Can we do this?

Its Blog Action Day TODAY! I think it should be an ACTION day every day, even every minute if possible.

India is one of the biggest growing nations these days, people seem to have enough cash to buy their iPODs/iPhones to their Swifts and everything in between. Places are lined with malls, inviting the wealthy to spend. Turn around, do you see that little street urchin who hasn’t had a proper meal possibly for two days straight?

Yesterday’s BBC news had this article on their front page - Hunger in India states 'alarming' – as I read it I remember the incident a few weeks ago when honey had to run to Safeway to get a pack of diapers that we ran out on. It seems that electricity had gone out for a couple of hours before at Safeway and now they were instructing employees to take the milk and other frozen items out to be thrown away. YES thrown away … because of the liability issue! Both husband and I racked our brains on what they could have done instead – called some other Safeway location and transferred some stuff there – of course transport could be an issue. Called up a local charity/orphanage and donate at least in part? Again liability issue. I am sure if it was India, they probably could have just yelled and in a hour all the stuff would be taken away within minutes by the poor. But nothing of that sort happened and I guess the food was taken away to be dumped!

I felt so helpless that day and even today when I think about the incident. I regret not being able to do anything!

But it doesn’t stop me from doing things I can do today and everyday. I admit these are small things, but “boond boond se sagar bana” (little drops makes the ocean).

1. Stop buying truckloads of bottled water – get a filter instead and use tap water. Take a bottle to office, so you don’t use the paper cups or bottle water.
2. Don’t waste food. Period.
3. Recycle, Reuse.
4. Plant something.
5. Donate.
6. Shout at honey or little Kochunni or anyone if I see the tap left open while they are brushing their teeth (they are getting much better about it, these days).

Here’s more.

Go ahead, do something. Like John F. Kennedy said "...ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country" your World. Just do the little things and hope that there’s still a beautiful world left when our kids & grand kids grows up!

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Please do join the Blog Action Day - 2008, if you can. Go ahead, and do tell me if you do!


Image from: BBC News and Blog Action day site