Before the winter break, a lot of polluted air came with the wind all the way from the factories in India. The nowcast air quality index was measured as high as 130 which unhealthy for sensitive groups. I fit into that category as when I walked around campus, I felt my skin itch, and my throat closed up giving me a tight feeling.

The local schools were under a government declared free day but our international school stayed open. Our parents were emailed and informed that if they wanted, they could keep their children at home if they felt the need for it. Another protocol we were given was that we had to remain indoor during Lunch and break because of the thin air, but very few students who understood the severity of the situation did so. I don’t blame them for wanting to stay outside, it’s a place we are used to using to socialize but in the long term its a dangerous thing to do. Looking over into the distance of the city, I couldn’t see the tall buildings that I would usually admire because of the thick smog.

I felt so helpless with the whole situation. Most of the pollution wasn’t coming from Sri Lanka, but a new country across the ocean so there were no immediate actions I could take to stop this.

This same day I went to bring the paper to the recycling centre with Huirong from the recycling and sustainability group. When we arrived and were waiting for the guy to weigh our paper, it started to rain. When the water came in contact with my skin it started to itch and burn, telling me that the rain was slightly acidic. We stood underneath the roof and when the time came for us to return to school we hastily jumped back into the car.

Even though this day brought me down so much and made me doubt if there was any hope at all, it inspired me greatly. I started thinking about how we could avoid this level of pollution happening in Sri Lanka. Some of my ideas included:

• Writing to supermarket chains and asking them to stop providing plastic bags for groceries
• Working together with pearl protectors to organize a beach clean up with our school to pick up nurdles
• And starting a website for eco schools with alternatives to wasteful products, places where we buy stuff to be zero waste and other tips and updates about eco-schools at OSC in general.

(Featured Image Credit: Eloise Golding)