YOUNG ENVIRONMENTALISTS

During the recent school-term holidays in May, my sister and her family drove over to the east coast and booked themselves a 3-days/2-nights stay in one of Pulau Redang's lovely beach resort.

After the trip, Meg called me up to say how much they had enjoyed the trip, especially the children - 2 older boys, aged 14 and 12 and a girl of 6. Her hubby, Gilbert liked the laid-back life so much, , he is already planning to retire there in time!!!

Apparently, the resort had taken pains to keep their guests well-entertained with fun-filled activities catered to the likes of both the young and the elderly. There were games and sporting events during the day and bar-b-ques and karaoke sessions at night. The highlight of the trip, she said,was the snorkeling just beneath the surface of the water. Even her little girl Megann took the plunge and joined in the fun ... and fun she did have!

Megann actually sang when she was snorkeling - enamoured by the colourful fishes swimming right pass her nose! She must have imagined herself to be a little mermaid, swimming among such lovely creatures of the sea. By the way, don't ask me how she managed to sing when she was under water but according to Meg, you really can. Hmmm..

One thing Meg told me which made me mighty proud of my two nephews -Gary and Gabriel - was when they ignored all the rules (not advisable, really) and dived into deeper water without the life-jackets provided. Well, they are both quite adept at swimming, so their parents were not worried.

During one of their diving exploits they came up with handfuls of garbage - aluminium cans and plastic bags!!! My sister was aghast when they told her there was more on the sea-bed!!! They asked their mom if they could go back down and try to remove as much of the litter as possible.
Meg, who has always taught her kids to care for the environment, literally chased them back to do just that, with no second thought on their safety!

Gabriel, the younger boy is a young environmentalist in the making. Whenever, he sees litter on the road he would take the trouble to pick it up and diposed of it properly. Perhaps, we adults need to take the cue from him.

Charity begins at home. And how appropriate that we teach our young ones a love for the environment. To instill in them the importance of conservation and preservation of our natural resources. Malaysia has so many beautiful holiday resorts - many of them still pristine and clean.
We must help keep them that way. BUT if we continue to have inconsiderate and 'tidak apa' attitude people who insist on leaving their carbon footprints wherever they go, it won't be long before we will lose all our country's treasures.

Schools nationwide are already helping to create environmental-awareness to our school-going children. But teachers can only do that much. The onus is on us, as parents, to continue where they leave off. We spent more time with our kids and assert a much stronger influence on them.
We have a reponsibility and owe them the time and patience to teach them the right things and the right way of doing things. Lessons they need to grow up with and later, to impart to the next generation.

Before I sign off, kudos to Gary and Gabriel for all that you guys are doing for Mother Earth. I rightly think you both deserve a medal each!! Don't stop ... continue with your good work!!

Hey Meg, I will make Pulau Redang my next holiday destination!!! Any one coming along???