One of the most shocking scenes in recent TV drama was played out in an episode of Madmen a couple of seasons back. Unusually for Madmen, it didn’t include the usual suspects of homophobia, sexism, or infidelity; it was something quite out of the blue and unexpected. Can you guess what it was?
It was the 3-minute scene of the Draper family having a picnic. Sitting down on a rug, the family enjoy an outdoors meal in a beautiful park setting. After the meal is finished Don gets up to stretch his legs while Betty checks the children to make sure they are clean before being allowed back into Don’s immaculate new car. Don downs the last of his beer, and then casually hurls the can away into the distance while Betty picks up the corners of the rug and shakes of the paper rubbish and remnants of their picnic onto the grass. They then drive off leaving a profusion of litter behind them.
The family picnic scene was set in 1960’s America. If that were to happen today, Betty and Don Draper would be seen as social pariahs.
I was reminded of this episode of Madmen, when I visited Pulau Tidung a couple of weeks ago. Irishman and I had been wanting to visit the Pulau Seribu, Thousand Islands just north of Jakarta ever since we arrived here so we were excited when at long last we eventually made it there. It was nice to leave the grot of Jakarta behind us and we were looking forward to spending two days on a tropical island in the middle of the Java Sea.
Imagine our dismay on finding not the paradise that we had hoped for but a huge rubbish tip instead. For the first three hours we felt a terrible sense of anti-climax. This was not what we had expected and we were shocked and deeply saddened. How could this be? How could this be allowed to happen?
The beautiful beaches, for which these islands are famous and to which visitors flock to in their hords, were choked with garbage. Disposable nappies, sweet packets, instant noodle pots, plastic bottles, broken glass, old items of clothing, discarded rubber shoes –The vegetation and trees along the beaches, their branches strewn with plastic bags, looked like they had gone through one of those plastic wrapper machines at the airport. It was quite heartbreaking.
I wandered off down the beach, leaving the Irishman and Mikey to their discussions beneath the palms. After finding a small area of sand that was relatively clean, I sat down and looked out at the vast expanse of turquoise sea in front of me and watched the plastic bottles and cartons bobbing about in the water. I was in somber mood, troubled and saddened by the ugly mess that we’d seen all over the island. I was used to seeing it in Jakarta, but I never imagined that I would find it here. As I gazed out, I spotted a pod of dolphins on the horizon.
Their unmistakable fins, their sleek grey bodies arching through the waves, what beauties! I counted them – 12 in all. I rushed back to tell the boys and we stood in awe, marveling at this wonderful sight. It was in that moment whilst watching the dolphins that I knew that I had to write this post, that I could no longer remain silent about something that I, and I’m sure many of you reading this will care passionately about; The Environment.
You only have to Google ‘rubbish, Indonesia’ and you will see what the problems are. I don’t believe these problems are unique to Indonesia, I think they are typical of all developing countries, where rapid industrialism and urbanization plus high population all take their toll on the environment. Waste is a social issue, which in turn becomes an environmental one. Waste in Indonesia is already having a massive and detrimental impact on the environment and yet the government remains half –hearted in its efforts to do anything to solve the problem. In Jakarta alone, over 10 Olympic sized swimming pools could be filled with the refuse that is generated daily. There is no recycling scheme to speak of and only the well off can afford to pay for their garbage to be collected. The men who remove the rubbish have to push heavy handcarts around in the sweltering heat and for 6 days of hard toil their reward is just £14 or $22 on which they have to support their families.
At least 20% of the garbage in Jakarta is dumped into its rivers and sewers, which then spew out into the seas. Much of the remainder is burnt adding to the canopy of pollution that hangs over the city and the rest is deposited on mountainous dumps within the city or around the outskirts. Here, the poorest of the poor can be found living in shanties built on top of the trash mountains, fashioned from materials found in the garbage, carpet, corrugated metal, old doors, rusty nails. Adults and children alike scavenge bare-footed daily amongst the filth, collecting plastic, and aluminum, anything that they can sell on. Their reward for this filthy work is a pittance but it makes the difference between surviving or not. How ironic then that the government fails to recognize that these slum dwellers who have no conception of the word ‘recycle’ in the sense that we know it, are unwittingly doing more to help the environment than their own government are.
It is not just Jakarta that has a problem managing its waste, it is all of Indonesia. The islands famous for their beautiful beaches are no longer the paradise that they once were. With mass tourism and an infrastructure unable to cope with the problems associated with waste and it’s management, no adequate landfills or domestic incinerator plants, Bali is strewn with litter and it’s not just domestic. The islands hospitals generate 700 kgs of medical waste daily. There is only one medical incinerator on the island able to deal with its disposal. Fear that the already over worked generator will pack up with the volume that needs to be disposed of daily, and lack of funds to replace it if it breaks down, has meant that restrictions have been placed on the amount now burnt. It is local knowledge that this unincinerated waste is being dumped at sea. A damning report was published in Time Magazine, the heading read ‘Bali drowning in sewage and ‘slowly committing suicide’.
Each month 30 million plastic bottles are used on Bali alone. Factor plastic bags, plastic noodle cartons, plastic forks and spoons, polystyrene and the rest of the manmade shit that is used as packaging and already it is a headache to think about it.
Indonesia is one of the last bastions on earth that is still rich in bio-diversity and natural resources. No wonder then that companies, many from the west move in and rape and pillage the land extracting precious minerals, gold, oil, and gas. Add to that the growing demand for timber and wood pulp, and no surprise then that deforestation is now a major concern. Much of the logging is done in an unsustainable way and also much of it done illegally. It is thought that 80% of the timber that leaves these shores is taken in this way. Within the past 5 years, an area of forest larger than the size of Portugal, has vanished and with it much of it’s natural habitat. Orangutans and the Sumatran rhino are now on the verge of extinction and a list of 15 mammals are on the critical list. 140 other species are on the danger list, when will this stop? And it’s not just the animals, the forest people of Sumatra who for centuries have lived and worked in the forests, making a livelihood through logging, are now just a whisker away from being lost forever. Not only the Forest people, but also local and central governments are losing precious revenue from this illicit timber trade. There is not the funding or support to maintain a system to protect this delicate eco-structure.
It’s not just the land and forests that are under threat. It is the rivers and oceans too. Global warming and high pollution levels from industrial, domestic waste and agro-chemicals leech into the rivers and out into the seas. Over-exploitation of marine resources, and over fishing caused by high demand from abroad, destructive fishing using cyanide to blast the fragile coral reefs have affected the eco-system and the vast number of marine species that depend on them. Indonesian waters are part of The Coral Triangle, one of the most diverse marine habitats on Earth whose resources support 126 million people. What will happen to the people whose livelihoods depend on the sea if it continues to be abused in such a way? Much is being done to help protect it, but it is still not enough.
The Indonesian government naturally is keen to sell eco-tourism but it needs to be thought out and funded properly. If I use Komodo Island, famous for it’s ‘Dragons’ as an example you can see just how damaging too many tourists can be. Komodo Island is now a National Park but with the constant flow of visitors (54,000 tourists visited the small island in 2010) there are now concerns about the rare dragon’s safety and welfare. With such a constant flow of visitors their normal patterns are being disturbed and their once tranquil life is being disrupted and to what end? There are not enough funds being handed out to ensure proper enforcements of the islands rules and regulations, which mean not enough rangers to manage the tourists and keep a check on the dragons. Meanwhile in the waters around the islands, local fishermen are using handmade bombs to blast the coral reefs to flush out the fish. This leaves some of the richest areas in the world for diving, and important marine research destroyed beyond recognition.
I’ve nearly finished though there’s much more that I could say. I don’t want this post to turn into some long-winded eco-moan so instead I’d like to end with my thoughts on what I believe can be done. I am not a Politician (thankfully) and I am not a scientist (sadly) in fact I don’t have an ’ology to my name, but I do read a lot. I read blogs, newspapers and articles and I do know how rightfully proud Indonesians are of their incredibly beautiful country. It is not their will that it has come to this, it is because there isn’t enough will from those that should, and could, do something more to protect and care for this incredible place. I don’t believe that it is too late for something to be done to stop this, but it needs to be done NOW. In 10 years time, it will be too late.
Here are my thoughts on what I think can be done.
EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDUCATION
A massive campaign needs to be started in schools and universities NOW to inform the children and young students of the impact of theirs, and their families waste on the environment. This is not just Indonesia’s problem, this is a GLOBAL PROBLEM. We are all accountable for what is happening right now on our planet. Don’t think that this is not your problem, because it is.
PLASTIC. If I were a scientist, I wouldn’t be writing this post, I would be working day and night to find a way to make packaging that had the lowest impact on the environment possible. PLASTIC is one of the greatest curses of all time. Indonesia has so many natural and renewable resources that could be used to carry groceries etc. We do not need our red peppers wrapped to within an inch of their life, and then placed in a polystyrene tray.
PROPER AND EFFICIENT WASTE MANAGEMENT. I spoke earlier about the unsung heroes who live in the slums on top of the garbage mountains here in Jakarta and all over Indonesia’s cities. With proper pay and adequate protection against the terrors that lurk in the garbage, they could help sort the waste and a much needed government backed re-cycling scheme could be initiated. This would bring employment to the many who so desperately need it AND lay the foundations for an efficient waste management programme.
FOREIGN COMPANIES. If foreign companies such as oil, gas and timber take out from Indonesia, then they should be prepared to GIVE BACK. Help aid and fund educational projects for saving Indonesia from further destruction, much of which has been made by them. NIKE has much to answer for. Not only do they pay their staff so little money that many of them have to leave their children in order to work, the stories of verbal and physical abuse are heartbreaking. Child labour, sweatshops, dangerous working conditions….AND they leave a wake of pollution. Rivers (whose water is drunk and used to wash in by the many who live in the areas) is so contaminated from the hormone disrupting chemicals in the products that Nike use that both environmental and human health is gravely at risk. They also burn rubber, the effects of which are known carcinogens. How can companies such as NIKE be SO callous?
I leave you with a quote from The Revenge Of Gaia (James Lovelock)
“The founders of the great religions of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism lived at times when we were far less numerous and lived in a way that was no burden to the Earth. Those holy men would have had no inkling of the troubled state of the planet a thousand or more years later, and their concern, rightly, would have been for human affairs. Rules and guidance were needed for individual, family and tribal good behaviour; we were the human family growing up in the natural world of Gaia and, like children, we took our home for granted and never questioned its existence.”
This post is dedicated to the many people all over Indonesia who either work, or volunteer their time and energy in helping to clear up the mess that others have left behind.
Lottie Nevin - The Red House Diaries 
Malcolm says that, when he goes sailing off Thailand, they encounter huge floating islands of plastic. It seems to me, Lottie, that you might have found your ‘raison d’être’ whilst in Jakarta. You are articulate, eloquent and have a good writing style. You also have a strong personality. Perhaps you should start campaigning for the ideas that you have outlined above? For example, I’ve seen programmes about rubbish tips in India and there are masses of, what we would call cottage industries, recycling just about everything. In that way, they help the environment and manage to earn some money.
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Thank you Pam. I’m afraid that the biggest stumbling block here is the government. I have spent hours, and hours talking to Indonesians who are as passionate about this subject as I am, and they all say the same thing. They see the devastation that is happening and feel as helpless as I do. This is why I believe the way forward is through educating the young and the middle-classes who have the means to put their money where their mouth is. There needs to be a radical re-think before it is too late.
I care passionately about this country and it’s people. My greatest wish is that they can turn things around (if necessary with help from the outside) and that all the wonderful things that make Indonesia so special, will be here for future generations. The kudos that Indonesia would gain from righting it’s wrongs would be a shining example to the rest of the World, especially the countries that left it too late.
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Dear Lottie,
Kudos to you for your post. Why not submit it to a paper.. mungkin JKTA Post?
I feel the same sadness, disbelief, frustration, tossed in with a good dose of helplessness – though I certainly do what I can and speak with whomever will listen, Alas, as you rightly point out, the locals often feel they are too poor to create the solutions or, more likely, at the mercy of the authorities, who don’t provide nearly enough clean-up services and zilch education.
Your photo of the cow surrounded by all that flotsam and jetsam speaks is worth 1000 words itself… save the cows, the chickens and dogs picking away at toxic debris, the babies breathing in carcinogenic fumes while their fathers mix up the burning heaps of plastic, foil and styrofoam right under their noses… …
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I do despair but I am not going to give up on this. I’m like a dog with a bone now! Fortunately I’m in the priviedged position of meeting many people involved in education and I am going to bend as many ears as I can.
Indonesians are very clever and resourceful, and I believe that a solution can be found. If they have the will, then there is a way. Thanks for your comment 🙂
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Shame I can’t spell!! Privileged….!!
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Reblogged this on Green Studio.
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Bravo! A truly awesome post, dear Sister. Your passionate and excellently written article covers a lot of ground. This issue is overwhelming in its scope, but you’ve made it all easily grasped. That is huge. Often the reason people don’t do anything is because when you feel overwhelmed it is difficult to make a move in any direction, but most especially it feels impossible to move forward. And we all know that standing still gets us no where.
The solutions are on the money. And you are absolutely correct, this is a GLOBAL issue, one that needs the attention of every one of us. I’m especially interested in the corporations who are making matters worse. Putting social and economic pressure on them, through getting the word out, spreading awareness, sounds like an excellent starting point.
So, where do we go from here, lovely Lottie? xo
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Thank you my lovely Sister 🙂 and thanks too for your wonderful kindness in sharing this post on Facebook. I appreciate it so much.
In answer to your question ‘Where do we go from here’? I really right now haven’t a clue! Obviously the more people that are aware of the problem and would like to do something to help it the better.
THIS IS A GLOBAL PROBLEM, but just for the moment I’m focusing on Indonesia for all the reasons that I’ve outlined in the post. There was a fantastic youtube video doing the rounds on Facebook a few months ago and I can’t remember what it was called but it was all about man’s destruction of the Earth. It was beautifully made and the visual message was very clear. I’d like to see a similar film specially made for children, which could be shown in every school throughout S.E Asia. The trouble is that sadly many children don’t go to school here so it’s not that simple – The problems are MASSIVE Sister.
For starters I’d ban plastic bags and plastic bottles immediately. French supermarkets stopped handing plastic carrier bags out years ago – it’s never done their businesses any harm. Plastic noodle pots are my bete noir also, but for many it’s the only food that they can afford. The problem is finding a container that can withstand hot/boiling water, that’s why I wish that I was a scientist! Street kids live on these instant noodles……. 😦
I’m prepared to put a lot into this but I need lots and lots of support and if anyone knows an organisation here in Indonesia that I could contact, that would be a good start.
Thanks Sister for your encouragement xx
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how about bali ? waiting your comment about Bali.
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Halo lagi Wayan
Terima kasih atas kunjungan Anda ke blog saya. Apakah Anda memiliki kekhawatiran juga tentang masalah sampah di Bali? Tolong beritahu saya apa yang Anda rasakan tentang hal itu. Saya akan sangat tertarik untuk mengetahui pengalaman anda.
Lottie
Hello again Wayan
Thank you for your visit to my blog. Do you have concerns too about the problem of rubbish on Bali? Please let me know what you feel about it. I would be very interested to know your thoughts.
Lottie
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I have these same thoughts (including the Mad Men scene!!) every time I walk around Jakarta and see someone roll down their window and toss trash from their car, be it a BMW or people on kopajas. It’s at every level.
Here are a few things I found interesting this year. A BBC video on the life of Jakarta garbage men: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EWLQw9TiCM
And what one of the Thousand Islands is trying to do with trash: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904900904576554380191130742.html
How I hope that Agnes Monica will make a commercial where she picks up trash and properly disposes of it….here’s to dreaming.
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Thanks for your comment Lydia and also for being so kind and sending me the links. I look forward to looking at them.
As a fellow Jakartan, you’ll be seeing the same sights that I do, and feeling the same despair for sure. Picking up the trash is the first step but what to do with the mountains and mountains of it afterwards is the main concern. It’s a universal problem, not just here. I do think stopping plastic would help enormously….
I was sent some links by a very good friend in the States this morning. She’s being a great supporter in this and has given me some of her ideas and thoughts on the subject. The more people that start to do something about it, the better. Have you any ideas? or know any people that I could contact?
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Great post Lottie, thanks for opening our eyes.
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Thank you 🙂
I don’t know what it is like in Thailand, but I suspect it is a similar problem?
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How people can be so selfish, I’ll never understand. When we go visit Jekyll Island, I make sure to pick up every single thing and leave nothing but nature behind. It’s not that difficult to pick up your trash. These photos were disturbing and upsetting, and to think of the trash floating in the tropical waters makes me really sad.
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Me too, Amberr. The whole waste problem makes me really sad and angry. The waters between Jakarta and the island was full of crap, and that was just the stuff floating on the surface. Lord only knows whats sunk to the bottom of the sea and killing all the fish and marine life.
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Just a small suggest here, seaweed can be a great, edible and biodegradable packaging material, it does however require processing. How about fruit and veg being packaged in palm, vine or whatever large leaves you have over there, you can bbq or bake food in the leaves, keeps in flavour and biodegrades?
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I’ve been thinking about this so much and I agree, there is enough vegetation growing here that making bags, baskets and packaging should not be difficult. The seaweed is a great idea. I was shocked when speaking to a rice farmer a few months back, that he didn’t know about the benefits of using seaweed as a natural fertiliser. He was complaining about the problems of using nitrates on his padi field and how it works initially but then loses it’s efficacy so he needed to use more and more each time and the land became sour from the overuse of chemicals. Bali is surrounded by sea and seaweed!
Where forests have been ripped down, new planting programs could be implemented making the ‘packaging’ problem sustainable, rather than the nightmare that it has now become.
There is a massive labour force many of who are unemployed, who could implement their great weaving skills to manufacture containers of all shapes and sizes (on Bali for example all the offerings are placed in woven baskets, and the elaborate decorations that are used in ceremonies and for celebrations) Banana leaves are so versatile and they are used for cooking, and wrapping and even as plates.
If only someone in the government could see all the good and all the benefits that could come from addressing this problem, rather than shying away from it, it would not only help to save the environment, but just as importantly, give employment to the many, many people who so desperately need it.
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thats true.., this is great post!!
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Thanks 🙂
Have you any ideas about what you think could/should be done? I’d really appreciate some feedback if you have a moment. This is something that needs to involve a lot of people to put pressure on the government, not just a few lone people whose voices are lost in the wind.
I’m a bule so whatever I say I fear won’t count for anything. You are Indonesian, you are a very talented draughtsman, intelligent, articulate and young! Oh, and full of energy!!
Let me know what you think, send me an email if you would prefer. Lottie
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Thank you so much for this lovely post, Lottie! Actually, we have the same problem here in the Philippines. When I saw the pictures, I told myself, “I thought, my country is the garbage capital in the world!”. I hope this post will be sent to those responsible officials! 🙂
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How extraordinary! I had no idea that you lived in the Phillippines! That’s cool, we are almost neighbours 🙂
This is a universal problem Keith – I just wish that those in power here in Indonesia would start to do something to tackle it. Here’s hoping!
People complain about dog shit on pavements, but that’s nothing to the crap and shit that us humans dump on the world everyday.
Now you understand why I wanted you to read the post! That photo may have looked like paradise, but this is the sickening truth. Thanks for taking the time to read it, and for your comment. Really appreciate it. Lottie xo
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There IS a campaign and it’s from the government. Here I can see large billboards about this. They are the ONLY in Indonesia who are trying to do something against this ecological suicide. The problem are the common people, especially the children.
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Tom thanks for your comment and I always appreciate your take on things. I have seen F**k all billboards about waste and the environment here in Jakarta, it sounds like things are different in Sulawesi. This problem belongs to everyone. Why are the goverment not tackling this through education? I don’t blame the people or the children if they have not been informed, many of them have enough problems just trying to survive. Can you send me some details on this government incentive? How long it has been going etc. My information comes from well-educated and informed Indonesians who are despairing at what is happening. Thanks, Lottie.
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Since the 80ies I watched how the Indonesian government is educating the people (under Suharto they used tv). Some of my relatives are involved in this. But educating people who don’t know how their body is functioning, probably needs more than 50 years. If there’s a bad government in Indonesia the majority of the people is even worse. I have nearly no contact to this well educated and informed dwarf-like urban minority but I live my daily life right between the gigantic majority of rural ignorants which are bathing in the water and breathing the air they are polluting themselves. Some even think, smoke is good for babies. And you could watch me every day cleaning my irrigation-system from their garbage. Here you can also watch groups of government officials cleaning streets once a week – trying to show a good example. You think, someone has to be “informed” that a motorcycle-helmet or an umbrella or pig’s entrails or plastic-pants full of baby-shit shouldn’t be thrown in the water, he is using for a shower? They SEE what’s happening with their skin. The term which often explains the most absurd behaviour is “cari gampang” – using the easiest way. And the government’s slogan is: “Fight against poverty AND stupidity!”
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And there’s another aspect of environmental problems, the government is not to blame for: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/aug/07/bali-tourism-threatens-natural-beauty
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Interesting post Tom and thank you for putting the link on here.
I am well aware already of the effects of mass tourism – I do my homework! I talk to local people about the problems and yes the culture is suffering and the older generation are very concerned. We have been asked to become involved in a group run by Balinese on how to keep the younger generation actively engaged and interested in island traditions. There is a real fear that the language is being lost and fewer and fewer younger people want to learn the crafts and skills of their forebears. In a nutshell, the younger generation are becoming more westernised.
After the Bali bombings many families were left destitute as there were so few jobs available in the hotels – people stopped coming to Bali and the economy suffered because of it. Bali is pretty quiet at the moment due to the current global economic climate. not many can afford long-haul flights these days. It’s mostly Australians and Japanese visitors so far this year.
Like anything in life, it is about finding a balance. Bali needs it’s tourists but it also needs to find a way to support the industry in a way that has as little as possible impact on the environment. Easier said than done.
I still maintain that Education is the answer. Have you tried speaking to your neighbours or called a meeting to discuss the waste issues and the shit in your irrigation system? It might not be a very popular subject but maybe it would get people thinking, especially if you came up with ideas and solutions on how to change things for the better. It’s a start Tom and who knows it could be the beginning of something good!
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Of course I agree that education is badly needed and the government knows that too. Every mayor in every part of Indonesia has to do “sosialisasi” which means educating his campung. For example he talks about waste issues in a speech at a funeral – which seems funny for us. A typical Indonesian behaviour is like this: They all agree in what you are saying (What else could they do about this matter?), and they are world-champions in finding out what you like to hear. So you easily come to the conclusion, something will change, because so many people have the same reasonable opinion. And after that they take their shit and throw it in the next river. They know exactly that downstream someone is bathing and washing, but they don’t care. I never experienced an other society where people are treating each other in such a brutal way. That’s why they are talking so much about community, unity and nation. And the most weird is: ALL are knowing that it works like this and that this is the law of the jungle.
I already did send a bag full of baby-shit back to the owners. They were so ashamed that they even didn’t come out of their house.
About the westernized youth: Battle already lost! Do you and I live like our ancestors? Are you singing the old ballads and playing the harp? I suppose you prefer texting. So this Balinese youth should stay connected to the past, because we westerners would like to see that as an compensation for our neurotical urban way of life? Battle lost because WE are the example for this youth.
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Tom, I think you may have misunderstood me.
I am all for progress, and I have no desire whatsoever to see as you wrote ‘ Balinese youth stay connected to the past, because we westerners would like to see that as an compensation for our neurotical urban way of life?’
These are not my thoughts, I am merely writing about what I have been told by more senior members of the Balinese community. They are also a response to the article in the link that you sent.
Funnily enough I do like singing old ballads but I can’t play the harp (more the shame) and I don’t prefer texting, I prefer listening.
.
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I forgot, you’re from a kingdom. 🙂
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Thank you, Lottie, for that honest and heart-breaking report. And thank you also for your well thought out ideas to remedy the situation. Education is always at the heart. But something must be done about the greedy exploitation of these countries by giant corporations that knowingly do irreparable damage.
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Truly depressing but enlightening. HK has similar problems. The scale may be different but we have full landfill sites, weak politicians and garbage strewn beaches. Time is running out. Added link to my FB page.
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It is truly depressing. Thanks for reading my take on it and for sharing it on your FB page! You rock 😀
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Sadly, I only see this problem as getting worse. Here in the states we may appear to handle the issue better, but that is not entirely the case as the major polluters will never be put in their place due to influence and a general disregard of enforcement as well as a small population of scientists who can be persuaded to manage data to suit certain needs. I think that, as money and profit continue to gain control of societies, the value of clean environments is being diminished in its level of importance as a destroyer of the bottom line.
There seems to be little support for any movement that attempts to wrest control of modern societies from the interests of wealth for the good of all. While maybe it is a case of hysteria on my part, I see this as a small bit of a greater trend that will show Orwell to be an unfortunate prophet although just a tad off on his calendar.
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Thanks for your comment Steve and good to hear from you.
I don’t think you are in the least bit hysterical and what’s more I think you are right.
If you wan’t to have something really tip you over the edge, watch this!
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Or this! all seriously depressing, all to what end?
http://www.midwayfilm.com
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I was aware of both…had seen the Midway video and read about the huge plastic islands but she offered a lot of new information regarding the makeup of plastic. We try to recycle everything we possibly can. Yes, a small drop in the bucket as she said but it is something. I work with people some of whom recycle and get very frustrated with those who don’t. The idea that it doesn’t make any difference permeates and it is tough to get them to change. So I follow them around and do it for them. 🙂
Yes, it is terribly depressing.
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Thanks for watching the Dianna Cohen link (it looks like it’s quite a new film judging from the stats on the link) I’ve just watched the 2 films again, back to back with my husband as he hadn’t seen them before.
Probably not a good thing to do when I already have a bad dose of ‘Sunday-itis’ – still on the bright side it’s St Patrick’s Day so those bottle of Guinness in the fridge are beckoning!
I appreciate your comments and thoughts and thanks for your input. Good to hear from you. Lottie
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Yes, it is hard to stop watching the videos once started. I had not seen that series before but do watch the Ted videos and one just makes you want to watch another.
Once is enough for the Midway video for me.
I prefer to watch this….
Enjoy the Guinness and the day.
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Hmmm…that didn’t seem to work.
Try this: http://www.ted.com/talks/louie_schwartzberg_the_hidden_beauty_of_pollination.html
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Fabulous! I love this guys work – thanks so much for putting it up on here. Guinness was great and escaped into art and watched “Frieda” for the umpteenth time. Your link to Louie Scwartzberg has brightened my evening further, thank you!
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Excellent! I am happy to have added a bit to the festivities.
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