Think sustainability!

given back very little in terms of care and protection. Hence the need to think and act in the best interest of the environment so that it can sustain us and generations to come.
Nowadays there is talk of greening economies.
At times all this seems abstract to the ordinary person like you and me. This is why people have continued with the bad habits and practices that worsen an already precarious situation.
People have continued to burn grasslands and forests for varied reasons. Stream bank cultivation is rampant. As rivers continue to shrink due to siltation people move the fences of their gardens onto the river bed. They want the water to be within easy access so they can lessen their burden of carrying water.
Long back before climate change became a topical issue I could discern some changes in the countryside. I recall going back home after long periods noticing that things were no longer the same. I remember observing that the rivers in the neighbourhood, Chitora and Gambara where we used to do laundry, bath, fish, swim and water our cattle had stopped flowing. The deep pools of these rivers were reduced to a mere shadow of themselves.
The dwala (ruware) where we used to launder our clothes was covered by sand. Sadly, also our rice field had dried up, which meant that I could not enjoy brown rice with peanut butter. The forests we were so scared of were no more due to indiscriminate cutting down of trees for firewood. In addition some areas were cleared as settlements mushroomed in areas that were reserved for grazing.
I used to look at all these developments with nostalgia and wondered whether things will ever go back to the times of old. Now that I am wiser I feel desperate.
I understand that all that we see is an accumulation of the abuses that people have meted on the environment and continue to do so in a bid to survive. To the ordinary person it is a question of survival today. People have choices to make, do they starve because they have no cooking fuel or they cut down the trees for firewood.
It is therefore not surprising that rivers have been badly affected by gold panning activities done in the name of livelihood.
To many people tomorrow appears remote and will cross the bridge when they get there. It is not surprising that someone will burn a whole forest just to satisfy cravings for meat for one day.
There is also a practice that is very common in high density suburbs and rural areas of sweeping the bare ground around and in front of the house.
Every morning tons of soil are loosened and swept away and ends up in our drainage systems and the rivers.
I have noted that the shoulders of the roads in the residential areas in towns are slowly disappearing. I think that one day, in many years to come, they will be gullies in front of houses just outside the gates.
The effects of our actions are apparent on the environment and in the changing weather patterns. The world is suffering from extreme weather conditions such as droughts, floods, etc.
If we look back we can see that our ancestors were conscious of the need to preserve the environment.
Some of the prescriptions that were used to heal certain aliments show how our elders understood the issue of environmental management and sustainability.
One of the grandmother’s remedies for stomach pains (kurumaruma kemudumbu) was browsing on the leaves of the Mugodo tree. One was not supposed to pluck off the leaves with hands, but browse.
I think this was a way of ensuring that one only takes that which he/she can use.
Some areas were declared sacred and therefore no one could cut trees from there. Back in the village where I grew up it was taboo to cut trees around the graveyard.
It was not permissible to fetch water from wells or springs using a clay pot that is used for cooking.
The belief was that the soot would cause the water source to dry up. It might not have had a scientific explanation, but it worked in favour of the environment.
I think the protection of the environment was based on myths and beliefs and that seemed to work. I will not dwell much on this because I have not done any enquiry into this area. These same methods cannot work for us today as people have become knowledgeable and learned.
As a people, however, we need to change the way we relate to the environment. There is need to appreciate that resources are not infinite. They should, therefore, be used in ways that ensure that those coming after us will benefit from them.
We should think sustainability as we use land, water, minerals, trees and many other resources. It has been said that the choices that we make today should be sound economically, socially and environmentally.
Can you envision a situation where the third generation from us will not see a rabbit in its natural habitat? Can you think of a situation where water will become so scarce that one can only take a bath once a week? Imagine the possibility of the only flower that your great granddaughter will ever know is an artificial one.
We really should be good stewards of our resources and this entails changing the way we relate to the environment. Everyone should use our natural resources in ways that ensure sustainability.
Therefore before you strike that match to burn the grass, throw that smoldering stub down, run a bath, stretch the boundaries of your garden towards the river and dig and leave holes open, think of the impact of your actions. You should think economic, social and environmental sustainability.