【推荐1】I met the Man of the Trees in summer ten years ago, when I was visiting Uncle Jita.

Those were difficult times. People were cutting down our forest, and there was often flooding. Sometimes our water supply was dirty. When our pump(水泵)did have clean water, we had to wait in line for ages. When the pump wasn’t working, we had to walk five kilometres to the closest stream.

But I was happy. I was going to see my favorite uncle. When the day finally arrived, Dad drove me to Uncle Jita’s house and left. Once he saw me, Uncle Jita announced, “Tomorrow we’re going to explore a magical place. Here is my camera, Amy. You can take photos of what you see.”

The following day, we woke up and left early on a boat. The trip was exciting. But when we got off, there was ... nothing in front of us. “I don’t want to take pictures of this,” I complained.

Uncle laughed,“Start walking, Amy. I promise you’ll be surprised.” After some time, I could see the outline of a forest in the distance. A little closer, there was a man waving to us.

“That’s Kabir. The forest you see is his. He planted every single tree.” As we walked towards Kabir, Uncle explained that thirty years ago, the whole area was a wasteland. But one day Kabir decided to change all that and started planting trees. Thanks to him, part of the wasteland is now a paradise(天堂).

Uncle introduced me to Kabir, who had gray hair and a determined face. “Jita told me you like animals. Are you ready to see some?” he asked. “Of course!” I replied. We continued walking and soon were under the trees. I turned my head and was amazed at the difference between the two places. All because of the efforts of one man.

Like Uncle said, Kabir’s forest was magical. We saw deer, rhinos, and even tigers. During lunchtime, Kabir explained how, by planting trees, it was possible to stop the land from eroding(侵蚀).

Hearing this, I turned to my uncle, ^“I think we can plant trees too ”

In the years that followed, people in our village worked hard to carry out our plan.

Is Banning Single-use Plastic the Right Option?

The harmful effects of using plastic are becoming increasingly apparent. Plastic does not decompose, but breaks down into smaller and smaller particles. It threatens our nature as well as our health. One popular solution to the problem is to prohibit single-use plastics. In the UK, supermarkets are being encouraged to set up plastic-free aisles, in which the food is displayed loose, and shoppers are encouraged to make more environmentally-friendly choices in packing and transporting their food.

Such plans are well-intentioned, but it may not be beneficial to eliminate(清除) the use of single-use plastic altogether. One of the fields where single-use plastic has a vital role is the food industry. When food or fresh goods are packed in plastic, they are protected and preserved, helping them remain fresher and keeping them from spoiling. Single-use plastic is also crucial in the medical industry. This is not just because of its low cost. It helps to prevent the spread of infection and that is the biggest benefit of the material in the medical field.

Replacing plastic with other materials is neither simple nor straightforward, mainly due to the challenge of finding an alternative that combines all the most desirable plastic properties. For example, glass products are a potential alternative, but cleaning them would be extremely expensive while increasing the risk to health. Another issue is that alternative materials to plastic are often more environmentally harmful than plastic. Take paper bags, for example. Research by the Northern Ireland Assembly shows four times more energy is required to manufacture a paper bag than a plastic bag. If people respond by simply using other materials, a ban on single-use plastic can end up making the problem worse.

Clearly there is a need to reduce plastic waste and its impact on the environment. However, simply banning their single use may not be the best option.

We’re not trying to save the animals. Actually, we’re trying to save ourselves.

Learn to Exist in Harmony with Nature

Every time I think about Zhaxi’s words “We’re not trying to save the animals. Actually, we’re trying to save ourselves.”, the image of Tibetan antelopes appears in my mind. For them, the 1980s and 1990s were bad times. The population dropped by more than 50 percent.