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Introduction

Have you ever wondered if each one of us is really concerned about nature, posting on social media and urging others to be part of the change, then why is our environment still polluted? Why are we not able to clean our surroundings? One should ask this question to themselves are we really trying to save the environment or whether this is merely a trend for social media. We often see that people talk about sustainability, environmental conservation, but are we really practicing it in our daily lives? We ask others to save environment, but on our own, most of us don't really care. In this situation, how can we expect others to do the task when we ourselves are barely trying to do it. In this blog, I really want to address the problem that why people ignore environmental issues, even if they know how important it is to save the environment.

We Know, Yet We Don’t Act

There are many reasons why people are careless about the environment. One major reason is that most of us feel that pollution, climate change are large-scale problems and it is the responsibility of the government to solve such problems. Most of the times, we see people throwing garbage on roads and they later criticize and complain to the government about how dirty the city looks.

We use plastic bags over cloth bags even after knowing their harms. I recently read a post on social media which said " What's the point of education, if you still throw the garbage on the street, only to be picked up by an uneducated person." This quote highlights that aware and educated is not enough. Our words should be reflected in our actions.

We all like to visit hilly regions, surrounded by beautiful mountains and trees and say that we love our nature, but when it comes to take steps to clean the environment and change our habits, we hesitate. Maybe this is because we think our individual efforts don't matter, or maybe because we are too busy to really care about our nature.

There are people who genuinely try to change their habits, they try to create impact, but the problem is that people expect instant results, and change does not happen overnight, it requires patience, determination and willingness to make a difference.

Likes Don’t Save the Planet

In today's scenario where the world is totally digitized, showing care for the environment has become a trend. People on special days like Environment Day post on social media planting a tree, sharing quotes about the need to save nature, the feed is flooded with pictures, hashtags, stories about sustainability and protecting nature. But planting a tree on a specific day and then exploiting nature for the whole year, is this what we call sustainability or environment conservation?

Posting on social media stating save environment and be part of the change is easy, but practicing the change is what truly matters. Sharing such content on social media platforms just brings likes and comments not the real change. For real change we should switch from online to offline. I came across a blog where someone rightly said, “Campaigns become powerful when people act, not when they clap; protect the environment not just by words but by choices.” pointing to the difference between talking and real responsibility.

Social media no doubt is a powerful tool for spreading awareness among people, but this only isn't enough. Millions of posts are still not equal to a true effort done for reducing waste, planting trees, and cleaning our surroundings. Environment doesn’t need hype and hashtags, what it needs is effort, patience and everyday action.

Too Busy to Care: Comfort Over Commitment

Another reason people tend to ignore environmental issues is that - we are simply "too busy." We all in our lives are hustling to make things work out, and comfort has become more important than responsibility. We prefer convenience, like using plastic because it is available easily, choosing driving over walking as it is more convenient. We somewhere know that all this will impact our environment in a negative way, but still, we choose not to change as we go for comfort over commitment.

Many people try to change their habits, but after a week or two, they stop. We think separating waste is not more than wasting the precious time, in which we can scroll through social media, we think carrying a cloth bag is inconvenient, and not using plastic is difficult. But in reality, if we are determined all these habits are too easy to follow in our daily schedules. It requires us to step out of our comfort zone and adopt these habits. The environment doesn't need people who are perfect, it needs people who are willing.

Use reusable items, reduce unnecessary consumption, try to segregate waste. Segregating waste is an easy way to contribute in protecting our nature. To learn more about waste segregation read: the-science-behind-waste-segregation .These actions may seem small, but their end impact is large and this shifts our mindset from comfort to commitment.

The “Someone Else Will Do It” Mentality

The most prominent reason ‘Why People Ignore Environmental Issues’ is the “someone else will do mentality.” Taking an example, we throw the garbage on the roads instead of throwing it in dustbins, we do not follow the steps of waste segregation, we waste water and electricity, because most of us feel it isn't our job to do so. We assume that it is the responsibility of government, NGOs to clean the environment.

We often think that - "What difference will it make" if no other person is doing so. The major problem is that we think if other person is not doing it, then why should I waste my time. It is not about waiting for authorities to act - it's about what we choose to do every day. Even our small actions can create big impact, like not throwing garbage in roads, planting trees, saving water, segregating waste. These are the actions that slowly build a cleaner and healthier planet. Always remember - Change doesn’t start with “someone else.” It starts with you.

From Knowing to Doing

Now that we understand why people ignore environmental issues, the next question that arises is - how do we fix this? The answer for this is, saving the environment does not always require big actions. It begins with simple habits that we should follow every day.

Start making small changes - Initially try to make small daily changes in your habits like- using cloth bag. For example, if you are buying fruits and vegetables and the vendor gives you it in a plastic bag refuse to take. We often agree to take those plastic bags considering it as free, but this could cost huge damage to our environment. Turn off lights when not needed, save water, try to segregate the waste at your home and use dustbins, not roads.
Take responsibility – Instead of waiting for the government and NGOs to act, we must ourselves take action. It is equally our responsibility to maintain cleanliness in our surroundings. We should also tell our family members, friends, relatives and neighbours to change the habits and take responsibility to conserve the environment and go for a sustainable way of living.
Build consistency – Many people try to change their habits but lose motivation after some time. Always remember environment does not need perfection, it requires continuous efforts. Environmental care is not just a trend which ask for likes and comments, it asks for patience, commitment and determination. Our consistent efforts could lead to long-term changes, which can make the world a better place to live.
Real change happens beyond social media – Social media undoubtedly is a powerful means to spread awareness, but when it comes to real change posting a picture with a caption is not just enough. To make real change switch from online to offline. Reduce household waste, encourage others to adopt greener habits, plant trees, join local clean-up drives. If you are someone who want to make real impact you can be a part of Him Village E- Prahari, which appreciates participation from all those individuals who want to create big impacts.