Little Change Can Make Your Life Greener

             Lee Yu-jin (Korean Literature, 3), who is currently the president of Ewha GREEN, an environmental club at Ewha, is not one of the typical environmental activists you might think of. Lee is an ordinary student who is definitely far from a robust activist protesting at a construction field. Yet one thing that makes her life green is that she shows a little more interest in her surroundings than others.

             “Whenever I meet someone new, they ask me if I pick up garbage in streets,” says Lee in a little complaining tone. (Actually it was one of the questions I thought of asking had she not volunteered the answer herself!) She adds, “People think of the environment as something sophisticated, but the environment is anything that is around us.” It is true that majority of people judge environmentalist as someone different from the norm, but according to Lee, a little care for the environment is all that one needs to be an environmentalist.

             Lee’s care for the environment starts from making simple things by herself, such as making organic soap and baking cookies or snacks. After receiving an initial positive reaction from friends who received her first home-made presents, she had since made gifts on her own whenever possible. She says that home-made presents are meaningful both for the giver and the receiver because there is no same present anywhere in the world.

             Among many of her do-it-yourself work, Lee recommends to making a diary, which is easy for anyone to follow. Here are the steps to make your own diary: Prepare colored papers, hardboard, gauze, glue, and decoration materials. First cut the colored papers in a size of a diary and make the papers even. Next, glue the side of the bundle with gauze. Put glue again over the attached gauze and attach it with the hardboard. Then attach the decorations to the cover using your own imagination. 

             During her pastime, she often visits “Treasure Island.” Treasure Island is not a place that comes out only in a fairy tale; it is one of Beautiful Store’s second-hand bookstores at the Paju Bookcity. It is larger than any other bookstore made by the Beautiful Store. Located in the suburbs, you can breathe in fresh air while enjoying your books. As a Korean Literature major, Lee finds pleasure in finding Korean books that are out of print. These rare books are categorized with red stickers, but can only be read on the premises, not bought. She notes that the book price at Treasure Island is cheaper than other used bookstores in Seoul . There is also a shuttle bus that heads to Paju Bookcity starting from Hapjung Station, line no. 2.

             “Be friends with the environment” is this year’s slogan for Ewha GREEN. Lee says that environmental activism has now moved on from mass protesting to practicing in daily life. This is because people were no longer inspired by the traditional style of protesting. As you have noticed from Lee’s brief eco-friendly lifestyle, practicing in daily life is not a far distant story. Only a little more interest in the environment can make a difference.