Young Syak: “Hey old man! How’s it going?”
Present Syak: “Packing for London.”
Young Syak: “OMG, so exciting… You HAVE to start buying a new winter jacket, maybe some new shirts from Taobao and Shopee and…”
Present Syak: “Woah woah. There’s no need to buy what we already have. Plus, we’re steering away from those fast fashion stores… It’s harmful to the environment and designed for overconsumption. You have got to stop these bad environmental habits you know…”
Young Syak: “What habits are you talking about? I think I’m well versed in the 3Rs already…”
Present Syak: “Boy… you think sustainability means constantly adding to and re-using from that plastic bag collection under the kitchen sink.”
Young Syak: “Erm, haven’t you heard of REUSE…”
Syak (present): “No, young one… in this case, we have to REDUCE taking new plastic bags. Plus, how much plastic does one really need…”
Young Syak: “Okay fair… but… I… always throw stuff away in the recycling bins!”
Present Syak: “You’re not supposed to recycle everything you want to throw away wishfully… like how you threw that unwashed plastic ice cream wrapper into the recycling bin… it probably contaminated every other plastic in there!”
Young Syak: “Okay what about the mystery box in the fridge… you know the one where we’d have to guess whether there’s actual ice cream or some random curry in the ice cream tub?”
Present Syak: “Well, that’s actually a good practice of re-using! Mom also uses tupperware to store food, something I’m definitely doing when I’m cooking abroad”
Young Syak: “Why don’t you just do takeaway? I’d be so lazy to cook.”
Present Syak: Well, not only will it be good for me to save money, but takeaways are just going to add on to single-use plastic consumption right?”
Young Syak: “I think I’m getting it… but right… you’re travelling across halfway around the world, how can that be sustainable”?
Present Syak: “Honestly… I asked myself that question too. But I booked a direct economy seat from Singapore to the UK. So, fewer takeoffs mean less fuel consumption and carbon emissions!”
Young Syak: “So tempting to take all those short trips and cheap flights around Europe though… But I understand it now, they’re all just going to add up to more carbon emissions, right?”
Present Syak: “You’re getting it now! Well, we could still go but plan them in longer periods and use public transport instead.”
Young Syak: “I can’t wait for you to go… you’ve been waiting for this your entire life…”
Present Syak: “Listen… everyone wants to renew and rediscover themselves when they travel abroad. But remember, while we are in pursuit of ‘global perspectives’, it is always important to stay grounded and rooted in our sustainable habits!”
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