell people who cut down trees in the area not to do so I would have done that, but here in my country you can't just tell someone to do something and they would do it, expect the person is closer to you or probably you are a law enforcement person.
Note: All the images are mine
