It's only one

A blog post by Hendrika Psaila

Hendrika Psaila

Posted 14/04/2022

As part of our blog series on our SDGs from #TeamKSB, our Education and Learning Officer Hendrika Psaila tells us what drives her to make a difference and encourages us to think about what our 'one thing' is. For her, it's Quality Education. What's yours?

You might think ‘it’s only one’ but it’s not only you thinking that, is it? What harm can one plastic bottle do? Think of all those ‘one plastic bottles’ piled up in a mountain of waste, just like yours. One doesn’t sound that big, does it? But, life can change in just one second, one moment. Now, one doesn’t sound that small anymore, does it? It’s only one, but all those ones together make millions, trillions, infinity. It all starts with one and it finishes with the last one. It only takes one change, one action, one moment, one voice. Do you feel the ones building up? Your plastic bottle is no exception. It’s only one!

I wrote this as part of a homework task for Climate Change: 1.5 Degree Films Project. The task was to make a 90 second film repeating one significant line three times. My aim was to make people reflect on their behaviour of NOT putting their waste in the bin. I would really like to understand people’s reasoning, logic or argument for NOT disposing of waste efficiently.

As an Education and Learning officer at Keep Scotland Beautiful, I love witnessing the enjoyment children and young people get after a litter pick. Looking at how their efforts have made a positive effect on the environment and their health and wellbeing. So, what changes when they get older? Do they get ashamed of taking care of the environment; do they feel that their efforts are not being recognised or appreciated; or do they think litter is a never-ending story, so why bother? These questions have no straight answers or solutions. But, at Eco-Schools Scotland we are trying to turn the tide by working with schools and communities.

I become very proud of my boys when we do a litter pick or are working together to make our neighbourhood a better place for everyone. My boys would like to build an orchard and keep a pig as part of contributing to the solutions of climate change. They are carrying out investigations and looking at a variety of methods on how to organise their idea and put it into action. I in the meantime am making arrangements to start a gardening club for the children and young people of our community. My aim is to bring the people – young and old of our community together while learning about food, the environment and climate action.

Our ambitions do not have to be big or extraordinary. Our ambitions have to be something, ‘one’ thing … And that is up to you. I cannot answer that for you. What is that something that makes you want to make a difference, it could be a love of nature, a desire for fairness in the world or just to enjoy a walk without litter. My something is my boys.