“Help me, please somebody help me…” while desperately looking for help, the little turtle tried hard to free himself. His neck was entrapped in a plastic bottle. It was difficult for him to breathe. After some time, his friend, a small fish, came around in search of him. 

“Oh my friend…” she muttered in worry seeing the little turtle in pain. She immediately cut the plastic bottle with her sharp teeth. The little turtle took a sigh of relief as soon as he got free. 
“Are you okay? she asked. 
The little turtle shook his head in “yes”, and said: “Thank you for saving my life.”
“Anytime, my friend!” she smiled.
    Both were a bit upset while heading towards their habitat. Once it had been a beautiful clean water lake, away from the city. But the expansion of city brought great trouble for water species. In recent times, the lake water became contaminated because of a nearby factory that started dumping its harmful liquid waste into the lake. Meanwhile, humans were also throwing the plastic litter and bottles in it. Every other day, water species got stuck in plastic litter as there was a thick layer of debris near the bank. 
    Elderly species in the water had instructed their minors to stay away from the polluted part of the lake. 
    “Why did you go to that side of the lake or to the bank while you had been warned not to go there?” the little turtle’s mom angrily asked.
“Sorry mom, I actually went there to meet my friend. Bunny can’t swim, so I had to go on land to see him.”
    “You better be careful next time. I don’t want my kid to be harmed.” she patted the little turtle’s skull-shell, affectionately.
“Mom, I am afraid, humans are not good... They look as if they want to kill us… That’s why they are spreading pollution.”  
    “No, son, they are not bad. Some of their practices can be bad.” she replied.
    Next day an important meeting was called deep down on the water bed. Water species knew that the wellbeing of the lake water was as crucial as the survival of their own community.
“We are in danger.” an old turtle started his speech. “Water pollution is going to kill us soon. You see the nearby forest is being cleared, too. It is heard that the forest will be replaced by a residential colony. Imagine, where shall the poor forest creatures go?” the old turtle was worried.
“Humans are destroying their habitat with own hands.” A wise fish philosophically spoke. “By cutting trees, man is actually harming the mankind as well as the earth planet. The increasing air and water pollution is making life for us miserable day by day. We are suffering. Our children are suffering. The plastic litter is making our life difficult.” the wise fish seemed in deep distress.
    Few miles away from the lake, humans on land were also suffering from viral infections and other diseases due to the increasing environmental pollution. It was the result of the damage done to the environment, unfortunately by their own hands.
***
    It was an activity day. Children were in school’s playground with Ms Maya. She was an environmentalist. She was there for an awareness cause. 
    “Dear Children! We have witnessed massive destructions in a decade’s time because of heavy unseasonal rains and floods, hurricanes and tsunamis, melting of glaciers and extreme heats. Reason is the climate change caused by environmental pollution. You know, pollution is posing extinction threats for various species of birds and animals because of the upsetting of ecological balance. Environmental pollution is worsening day by day leading us to an irreversible damage.” she explained with the help of a chart hanging on the board stand.
    “Would you like to know the many types of pollution?” Ms Maya asked, and the kids nodded “yes”.
“Well, environmental pollution is of several types: like water pollution, air pollution, noise pollution, and soil pollution. Air pollution straight away contaminates the surface of soil, water, and living organisms. It is harmful for crops and baby trees, as well as humans.” Maya informed. 
    “Miss, what are the causes of environmental pollution?” Bilal raised the very important question.
Ms. Maya said: “Human activities like industrialization, mining, urbanization, etc., are a root cause of the global environmental pollution. Technological advancement, burning of fossil fuels and cutting of trees have ruined the quality of environment’s essential elements like water, soil and air. The disposal of municipal and industrial waste without a control or check is speedily adding to the environmental pollution.” she replied.
“Ma’am, what’s the solution then?” asked little Samar.
    She replied: “Solution lies in conserving the environment. It is critical for numerous reasons, like:
-    We need to maintain the balance of ecosystem that supports life on earth.
-    We can put a halt on climate change by reducing carbon emission, and protecting the lungs of the earth. You know forests are called “the Lungs of the Earth.” 
-    Supporting healthy environment is crucial for humans’ wellbeing; they need clean water, fresh air, and organic food, etc.
-    Conservation of natural resources ensures sustainable economic development for the current and future generations.”  
    “Ma’am, what should we the children do to save the environment?” asked Najam. And Ms Maya started counting on fingers, point by point: “Well, kids, we are supposed to go for:
-    Tree-plantation on regular basis.
-    Running awareness campaigns to educate people, and train them for sustainable living.
-    We have to stop cutting trees, and we need to plant more and more trees. I’ll advise you to plant a sapling on your birthday, every year.  
-    We need to strictly follow the waste management rules.
-    Eco-friendly practices are essential such as use of electric vehicles, and sustainable energy renewables like solar, wind, etc., instead of fossil fuels.
-    It is highly important to adopt a “Zero Waste Lifestyle”, and follow the “Zero Waste Management” principles as well as techniques. 
    Remember, small actions can make notable impacts on the wellbeing of both nature and society.” she explained, and added: “Hope you guys are ready to play your role?” And the kids enthusiastically replied, “Yeah!” 
Children were all set to plant trees, especially on their respective birthdays. They were highly motivated by Ms Maya’s speech that they vowed to play their roles for keeping the environment and earth clean and green.
***
“Hey come here. There is something to see.” a little fish told her fellow fish, excitingly.
It was a lovely bright day. Fishes and turtles were playing deep in the water. They swam together towards the bank. It was a pleasant surprise to see the school children, along with their elders, picking up the plastic litter stuck in the lake. Many of them were planting saplings on the lake bank. A couple of days ago, they heard that the government had sealed the factory that was throwing hazardous waste in the lake. The government imposed heavy fine on its administration for contaminating the lake water. Moreover, the cutting of forest was also stopped.
    “Finally, humans have realized how important it is to keep the environment clean! Our earth is beautiful, and so are we…” said the old turtle.
    While picking the plastic litter with a small catch, a child saw turtles and fishes gathering around. He called his friends, shouting: “Come here, over here. See, there are so many…”  
“Wow! They are so cute. Hello friends...” Children were now happily feeding the lake species. 
    At night, before going to sleep, the little turtle whispered: “Mom, I believe you were right. I guess, humans are not bad. They are very good, indeed.” 
    As the mom smiled, the little turtle slept in contentment.