Sharing community promises

Islamabad : During our childhood days, I used to bring mutton and bread from the bazaar in an old newspaper or in a cloth bag. Similarly, milk or yogurt was also carried home in utensils brought from home. Nowadays we are only producing waste, said 55 year-old Jameela—one of the participants of an orientation session organized by TheNetwork for Consumer Protection to mark the Green Action Week.

Jameela had come from a middle and low-income community residing in the outskirts of Islamabad in Mohallah Loharan in Rawalpindi city. Over two dozen women attended the event—all of them visibly excited women to have converged at a platform after completing their household chores.

To mark this year’s Green Action Week, TheNetwork joined hands with the international community in a global campaign to promote sustainable consumption. Green Action Week is celebrated every year from 30th September to 6th October. This year’s theme of the Green Action Week is ‘Sharing Community,’ and its aim is to revive the culture of sharing and collaboration to make sure everyone has sustainable access to goods.

The participants were orientated on the need to revitalize the spirit of using and reusing things multiple times and also sharing them with the other community members. Seasonal vegetable seeds and saplings were planted in order to collaborate and share healthy vegetables with each other. Saida Perveen Ishaq, a 37 year-old housewife, was totally enthralled by the plantation activity and said that by growing vegetables in the kitchen garden, she will not only make the home look more beautiful but will derive substantial savings in the kitchen budget.

Expressing her views about the activity, Tayyaba Bashir from TheNetwork said that the concept of sharing is not new, but it needs to be rejuvenated according to modern times. A community garden or sharing of home-grown vegetables is an easy way to reconnect people. “We can achieve SDG goal 12 ‘Sustainable consumption and production’ through sharing. It concerns with material use, hazardous chemicals and waste and consumer behaviour. With increasing use of natural resources, air, water, and soil pollution, and ever-growing amounts of waste, it is clear that our current way of consuming and producing has to change fundamentally,” she stated.

Today, many people do not have equal access to goods needed for a decent life, and too much stress is being put on the planet. Private ownership and consumerism has changed the pattern of consumption. We purchase too many things and use them for a short term and then throw them into the dustbin instead of sharing with others.

“We humans are turning into garbage producing machines. Sustainable consumption is crucial to tackle environmental causes of crisis that we are facing,” said Project Coordinator Bushra. Revival of the vibrant culture of sharing is crucial to promote sustainable consumption patterns at individual and community levels.