How my family and I have banned plastic in our home : Earth Day Special Essay (3rd Prize Winner) by Aishi Das, Grade VII, Funlish Langauge School

Narrator: We all know how harmful plastic is. In addition to polluting the earth, it poses a risk to marine life as well. It has come to a point where we all need to eliminate plastic from our daily lives. Keeping tabs on the situation around us is important so that we can take steps to improve it. Let me share a story about a family who inspired others as well.

 

The Gokhale family lives in Delhi. Mr. Gokhale heads a family of four members which includes his son, his daughter, his wife and himself. One day, at the dinner table, Mr. Gokhale’s son, Arun brought up a very serious topic.

 

Arun: Father, do you know, today in school, we learned about pollution caused by plastic all over the world. I actually realised today how serious this matter is. I must say our carelessness is the main cause of it. We all think about ourselves but often forget to think about the environment. Every year, plastic waste is generated in large quantities - more than 300 million tonnes. The amount of waste generated is increasing by 9% annually.

 

Ridhima : Yes, Arun, you are right. It's really sad that though we learn about the ways of reducing plastic usage in our school, most of us do not apply it in real life.

Mr. Gokhale: It is a really serious topic. I also think that we all should now start taking steps to reduce plastic wastage.

 

Narrator: Mrs. Gokhale was patiently listening to her family’s opinion on this topic but now she spoke.

 

Amrita: I heard about all your opinions on this but the question that arises is: How much are we contributing? When plastic was invented, we more or less knew it had side effects. We even knew that it is a non-biodegradable product and can never be disposed of. But we still kept using it.

 

 

Amrita: Plastic makes up 90% of the trash in the ocean. Around 25 million tons of plastic make their way into the ocean annually. According to various studies, marine animals in the North Pacific Ocean consume almost 14,000 tons of plastic annually. The presence of a single plastic bag can have grave consequences for marine life.

 

Ridhima: I have a thought. Can we gradually reduce our plastic consumption? And celebrate Earth Day every day. I know it won't make much of a difference. But it may inspire other people to do the same and I am sure that will definitely make a very big difference.

 

Narrator: That day the Gokhale family decided to reduce their plastic wastage. At the end of the year, they calculated the amount of reduction they could bring and decided to continue it. It really inspired other people to do the same. Before I end this, remember we have one chance, let's not waste it and use it wisely.