Out of the way

I love getting out of the way. I’m used to it. My wife asks me to do it all of the time. I think I have it down to a fine art. Wherever I am I am in the way. So it gives me exercise and keeps me on my toes. Waiting. To be moved on. To get out of the way. So. Sometimes I just go in a different room. Sometimes though….sometimes. Well. Out of the way means getting on a bus, camel, canoe, plane.

Sometimes I get in the way on purpose.

You never know where a little encouragement might lead.

Let’s get out of the way more often.

Yonder?

A plastic bag

A year or so ago I was lucky enough to find myself in the Massai Mara, Kenya. I was travelling with some Massai guides. Travelling along. Eyes alert to movement. Suddenly, we stopped. I craned my neck to see why we had stopped: lion? leopard? cheetah? No. The guide got out of the vehicle and climbed a tree. Was it a better view point? I started to climb out of the vehicle. No need. The point of interest?

A plastic bag.

Just one.

But.

It was 100 miles away from the nearest habitation. They blow into the parks. In amongst the leaves of the trees. Hard to see. Harder to see than a lion in the savannah grasses. The giraffe eat them. Then they suffocate.

Kenya has banned plastic bags. As a nation.

Bravo!

Now? How about the rest of us?

Amazon

Having recently returned from Borneo it was very worrying to hear about the fires deliberately started for clearing in the Amazon rainforest. Unfortunately it wasn’t surprising. It is a pattern the world over. The tribes are isolated. Have little or no political voice. So are easily manipulated/coerced into either selling or leasing their lands. If they resist loggers take it anyway. Then the tribes have to accept the terms of lease for oil palm plantations. Usually 60 years. This then has a huge knock on effect for the flora and fauna in the area. Orangutans can’t build nests in oil palm trees. And after those 60years? Well. Nobody seems to know much, or care. They’ve made their money. Or not, as is the case for the locals.

So, what can we do? As consumers we can make simple positive steps:

1. stop buying products with palm oil.

2. stop buying products made of hard wood.

3. donate to charities such as World Land Trust or Rainforest Alliance - instead of buying products we don’t really need.

These simple steps if done by enough people send messages that can have real, long lasting impacts for all. Future generations will thank us for it.

Time Travel

What if we could go back. What would we change? Mischief would be the order of the day. But what? If we could.

Who invented single use plastic? They would be getting a visit for sure. We like the concept. But. Look mate here’s some plant cellulose to play with.

Mr Daimler and Mr Benz - a word in their ear. Have a go with hydrogen chaps.

That chap Mussolini - stick to the pizza business - forget the politics.

Captain Oates and the boys - look here’s some food and a really big coat. Use dogs. Great quote though; we'll keep that.

I’m going outside.

Plastic cup

I dropped a plastic cup. It was just a plastic cup. Nothing special really. Except you could measure out different amounts of liquid because it had scales on it. I used them once.

The dropping bit was alright. It didn’t hurt anyone. I dropped it in the mountains. In Ladakh in Northern India. It is beautiful there. And harsh. A landscape of consequence and power. It makes you feel very small.

But I can’t forget the cup. It is still there of course. But it shouldn’t be. It wont biodegrade. Not for a very long time. Maybe it will be washed into the Zanskar river. And then where? And then what? Not a big deal? It was only one cup?

But? There are over 6billion of us dropping our cups. Except mine was in a beautiful place. A wild place. And I shouldn’t have dropped it.

What if I had dropped a bamboo cup or a pottery cup? It would have disintegrated by now. Become part of the landscape. I think about that. A little thing. But perhaps a big deal. Especially for sea creatures. And I like fish and chips without added plastic.

I’m going to buy a bamboo cup. And try not to be so clumsy.

Wild Yonder