Let it Grow

I watched the film The Lorax last weekend and I must admit: I was touched. In the film there is a town where the air is polluted so people have to buy clean air and there were no trees. It takes the determination of a little boy to convince the town’s folk to let him plant a tree and let it grow.

The environment is continuously damaged by human activities. It is so bad that some Chinese fear the air they breathe. Cancer is one of the leading killer diseases there. Their problem we may say, but environmental issues are not always like that. The mess is made in one country; the effect is felt in more than one country. For instance some of the air pollutants in Los Angeles USA originate from China. The floods we had in Nigeria last year were due to release of excess water in Cameroun!

Environmental issues have been largely ignored in our society, until the floods of October last year came. Climate change is for real and the time to act is now, we do not need to consult any Marabout to tell us that, it is very obvious. It is time for each of us to take responsibility for our carbon footprints.

What can one do? You can do a lot- a lot of simple things that go a long way in making a difference. Here are a few tips.

•  Unplug devices when they are not in use. Switch of devices instead of leaving them on standby mode
•  Switch off lights when nobody is in the room.
• Recycle as much as possible.
• Patronize energy saving bulbs. They last ten times longer, are more efficient and consume less energy. I remember using a particular CFL bulb for four years at FUT Minna.
• Plant trees and flowers, and avoid indiscriminate cutting down of trees. One acre of forest absorbs six tons of Carbon dioxide (CO₂) and puts out four tons of Oxygen (O₂). That’s enough oxygen to last 18 people for a year.

I encourage everyone to plant a tree, plant a tree to commemorate a birth, a wedding or any special occasion. Plant flowers, water them, let them grow and enjoy nature’s beauty. More importantly, greenery is a visual relief from the concrete all around. Planting trees also comes with the following as added benefits.

a.       Lower temperatures due to shade, thus less energy spent on cooling

b.      Less risks of erosion as tree hold the soil together.

c.       The environment looks better.

There is some good news however; a wind farm in Katsina is near completion likewise solar energy is now being more seriously considered in Nigeria. Also, rapper M.I Abaga has was recently named as the Energy Ambassador for Lagos state. They are even planning a Google hangout on the 27^th of September 2013. Get more details here.

As I close let me leave you with a part from the song Let It Grow a soundtrack from the aforementioned movie.

Let it Grow

Let it Grow

You can’t reap what you don’t sow

Plant a seed inside the Earth

Just one way to know it’s worth

We say let it grow

You can get the song here

P.S  I hugged a tree on my way to way to work, I encourage you to do like wise.