Environmental Conservation is Every Human’s Superpower

Uttering and putting up banners for slogans like “Save our planet” with a picture of a melancholic looking planet earth; if not pretentious, it is unjustifiable given the lack of collective effort to actually “save” the planet.

Nature has given so much to the history of mankind but they tend to destroy what is gifted to them with their own hands; humanity is waging war on nature which drives to nature’s fury like humanity is calling for mass suicide. Every year, the earth gets hotter, forests get burnt, ecosystems destroyed, infectious diseases are increasing and the list goes on.

However, as inhabitants of planet earth and citizens of Singapore, we must step in to conserve our planet and care for the environment as best as we can. It is mentioned in one of the verses from The Holy Quran; “That whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land – it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one – it is as if he had saved mankind entirely. And our messengers had certainly come to them with clear proof. Then indeed many of them, [even] after that, throughout the land, were transgressors.”

We must be the catalyst that spreads nothing but goodness and watch how the spirit of humanity could move mountains. But looking at the current state of the planet, where do we start?

1) Sit back and reflect

Know that we might be the contributing factor to our ailing planet and learning the ethics of consumption is the first step towards conservation. Consumption is based on ethics that lay on 3 essences. Firstly, whatever is being consumed should be lawful and beneficial. Secondly, practice giving to the needy and underprivileged. Thirdly, avoid wastefulness as much as we can.

As highlighted in Surah Al-An’am verse 141 – it is not permissible to be wasteful;

“And He it is who causes gardens to grow, [both] trellised and untrellised, and palm trees and crops of different [kinds of] food and olives and pomegranates, similar and dissimilar. Eat of [each of] its fruit when it yields and give its due [zakah] on the day of its harvest. And be not excessive. Indeed, He does not like those who commit excess.”

2) Educate ourselves about the global climate crisis and find ways to conserve the environment beginning with our homes.

Do you know that air-conditioners leave giant carbon footprints in comparison to other devices in our homes? It’s like a trap that we are all responsible for; if it is meant for cooling the air, why is the cold air heating the planet? As scary as we might think that ironically, the more frequently we use air-conditioners, the hotter the planet gets. This is worrisome and yet we can still see that the air-con setting is still at an arctic-cold temperature in malls and offices even during the cooler weather.

Here are some energy-saving practices at home by NEA:

Consider running the air-conditioner for a short while (1 hour) and switching to a fan after that to cool a room.

1. Set the temperature at 25°C.
2. Check the air-conditioner air filter once a month and clean or replace it when necessary so that it will run efficiently. Dirty air filters impede airflow and cause energy wastage.
3. Close curtains or blinds over windows during the hottest part of the day, or use solar window film, especially for west-facing windows, to keep the house cool.

3) Practise Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

How can we implement Reduce? Always use or buy what we need. As simple as turning off the tap water when it’s not in use will help us reduce our usage of water, e.g. while brushing our teeth or shaving.

Next is Reuse. Bring your own water bottle instead of buying a disposable water bottle. If you drink a lot of water, make sure you buy a big one!

Finally; Recycle. In Singapore, we are blessed to have the big blue recycle bins everywhere in our neighborhood! Feed them with recyclable goods and change your view of consumption.

Through these healthy habits, we are helping to protect the environment, conserve limited resources, reduce space needed for waste disposal facilities and extend the lifespan of Semakau Landfill, insyaAllah. May Allah bless our intentions and our efforts.