There was a time when I was a kid watching Sineskwela (Filipino Science children TV show) and Agatom talked about the depleting ozone layer. That it had a “hole” that was becoming bigger unless we’d do something about it. We learned that we need to recycle because our dumpsites were getting out of hand. We memorized the 4Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Return) and we knew how to make our own little composts. There was a time when I actually believed that Captain Planet could save the environment. I’m not talking about his super powers but through the easy-to-do eco-friendly tips at the end of each episode. Go Planeteers! Then there was Al Gore who showed us The Inconvenient Truth. The ice cap was melting and polar bears were drowning. After that, everything’s a blur. And everyone began to forget.

We are the generation that’s most exposed to environment issues and we are (or should be) the most informed thanks to the wealth of material available to read and digest. But though we have all the information, somehow it’s not translating to action. I’m trying hard not to generalize but we are overcome by the culture of consumption and commercialism. Social media has paralyzed most of us to become mere spectators watching (and feeling) Mother Earth’s slow painful death.

Let’s try not to be spectators and do our part, however little it may be, as a millennial. Here’s my short list of how millennials in their own little ways help the environment.

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