I still have the vague memory of going to the wet market with my mom when I was a child.

Those days supplies were not as abundant as they are today. Instead of giving out plastic bags, many vendors tied up the bunch of vegetables with a strand of straw. Sometimes they would wrap the vegetables in a piece of newspaper before fastening the straw. Even meat and fish were held with straw too. Air-conditioners were not common then. TV sets didn’t come with a remote control. You either turn it on or turn it off. There was no such thing as standby mode. Because things did not come easily, people were not given much room to waste electricity at the time of my childhood.

Then came the advances in technology and growth of economy. People were thrilled by the convenience brought by disposable items. They were so excited about the fancy electrical appliances or electronic gadgets emerged in the consumer market. Most importantly, they became richer and could afford a higher standard of and more wasteful living. Why keep that old stuff? Replace it ! Incinerators and rubissh dump sites started to operate at their full capacity. And nobody cared about the carrying capacity of the Earth.

Today’s people, our generation, are consuming even more resources than before. Even universities are following the wasteful practices of mainstream consumption behaviour. No, universities don’t lead, in whichever aspect, they just follow.

Forests are cleared, wastes build up, pollutants get into the air, soil and water…

We’re the first generation in history to consume natural resources at a rate that exceeds the earth’s regeneration capacity. And we are depriving the resources of the next generation.

This is so sad.