A pen can save the planet! Know How

A pen, a simple pen that costs between Rs 8-25 is found in almost all households, bags, pockets, in between diaries, pen stands and in garbage, landfills, oceans, and rivers. We all know what a pen does. But do you know what pen does that it is not supposed to do at all?

Pen is probably one of those many things that we mindlessly leave anywhere without having the responsibility to care for it enough to carry it back with us with love and care. Oftentimes people borrow a pen from others because they have lost their own or as they call it "misplaced" it. We misplace things when we are careless and mindless about it.

Now come to think of it, what we often lose is something that we attach less value to financially. Let us simplify this statement with an example. How often do you lose your wallet, phone or laptop? How often do you lose your gold /silver/platinum, diamond ring, chain or bracelet? How often do you lose your branded bags, watches and clothes? Not too often. And even if we do, we put in a great deal of effort to find it. And sometimes if we are lucky enough, we actually find what we have lost. We all pay great attention to the products that we have to spend good money on. We attach the value of a product and how much attention and care is to be paid to a product, based on the money we spend on it. In other words, the number of days a product stays with you, is directly proportional to the amount of money you have spent on it. 

Unfortunately, this attitude of ours is doing great harm to our environment. Our thoughtless consumption, buying patterns and attaching value to products based on their price tag is adding to the climate crisis. The more stuff we buy and the more we thoughtlessly misplace it, the more likely it's to end up in landfills or water bodies and contaminate it. What has the potential to be recycled, our thoughtlessness turns it into a single-use plastic. 

The pen is just one product. Be mindful of all the products that you use. Even if it costs nothing, intentionally put a value to it as if it costs you a limb. If you have misplaced it, make an effort to find it.  And taking care of it is your responsibility. The more mindful you are, the better it is for this planet. Losing a pen is a big deal. Because you've just contributed to an already overburdened planet.