KUALA LUMPUR, July 5 — Yara Kerschot may only be 11 but adults can learn a thing or two from her eco-friendly ways.
The half-Malaysian, half-Belgian student has been diligently practising a zero waste lifestyle since the age of six after going to the beach and witnessing the environmental impact of plastic waste firsthand.
This prompted Kerschot and her family to embark on beach clean-ups while making efforts to reduce single-use plastic in their daily lives.
She even managed to convince her dad to be more environmentally conscious, though he was initially not so receptive towards the idea.
“He was not so keen at first to adopt zero waste methods because he has to travel a lot for his job, but we started telling him that he should change because the Earth is in a critical state.
“I think he felt left out when he saw the rest of the family practising zero waste and that was when he started making small changes to his habits.
“For example, he now brings a flask with him to the airport instead of buying coffee in paper cups,” Kerschot told Malay Mail.
The preteen’s zero waste journey is largely influenced by her mother, Mareena Yahya, who is also the co-founder of the environmental campaign Tak Nak Straw.
The mother-of-two added that her husband is now fully onboard with the rest of the family when it comes to living a greener life.
“While the nature of his job means he has to travel frequently and leave a bigger carbon footprint, he does not produce as much waste as he did before.
“He’s become very mindful about things like plastic waste and consumption. Instead of ordering takeaway, he will do his best to dine in to reduce the need for plastic containers to pack the food in.”
For Kerschot and her younger brother, living an eco-friendly life comes naturally as a result of Mareena raising them to be mindful about waste from a young age.
The kids automatically bring their own water bottles with them everywhere they go and turn down party bags at birthdays to reduce plastic waste from piling up at home.
Reusable stainless steel shavers, bamboo toothbrushes, reusable sanitary pads, and homemade toothpaste and face creams are just some of the items you can find in the Kerschots’ bathrooms.
Dry ingredients purchased from bulk food stores fill up their pantry, allowing them to save money and reduce food waste by only buying exactly what they need.
Over the last four years, the amount of non-recyclable waste the family has produced can fit into one small jar.
“There are some exceptions when one of us falls sick and we have to take medicine which comes in foil or plastic packaging.
“We know they’re not recyclable so we keep them to prevent them from ending up in the landfill.
“This way, we have a visual understanding of the trash we make and we feel very satisfied knowing that it is possible to be eco-friendly at home,” said Mareena.
Kerschot has also encouraged some of her friends to be more shrewd about the waste they create.
The “cool” factor of trendy items like metal straws has led Kerschot’s peers to embrace the no-plastic-straw mentality wholeheartedly.
The young environmentalist, who aspires to be a marine biologist when she grows up, recently spoke at the Zero Waste Lifestyle Forum at the second Zero Waste Festival in Kuala Lumpur.
Kerschot’s speech aimed to raise awareness on how the next generation will have to bear the burden of a wounded planet if we continue to generate copious amounts of waste.
Zero Waste Malaysia (ZWM) hosts the annual festival which gathers speakers from around the globe to share their experience of embracing eco-friendly businesses and lifestyles with a Malaysian audience.
Check out the ZWM official Facebook page to find out more about their work.
