Post
WakeUp Times
Romania is not a sustainable country. With few exceptions, we don't recycle, we have no idea about our carbon footprint, we take our environment for granted and we basically spend our lives with little or no care related to a sustainable approach towards living. Therefore, you can imagine both my anxiety and excitement when my acceptance to Think2 launch event arrived in my email.
I had doubts whether I should pursue the invitation or maybe write back to EJC and give my place up to someone else who would have come from a country with a much bigger impact in eco-matters. I tried to remember when was the first time ecology and I met each other and I turned back in time, to a holiday in a small village in the Austrian Alps when my sensitive, utterly ignorant ass was metaphorically kicked by the local, sustainable lifestyle.
My friends and I had no idea we're in a country where recycling is the main course in the menu. We stood at an idyllic b&b with nice rooms, large windows and a lovely view to the mountains and the lake. While being careful not to miss any fun, we threw all our garbage - bottles, plastic, organic materials, leftovers, cigarette ends - in some plastic bags that had previously held goodies from the supermarket. We did this for a couple of days and felt very good about ourselves because we didn't leave any mess on the terace where we used to spend a couple of hours every day. Until one day, when the lady from the b&b kindly asked us to leave everything as it was, because she would clean after us. And we were all "No, no, there's no problem. We don't mind gathering everything. It's our garbage, we clean and throw it away in one of the bins outside." After repeating the same thing back and forth a couple of times, the lady (probably annoyed by us insisting so much) released the bomb "You know, we recycle."
Ever since that day - I still feel bad for our sheer ignorance - I became less altruistic and more selfish. And that came along with an intelligent use of resources. If I don't take proper care of everything around (water, air, soil, animals, people) including me, nobody else will do it.
We all speak about love and understanding but in terms of acting, few actually do something, so I doubt that love and understanding will save this planet from peril. Whether we like it or not, human race is on the verge of extinction. Maybe not tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, but if we keep on consuming more than we produce, if we keep on neglecting the signs that tell us to stop, we're not going to live much longer. On the other hand, if we're all selfish enough to want to live better and use our own behavior to drive us towards sustainable directions, our living chances improve, don't they?
Basically, this sense of selfishness made me decide to go to Copenhagen. I knew I had a lot to learn (and not just in terms of Samso or Dyssekilde examples, but also in terms of connecting and collaborating with other people who, at least at some level, share my feelings and want to live longer, healthier and better in a clean environment). Ironically or not, the name of our hotel was WakeUp and this is one selfish earthling who believes is finally awaken. I don't want to be part of the last generation who lives on this planet, do you?
Comments
Great post Adela!
Like you, I had doubts about taking part in the THINK event because climate change is such a non-issue in Iceland right now. But after having committed, I see the issues EVERYWHERE around me.
Thank you.
I still feel like a small fish swimming against the tide, but it’s all worth it.
Good work…very good initiative also. Change climate must to interest all peoples ! Pity that majority know, read but think that is a issue of others…only a few try to make smthing concret about it…
@Gabriela Indeed, hehe, our nation has some history with “think that is a issue of others”. It’s never us. It’s always somebody else.
So happy to read this. It doesn’t matter that you weren’t always aware, what matters is that you are now and you’re going above and beyond to change things. Bravo Adela
It really only does take one 
Thanks, Reg!
Ok there are 23 million people in Romania. It is needed at least 3 million “types” of Adela so a change can be made (an arbitrary number!). Enough? Sure!!! WakeUp should offer accommodation for 3 million young people with a motivation, 3 million young people who scream for a change, 3 million young people with the sense of responsibility. We, young people, need a slap to wake up from our ignorance and as soon as we did it, to take action. Your trip, your experience, your motivation, even your post is a step forward.
But still is impossible not to get pissed off when all those money, all that work, all those motivations disappear when the political issues come on the first row next to the stage. Is only this? No, of course not.
My age of 7 years old was enough to understand why I should recycle the old notebooks. Was fun! I was even on a competition with my classmates on who gets the most …
At 20 years old I had no classmate for my competition. I don`t remember if I was still in the competition myself…
At 29 years old, in a country with high standards on the environment, I wake up on the last Friday of the month and move the paper outside so it can be collected…I am in competition with myself and my believes.
We, young people, need awareness and self-esteem.
Congratulation would sound to formally so let`s keep it to “Good work”, Adela.
If we get too close to political interests, we may just end up like them.
There is something that your comment reminded me of. Back when I was very little & the communist party was still ruling the country, people used to recycle. Not because they wanted I suppose (if they did, they would have kept doing it after the revolution,too) but because of fear.
Along with selfishness, but in a different way, fear is another human feature that can change a whole world and we have the local 50 years’ story to prove it. And although extreme behaviors require extreme measures, I don’t think “a little bit of history repeating” would do any good.
1.Romania is too weak after the 1989-2009 econimical robbery .
2. It’s Not Just That Global Warming Is Fake. What Matters Is Why This Fakery Is Being Promoted.The global warming movement is not about global warming. It is about the creation of an international political control arrangement by which bureaucrats who favor socialism can gain control over the international economy.Global warming is based 100% on junk science.
Hi Adela
Good posting its Realy wel said with a realy good sight on the situation in this.
Good to see that there are more people think about there world.
Ok some People are a little bit short sighted"It’s Not Just That Global Warming Is Fake”.
For this kind of people i just got one thing too say read and study,i life near by the North sea and water levels are getting higher.
centimeters are more then enought too do damage.
Our climate is changing im 29 and the summers and winters about 25 years ago where different.
Now my summers are starting in april instead of may or june and Rainy.
And Real winter last time for me was about 10 years ago we hat a month of 0:Degrees avarage(Sea climate).
The Climate is changing and we are the generation who have too teach the next Generation too live with this planet in a good way and stop the former generation with there consumption way of living.
Soo People save our enviorment,not with big leaps but with little steps at a time.
You can make a difference.
Great article Adela,Let i open up a good Disscusion.
Grtz DANNY
I share the exact sentiments. In India you throw everything into the bin, and you don’t have to worry about recycling. If you leave them on the streets, you don’t get fined, somebody might or might not pick it up. So our streets are filled with litter.
BUT I hope my small steps to change my lifestyle will encourage others to do the same as well. And just maybe India will change.
@Mihail: Someone’s garbage is another man’s treasure.
@Danny: Differences in temperature are felt here, too. When I was little, people used to pick grapes in September, now they’re doing this in October, because the seasons changed & grapes had to adapt to longer summers/longer winters, less springs/less falls.
Thank you for taking the time to comment.
@Abhishek: The more I read your articles (and the links you share) about India, it’s more & more obvious that our countries are quite similar.
Most of the times, I feel I’m swimming against the tide, because many people here are either too lazy or too ignorant to do anything. But there are exceptions (I know somebody who drives around the city & collects paper from others every month, and makes sure it’s recycled) that make everything worth while.
India and Romania alike started with little steps. But little steps can turn into giant leaps
you give it away for free. I love seeing websites that understand the value of providing a quality resource for free. It’s the old what goes around comes around routine. Did you acquired lots of links and I see lots of trackbacks ???
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