Sharjah
Books are the gateway to a world beyond imagination, a place never heard or dreamt of.
In many households, it is not considered appropriate to throw them away. Instead, I have noticed that these are stored away on shelves and in cupboards, and are forgotten forever. Instead of being stored on shelves, these books can be put to better use. Keeping this in mind, I started a campaign called, ‘Give a new life to your old books’. My aim was to not only prevent books from going to waste, but also to preserve the environment.
I keep collecting old books from my neighbours, relatives, friends and community. I won’t accept books that are stained, missing some pages or filled with writing. If books are so decrepit that no one can have a good use for them, recycling is the best and most environmentally friendly option.
After collecting them, I donate these books to charity organisations or the old book sale organised in our school every year, the proceeds of which, are used for the noble cause of improving the standards of education for underprivileged children. It plays a pivotal role in impacting thousands of lives.
I also donate books to various libraries or give them to my friends and neighbours. These books, which otherwise would have been collecting dust on the shelves, are now used to impart knowledge, free of cost. Many parents were grateful for the initiative as their children now love to read the books given to them through this campaign.
I am glad to see that with this practice, children are able to enhance their knowledge at no extra cost. Furthermore, this initiative is helping someone cultivate one of the greatest gifts of all, that is, a love of reading and learning.
This process is eco-friendly, too. It reduces the amount of garbage headed to the landfills, energy is conserved as printing of new books is not required, and trees are also prevented from being cut down, as the wastage of paper is reduced. This initiative helps me convey the message of ‘recycle, reduce and reuse’.
I urge all Gulf News readers to give a new life to their old books, too, and put them to better use, rather than just storing them on their book shelves.
— The reader is a student of The Millennium School, Dubai, and based in Sharjah.
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