A week after our recent tests, our class set off for a memorable picnic. The weather wasn’t too cool, but the sky was pleasantly cloudy. Filled with excitement and joy, we reached our destination.

As we arrived, our eyes were drawn to the beautiful landscape of the garden, overflowing with dates palm trees and all kinds of flowers. A wave of excitement and freshness swept over us. Without wasting any time, we unloaded all the picnic materials from our buses and walked through the garden in search of the perfect spot to set up and arrange our picnic table and things.

After settling down, we started cooking with the materials we brought. As we cooked and joked around, we couldn’t help but admire the beautiful garden. Each of us appreciated the owner for creating such a bright and vibrant space.

After we were done cooking, we walked around the garden. Then, we heard our teacher calling us to gather for lunch. We quickly made our way to the picnic table.

We ate and drank the soft drinks and, without giving it much thought, left the empty glasses, plastic bottles and single-use waste there. We didn’t even glance at what we had done to the once beautiful garden. Then it was time for us to leave, we packed our belongings and got ready to head for the bus.

Just then, I saw a man walking swiftly toward us. It was the owner of the park.

“I am shocked to see how educated people like you show such a careless attitude toward the environment. Don’t you have any civic sense? There are dustbins all around, but it seems you have deliberately chosen to ignore them. Look around you, is this how you found the garden when you came?” he questioned.

We were frozen. His words hit hard and a pang of shame rushed over our face. None of us could look up to meet the man’s eyes.

“This not only affects the beauty of the garden, but also has severe impacts on our health and the environment. All the leftover material you have thrown around is going to rot and lead to unhygienic conditions in this garden for visitors who come after you.”

His words were all true; we had thrown garbage without giving it a second thought. We were utterly ashamed and wished we could turn back time to undo our actions. We realised that we were the true enemies of the earth, contributing to its ruin. We also understood that we needed to become more sensitive to the impact our careless daily actions were having on the environment. We felt deeply sorry and apologised for our thoughtless behaviour.

We immediately began to clean the area.

Before we left, the gentleman remarked, “Do your best to spread awareness among your friends and peers about the consequences of their small actions that lead to larger problems and disasters. Encourage everyone to take the responsibility of protecting the environment, which in turn will safeguard us from various calamities and dangerous diseases.”

Published in Dawn, Young World, February 1st, 2025