I joined a group called ‘Drop it Youth’ to create awareness about the harmful effects of plastic on our environment and on human life. The documentary I saw about ocean pollution was an eye opener and it changed my life. I decided that I will create awareness for the campaign, but will also find ways to get rid of plastic from our beautiful Earth. Plastic has been found in the body of fish and birds, and this was shown in the documentary. It was extremely upsetting. They have also found small particles of plastic in water, which humans drink. This pollution needs to be stopped. In supermarkets, we find a lot of plastic which can be used only once. Even in our day-to-day lives all of us find it easy to use plastic cutlery and bottled water. In Kerala, India there is a company which has come up with a brilliant idea wherein they are using banana tree barks for cutlery. They process the bark and make fibre out of it thereby making eco-friendly disposable cutlery. The trees are not required to be cut. The bark of the banana tree is usually thrown off after harvesting, so these people have found a use for this. I think every little step will gradually make a big difference in our lives. The company supplies eco-friendly products to different parts of India. Remember, this is not a change just for us, but for future generations as well. People can carry reusable shopping bags, make cloth bags out of old t-shirts, carry reusable water bottles and more.
-Reader is a grade four pupil of a Dubai school
