The eco-warrior

In an attempt to save the world, I recently became an eco-warrior. It is a colloquial term used for people who are switching to an eco-friendly lifestyle. This means lesser or no use of plastics. It has become a challenge for me and I must admit, that I haven't wholeheartedly switched. At the end of the day, I still have paper waste from the disposable hygienic products that I use.

But it has also become very fulfilling, despite the hassle. It started with a love affair with our newscast's segment “Eco-patrol” led by my colleague Joworski. The segment's thrust went to a point that the advocacy was brought to our personal dinners.

Whenever I go to the mall, I always bring my trusty 750ml glass tumbler made for both hot and cold drinks. To compliment this container, my small pouch of stainless straws. I remember the first time I handed my tumbler to a cashier in a milk tea shop. Her eyes grew in curiosity. Who is this woman breaking the status quo? If I could read her mind, I knew she was already mumbling about the hassle of not using their own cups. My face was as stern as ever, making a statement that I was serious about this eco-warrior thing. She grabbed my tumbler out of frustration and made the drink I wanted. Although, I felt triumphant in my quest to lessen plastic, the problem to reduce waste seems to be heard of.

One experience led to another. But there is always an anecdote that stands out among them all. It's that of my favorite taro drink blended with ice. As usual, I happily gave my tumbler and the cashier agreed. I noticed that as she was making the drink, she grabbed a cup of their own plastic and started putting in the ingredients in. I said "no need for plastics, just my tumbler". But she didn't listen anyway and continued assembling the drink. Turns out, she was only using the disposable cup to measure the amount of ingredients she needed for the drink. She explained, their management did not provide them with a reusable cup to measure and threw away what she used for my drink. I was shocked, it was just the same story.

If there is a worldwide movement to save marine life by reducing straws and plastic cups, then all should participate and take this seriously. We cannot afford to have seas which the next generation cannot enjoy. The actions that we make today will greatly affect the future of our natural resources. If the eco-lifestyle is just a fad, I hope it's a fad that will not go away.

Others try to be part of the new trend for different reasons. Mostly to just be part of the bandwagon, to look good on social media. For whatever purpose, at least, there is an effort to save the environment. Like they say, small mannerisms could become habits and eventually, a lifestyle.