Chilly mornings with birds chirping in the trees and dewdrops on the grass in the yard. These are the mornings I would wake up to on the weekends as a child. We would spend most weekends at my mother’s village, a small quiet place where my fondest childhood memories exist. I would follow behind my mother like a tail as she went to the taro patches. There, I would sit on a rice sack in the shade, gnawing on sugarcane to stay occupied as she gathered taro.
I would say a good number of people my age had similar experiences. As time goes on, fewer Palauans live this kind of life—a life of joy in a rich natural environment. It is my dream that the coming generations can experience the same things I have. My country needs to get together and make sure our environment is kept pristine for our descendants.
Now, rising sea levels are causing salt water to enter the taro patches, making the crops sick. Extreme weather patterns have made growing crops much trickier than before. Overfishing is also a problem. A decline in fish stock has made it more difficult for local fishermen to catch fish to sell or take back to their families. Coral bleaching, too. For Palau, coral is our island’s first line of defense against large waves, so we rely on it for our livelihoods.
I try to help out in the little ways I can. I work at a local NGO and help organize activities like the Palau Pledge Challenge, where we hold a cigarette butt collection competition in schools across Palau. This particular activity aims to teach children that cigarette butts are comprised of toxic microplastics that end up in our oceans. Through activities like this, we hope to raise awareness in the public about looking out for and protecting the environment around us.
Thankfully, our leadership sees the importance of protecting our home. With the declaration to protect 80% of our waters and an eco-pledge asking visitors to take care of our environment, we are making waves as we take care of our home. But this is just the beginning. As a people, we need to do our part to protect our island and hold onto our culture and traditions. We must be aware that we are stewards of the environment, while we dream of a joyful world where everyone respects nature.