On the occasion of World Environment Day, Odile Cerveaux, Administrative Executive at EllGeo Re, shares with us her views on the importance of protecting Mother Earth. Nature lover since a child, she opens up on how humankind should open their eyes before it’s too late. Read on to learn her story

According to you, what is the biggest environmental threat in the world at present?

Earth is about 4.54 billion years old and primitive homo sapiens have been walking this same earth since 300, 000 years ago. The modern human race which appeared around 100,000 years after the primitives have since been ruining the only planet habitable by humankind. Earth has been shaped in every way to sustain life, from the magnetic field protecting us to the formation of the mineral and energy resources that are the foundation of modern technological society. Though human was also designed to evolve, we’ve kind of been evolving in all the wrong directions for many years. The destruction of hectares of forest to build bigger societies, the burning of fossil fuel to feed our machines to the farming of livestock, the use of nitrogenic fertilizers, fluorinated gases and the list goes on. Consequently, this resulted in global warming. Climate change is by far the greatest threat to planet Earth. Today, more than ever, is time to bring sustainability into focus. Many have tried and are relentlessly trying to reverse the situation, but humans are kind of a funny race because if anything does not directly affect them or hurt them, they turn a blind eye. Though countries around the world are being hugely affected by the aftermath of climate change; tsunamis, floods, and intense droughts, I am not sure people do fully acknowledge its impact.

What do you think an individual can do to help the environment?

Reduce, reuse and recycle can be the one thing that does not require any monetary exchange or much of an effort for people to do. I was raised in a time when that one pair of shoes you get for Christmas is the one you’ll be wearing until next Christmas; if it breaks, my dad will just fix it back together and it was ready to go. I would wear the jeans my sister wore before me and that was never an issue. We had no computers, or printers at home because we didn’t need one, we would ride a bike that would last 10 years or walk from one place to another. we had a car that would take us to school and work and sometimes to visit families who lived far, that’s it. We did not drive from home to the closest store, we walked. Our fridge lasted 25 years, same for the washing machine. We were simply happy!

How is EllGeo reducing its carbon footprint and protecting the environment in the day to day?

When moving to our new office, we made a zero print policy and try every day to stick to that. We buy recycled and we encourage the Work-From-Home system, for us not to drive to the office. We plan our CSR around how to save our planet. For instance, a few months back we went to Ebony Forest to plant a tree with the whole team and it was such a memorable experience. We form part of a group that values sustainability and we cannot be prouder than this.

What message do you have to the present and future generations?

I really hope for humankind to open their eyes and see how planet earth isn’t going to survive without our effort in making things right. Why drive when you can walk or ride?! It’s about time for us to reduce, reuse and recycle. Our parents did it before us and theirs before them, and they lived. They knew the value of money and it’s time for us to know the value of Mother Earth now for our kids and grandkids. Be part of the group working towards a sustainable tomorrow rather than just a powerful one.