While we have many days to celebrate, like World Environment day, Earth Day, Water Day, No Tobacco Day, Car-free day and International Youth Day, and we try to be a part of them, everyone has their own special day. That is, our birthdays. As a responsible inhabitant of this planet, I think that everyone should celebrate their birthdays in an eco-friendly way, like planting a tree. It’s the best way to have a green celebration on special days like birthdays or anniversaries.
We all know that global warming is having a horrendous impact on our environment and it’s showing it’s worst consequences in the form of increasing disasters, like frequent earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and droughts. We need to act now!
Trees are the lifelines and lungs of Earth. They are the best creation of God and provide benefits not only for the environment, but also for humans. Trees are one of the most efficient ways to combat climate change and global warming. It would be a positive move towards environment protection if we all started planting birthday trees and helped promote this idea until it becomes a trend.
Our population continues to grow. Imagine, if each of us planted a tree on our birthday alone! This world would become much greener and cleaner. And, if parents, elders or married couples do the same on their wedding anniversaries as well, it will be icing on the cake. I plant trees on my birthdays and this year onwards we have started this for my parents’ wedding anniversary as well.
I wish people could start this tradition and make this world a much better and greener place to live for all of us. Change has to begin from us, so make it a practice to plant a tree from your next birthday onwards and spread the word around until all seven billion of us have at least one tree each.
- The reader is a student based in Sharjah.
