Environmental experts and activists have long been flailing their hands in exasperation for the world to pay attention. The natural ecosystem is literally burning while we continue to sit on our hands and hope for the best. Or worst, anticipating someone else to swoop in and rescue us all! What more does it take for us to act fast and cooperate?

Our Future Is Green

With the climate catastrophe right at your doorstep, pairing actions with verbal pledges and constant prayers are vital. Not just any action, rather meaningful actions that would snowball into contributing significantly into saving the planet and quite literally our own future existence. As part of the global ummah, as trustees and guardians of the planet, each of us is responsible and accountable to care for it. That simple.

Saving the planet is a monumental task indeed. Throwing our hands up in the air and refusing to accept the hard truth about the climate emergency. Not an option. To curl up in the fetal position due to paralysis caused by fear. Not an option either.

We remain the solution! The bottomline: Our daily actions driven by our spending decisions and habits affect the environment.

In other words, we are our only hope. We need to step up as eco-heroes sans the capes. Let that sink in for a moment.

Our Environment, Home And Wallets

Since we are responsible for our present and immediate future, we need to continue to work in moving the needle in our favour. Remember the 3Rs for a start? From avoiding single-use plastic, switching to energy-saving light bulbs, upcycling old clothes, growing your own fruits and vegetables to composting food waste. The list keeps growing depending on one’s immediate surroundings and priorities.

Picture the following in your mind. The weekend and there is a nation-wide sale. Discounted items galore! An all-too-familiar scene of retail opportunity and alleged therapy. No judgment there. Yet, consider this: Such ‘therapy’ adds up still when spending is taken into account. Essentially, burning that hole in your wallet, or purse! Do you really need that extra pair of jeans? In the same size and colour of another similar pair sitting in your wardrobe. What happens to the old pair once the new pair of jeans has been purchased (impulsively, most of the time!)? Very likely it would end up in a landfill somewhere.

When in actuality, there are several ways to avoid such a disastrous choice at every step of the way. The choices you make are yours. Just keep the environment, our only planet we all call home and your wallet in mind!

Instead of spending money on a new pair of jeans or whatever apparel of your choice, why not opt to restyle with certain accessories? From tasteful beading and bedazzling a piece of garment to upcycling by turning that old pair of jeans into another product, such as a stylish tote bag. The possibilities are endless and let’s be frank about it – fun!

And, just so you know, the principles of 3Rs are in play. For example, by opting to upcycle you would have chosen to reuse an old piece of clothing and reduce the amount of waste in the landfills. Not forgetting money saved!

Our Future At What Cost?

As we continue to pair our prayers with tangible actions that matter, we need to be our very own eco-heroes. With smart financial mapping and decisions, your future and the futures of generations to come are not cruelly snatched away. Another facet that deserves attention and scrutiny albeit most would typically not think much of and about it, or might not even realise the potential savings not just for our wallets, but our only planet we all call home.

Global Muslims in Malaysia, listen up! CIMB Islamic Bank is a company that supports all these initiatives with eco-friendly financial products to boot. Therefore, check out OctoSavers Account-i and EcoSave Account-i.

No paper statements, passbooks or mailers yet you still enjoy banking convenience with a clear conscience. That is what the EcoSave Account-i is all about – an environmentally-friendly savings account with the convenience of online access. The OctoSavers Account-i is CIMB Islamic Bank’s first fully digital savings account-i that offers instant rewards through missions and challenges along with loads of other benefits, all in CIMB Clicks.

(Psst! We care for the environment and our future, which is at stake here. So, let’s share this article with your family and friends now.)

This article has been created in partnership with CIMB Islamic Bank.