Living in a clean, healthy environment Is it a right?
View(s):In the past few weeks, human rights have been a hot topic of discussion in many circles, especially within Sri Lanka. Many times when 
we think of human rights, the broad vision that comes to mind is that it supports the dignity of human life. We all like to make demands as to what our rights entail; what should I get? How should I benefit? What can I do? Unfortunately, this notion is widespread in all aspects of human lives. Does it stem from the needs of the selfish gene? Although we do have a few altruistic individuals still working for the greater good. Through the Save Green article today, the focus of our rights would be those with regards to the environment.
How many of us would want our surroundings to constitute of green trees, tweeting birds and clean air? We all would, but the reality is that the green we see is just chemicals or plastic, the air is making people sick, and the only tweeting is that of social media platforms. Some people are privileged to be able to live in urban areas that still hold on to the element of nature. Yes, it is everyone’s right to live in a clean and healthy environment. How many people acknowledge the fact that they also inherit a responsibility towards maintaining and ensuring accessibility of the same rights by other individuals? Rights and responsibilities are two sides of the same coin. The ideal way to maintain this school of thought would be to see people thinking of the bigger picture. When somebody decides to dump their garbage in the lake nearby, what if they thought about the people who use that water for drinking, bathing, fishing? When somebody decides to burn a week’s worth of plastic, what if they thought of the neighbours and the chemicals being released in to the air? What if they thought ‘I have a right to drink clean water, so do the people who depend on the water from 
the lakes’? Or ‘I have a right to clean air, so do the people around me’? Would we still face the debacle of pollution? If we all stopped pollution at a local level, we would have been able to address climate change and global warming at global levels. Act local for a global change.
A local action, such as saving electricity, is greatly promoted throughout the world. Especially, yesterday, the 23rd of March as people marked earth hour by switching off all non-essential lights. Make every hour an earth hour, and make everyday an earth day. Thereby, gaining access to your rights, and facilitating accessibility to the rights of another individual.
Joanne Kotelawala, (British Council International Climate Champion, British Council Active Citizens Facilitator, Commonwealth Change-makers facilitator and Past President of Green Army of Spectrum Institute of Science and Technology)
Do you have any comments/ideas/suggestions/pictures/writings you would like to share?
Then send an email to savegreenwithet@gmail.com
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