Often, I feel that I’m metaphorically planting seeds when I take an initiative. This week, one of my seeds became a beautiful flower:

In 2021, my city organized a picture competition on littering. Many participants submitted photos of litter that left me wondering how it ended up there in the first place.

I handed in a picture with three bottles, filled with cigarette butts, which I put in there to make clear that they are small, but many. And while they are small, one butt can poison the water we drink in about 2 years! So, by putting all these butts in bottles, it becomes clear how severely they harm our environment and us (these 3 bottles contain over 2300 cigarettes!).

And Earthday nicely explains in their article that this is also the most common form of plastic pollution:
https://www.earthday.org/tiny-but-deadly-cigarette-butts-are-the-most-commonly-polluted-plastic/




As these bottles visualize this problem, why the local university recently asked for permission to include my photo in one of their articles.” And there it is, my flower, in their special issue on “Sustainable development and ethics of science – mutual impulses and challenges”.

This is how actions we took in the past can make a positive influence today. So, please think again of your decisions today. How will you feel about them in a few years time?

As sustainability advocate, I ask myself these questions every day and make sure they will again be seeds … for more and more flowers in the future.

What seed did you plant today / what positive action did you do today? Share your story in the comments and inspire us all.
•
•
6 w
Cigarette butts are one of the most badly disposed wastes.
•
•
7 w
An absolute menace those ones ,I know so many of us can collect so much of these within our surroundings as they are poorly disposed
•
•
7 w
Highlighting cigarette butts as major pollutants is crucial. Your initiative is a creative way to raise awareness about their environmental impact, showcasing the severity of this often-overlooked issue. Small actions like these drive meaningful change!
•
7 w
Years ago I was in Italy, visiting a very old church and it’s gardens, where I remarked that the surface was nearly half covered by cigarette butts, I didn’t become angry because I knew already very well that mankind has lots of shortcomings and one of the main ones of these is always been, to intoxicate their body very often, with nonsense means like alcohol, tabak, drugs, too much of any other things which also turn to become very nefast to themselves, without noticing anything at the very beginning and loosing the lives God gave them, for no cause in the end very quickly, but instead I thought of a way to eliminate all these cigarette butts from the world, and I also found it !The solution is very simple, it’s only to add an extra ring of a different material in each cigarette, closer to the ending, either at the end of the filter part of it or somewhere nearly close to the mouth-ending of it, such a material, which would neither limit the air-fume flow to the user, neither be harmful to the user when the saliva would get in contact with this part, but it would get fire from itself when the butt is thrown away, to exterminate it completely, leaving only some harmless powder behind. I sent this idea to a big tobacco company, but naturally I got no single answer back, I believe that the sight of these butts on the ground or anywhere else works as a reminder to the smokers, that there are not alone and there are part of a huge community of people, altogether going through their own self distractions, as this sight delivering them from any kind of mental awareness that they are wrong and must change their behaviors, keeping the selling of all cigarettes on a constant high level, not only polluting the world around us but also the users’ poor lungs, until they are no more. God bless them all as they do not know what they are doing, as in many other, even more important things, altogether. Amen
•
•
7 w
@johan_ayiter_623 I am impressed by this innovative idea, because it would indeed be great when nothing is left behind. However, I think it is very dangerous when a butt sets itself on fire when it is throw into a natural area, as this could start for example a wildfire.
•
•
7 w
This is so enlightening
•
7 w
The initiative of showcasing the environmental harm caused by cigarette butts is impactful in raising awareness. How could this project be expanded to reach larger communities or even implemented globally to reduce pollution from smaller waste items?
•
•
7 w
@mercy_ndegwa_296 To expand globally, the initiative could use educational campaigns in schools, public spaces, and online platforms. Partnering with governments, NGOs, and businesses to create disposal areas and incentives, plus social media campaigns like #ButtOutPollution, could boost awareness. Art installations and workshops would engage communities worldwide.
•
•
7 w
This is impressive some small issues can later cause a great impact that you would think is just a cigarette filter but dangerous.
•
•
7 w
@sally_wangari Exactly! Small actions, like discarding cigarette butts improperly, can accumulate and cause significant environmental damage over time. Raising awareness about these seemingly minor issues is crucial, as they often have hidden, long-term consequences on ecosystems and human health
•
•
7 w
This is impressive some small issues can later cause a great impact that you would think is just a cigarette filter but dangerous.
•
•
•
7 w
Dear Erlijn van Genuchten Your climate love has received over 50 agrees! We have reached out to EarthDay.org by email and requested a response. I will keep you updated on any progress! To reach more people and increase the chance of a response, click the Share button above to share the review on your social accounts. For every new member that joins We Don't Have Time from your network, we will plant a tree and attribute it to you! /Adam, We Don't Have Time
•
•
7 w
An awesome reminder that even small actions can have a big impact over time
•
•
7 w
@dickson_mutai It's a powerful reminder that even the smallest actions, when added up, can create significant change. Every effort counts, and it's the collective action that shapes a better, healthier planet.
•
•
7 w
Impressive!! Proper disposal and awareness are essential to reduce their impact and protect ecosystems from further damage caused by this waste.
•
•
7 w
@walter_lungayi We need to tackle larger-scale pollution too, like single-use plastics and industrial waste