Are you okay with the turtles dying, because of YOU?! (UNGS 1201: REFLECTIVE JOURNAL 1)

Hi, my name is Fatin Natrah, and I have been using social media like Facebook since middle school. Since social media has grown rapidly, people have started using social media as a platform to spread awareness. In Instagram, I have followed Dr. Halina – her Instagram username is @drhalina. One day in March 2019, Dr. Halina posted a picture depicting some groceries bought at the supermarket. One interesting thing that she used to keep me reading till the end of the post is a “zero waste” hashtag. In the post, Dr. Halina reviewed her groceries cart and how she tries her best to avoid plastic usage and non-recyclable packaging by using a mesh bag and bringing a plastic container from home.

Starting from that, I am eager to know more about zero waste and less plastic usage because I am concerned that it will affect the land and the sea badly. I started to follow more hashtags and accounts promoting zero waste and zero plastic. Some of them are @thezerowaste, @zerowastemalaysia_official, and #freeplastic. It really helps me improve my lifestyle in order to create a zero-waste environment to lead to a better life for humans and animals whether on land or under the sea. Before going further, let’s have a look at what actually zero waste is leading us to?

Zero waste is a set of concepts focusing on waste prevention that encourages redesigning the resource life cycle such that all items are reused. The ultimate goal is to avoid sending rubbish to landfills, incinerators, or the ocean. In this system, all materials should be reused to the optimum level of consumption to lessen the waste in the dumpsite. It applies the famous 3R concept; Reuse, Reduce, and Recycle. The approach is to aim for massive change through continuous awareness through social media thus creating a clean environment. It relates with Sustainable Goals Development 13,14 and 15 which are Climate Action, Life Under Water and Life on Land.

Apart from getting daily input on methods to lead a zero-waste and plastic-free lifestyle from Instagram, I also work it out at home. It is as simple just as saying “No” to plastic whenever I go for groceries shopping. Actually, it is not easy as how it looks like. It actually takes courage to really say it out loud. Moreover, one of the challenges that I encountered is there is one cashier who insisted I use the plastic because they’ve already pulled it out. I lost to the cashier by the way, haha. Nevertheless, it’s the effort that counts.

Apart from that, I also make sure I bring along a bag or a container to put the groceries inside. It may seem complicated, but it is actually not if you really care about the environment. I myself also keep myself updated about the turtle condition in Malaysia and sadly, the single plastic use such as straw and face masks contribute to the deaths of the turtles. This kind of thing is the thing that moves me to lead a plastic-free lifestyle.

 I also encourage my sisters to bring a bag when doing groceries shopping so they also can help to be a part of the plastic-free community. But I can only encourage, the remainder is their part to really work it out. Sometimes they do their part, and most of the time, they don’t. But, that’s okay. That is what it takes when it comes to transforming mentality and mindset.

Some of the things that I have been planning to do is by doing mass cleaning by the seaside located a stone’s throw away from my house. This is because there are too many mindless beach visitors that come to the seaside to eat and just leave the packaging there; on the stones and by the sand. I’m so sick of this. I’m also dreaming of inviting the children in my village to do the mass cleaning together so we can spread awareness with them, hoping it can shape their mindset from a young age. I have voiced this out to one organization in Perlis (as I'm a member of this organization), namely Persatuan Kebangsaan Pelajar Islam Malaysia Perlis and I really hope they will take this activity into consideration and perhaps make it as a monthly event in the future.

That’s all from me, and I hope this reflective journal benefited you. I pray Allah grants us strength and success going through this journey of mindset transforming among our society in Malaysia. And always remember, the best time to start is NOW! And the best person to start is YOU! 😉 

P/s: Here is the link to Dr. Halina post: 

https://m.facebook.com/KemWP/photos/a.697078280316595/2389405191083887/?type=3&locale2=fr_FR