Eco News
Caring for Our World
NNR Introduces New Eco-News Column
“In the end we only conserve what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will only understand what we have been taught.” Baba Dioum I will add to that "... and what we are made aware of". Welcome to our first “Caring for Our World” column which focuses on the environmental concerns of our age. At Nonthaburi Neighborhood Reach (NNR), we have decided to use our voice as a volunteer group serving the community, to talk about this issue which affects ALL of us. We cannot fail to notice, and be affected by, the consequences of human activities on our environment. Here, smog has been crippling. It is toxic, rancid and limits our everyday lives. If we extrapolate that out, we can find examples of environmental disaster in every single country; in my own (UK), today they are submerged in floods and storm winds, "freak weather" so they say. Sadly, it is quickly becoming the norm, with such events–and worse–repeated on every continent. Our wildlife and plant life is creaking, and we see heartbreaking images at every turn. It can be overwhelming and depressing. 8
However, our focus is to give hope, and to encourage all of us to understand that we, ourselves, can MAKE A DIFFERENCE to the outcome! Sometimes, it is as simple as thinking about a different way to do things. Our norms need to be challenged, and we should ask: Do we need to buy it? Is there an alternative non-ozone damaging product? What are we eating? Are we adding to landfill when we need not? Will this end up in the ocean or in the belly of an animal? Did this product destroy ecosystems in its production? Every month, we will present workshops, offer practical restorative trips (focusing on oceans, forests, human/wildlife conflict etc), tips, and build awareness. Positive. Fun. Practical. We look forward to engaging with you about this imperative issue of our age!
T h a n i Ta l k
Sally Elliott March 2020
