Wake-Up Wednesday Wins (Round VI)
Here we are again, another week of people taking action for our oceans. But first, a first!
Last week, I received a comment on my post from a friend informing me that her husband attended the Ocean Sciences Meeting (OSM) I was raving about and lo and behold…none of the attendees received plastic-sleeved name tags!
If you’re a conference-goer, you have likely experienced all manner of name tag appendages and typically they involve a paper tag enshrouded in a plastic sleeve. I have several hanging from my office door because what do you do with them?! They aren’t recyclable and end up cluttering desks and offices the world over. In this case, OSM decided to forego the plastic and opted instead for durable, paper tags. There were thousands of people at OSM…meaning thousands of plastic sleeves that did NOT end up wasted. YAA freakin HOO! Thanks for the intel, Brianne and Kevin!
With that, let’s get to this week’s wins: they run the gamut from TV to jewelry, industry, and grassroots organizations. Phew! Grab your cuppa and get settled. This is a long one. Here we go!
TV & Ocean Health – Whaaa….?
OK, hear me out…normally we hear phrases like “TV turns your brain to mush! Go outside!” or “You’ll turn into a zombie watching that nonsense” or something to that effect. To a certain degree, it’s true – even if we’re marathon-watching Planet Earth, at some point we need to come up for air. But if we’re watching good content to begin with, our brains stand a chance of absorbing something worthwhile, and something might stick to make us think differently or *gasp* act differently (like um…taking action for our oceans maybe?)! And if you’ve got kids…well…cue the Rainbow Rangers!
The Rainbow Rangers are a, well, colourful group of seven, nine-year-old “magical” girls, living in the land of “Kaleidoscopia,” and who use their powers to “protect the citizens of their land, clean the planet, and make the world a better place.” This is, as you may have guessed, a cartoon geared towards children. So why am I talking about it here?
Because one day a few weeks ago, Jan and I were taking a trip to Vancouver Island and while riding aboard a BC Ferry happened to be sitting right near the children’s play area, where the Rainbow Rangers were on the TV. Guess what they were doing in that particular episode? No guesses? OK fine I’ll tell you: they were talking about plastic pollution, beach cleanups, and how to reuse plastic beach debris. Yeah, I know – our jaws dropped too! So neat.
While I am more in favour of getting outside and experiencing the world in person, for real…there is something to be said for TV programming that both entertains and educates, particularly when it is geared towards children. This is the kind of stuff I can get behind. Rainbow Rangers Save the Day.
Taking Action For Our Oceans
This is a story I follow regularly on social media and am constantly inspired by: Kat Crabill, Owner and Founder of Nurdle In the Rough, turns plastic found during beach cleanups into beautiful, stunning jewelry. Recently, she posted the below photo along with a caption that was a fantastic reminder about how to live a good, meaningful life. Check it out:
Seeing Beauty In Beach Debris
Kat lives on the Big Island of Hawaii, home to one of the most polluted beaches in the main Hawaiian Islands: Kamilo Beach. It is cleaned regularly by various groups and locals (including Kat) and she draws her inspiration and materials from these (and other) cleanups. The wave of plastics is relentless and it’s easy to get bogged down and depressed.
Rather than get swept away in a sea of misery about it all, Kat is taking action for our oceans in her own way, and she urges her followers to do the same. Her pieces are beautiful and send a message. They will also make you fall in love with rainbows. Guaranteed.
Nurdle In the Rough is more than jewelry, it’s a catalyst. Everyone who wears it is part of a movement for change. Our own actions seem small, but united by creativity and innovation, we can turn the tides of plastic pollution.
Kat Crabill, Owner/Founder, Nurdle In the Rough
Keep speaking up Kat, the world needs more humans like you!
Teck Tock, Your Time Is UP!
As someone who grew up in the states and has only recently relocated to Canada, I’m still not quite used to the natural resource extraction industry being so “close.” I remember learning about Canadian “tar sands” and “oil sands” and “big oil” projects in school, but the concepts always seemed so far…away. Now, I live in Kelowna, BC where a large percentage of the population either works for the resource sector, or vacations here when they’re taking time off their resource sector jobs. It’s ever-present.
So when Teck Resources, the largest mining company in Canada, formally withdrew an application for a massive oilsands project in Northern Alberta…the country sort of freaked out on both sides. Environmentalists are cheering the decision and I have to say, I’m sorta with them.
As much as it sucks to be turning down jobs and money now, we need to think about the future of this planet – beyond just the next several decades. We can’t afford to back projects that put more CO2 emissions into the atmosphere, promote the use of a non-renewable resource, give the plastics industry more feedstock to create more single-use crap, and create so much political, cultural, environmental, and economic strife that basically all we do anymore is protest because we’re all so upset.
This decision was surely not an easy one for Teck, but don’t feel too bad for them. Last month they bought a solar farm! They see the writing on the wall, and they’re getting with the times. The future is bright.
Menos Plastico es Fantastico!
Here’s a story that will warm your heart: Menos Plastico es Fantastico is a grassroots non-profit group based in the coastal town of Mahahual, Quintana Roo, Mexico and they are taking action for our oceans by cleaning their beaches of plastic and educating their community along the way.
Jan and I had the amazing opportunity to visit this group of incredible human beings last summer and experienced first-hand how plastic is impacting their lives. More thoughts on that coming to the blog soon but for now, all you need to know is that the people we met in Mahahual, and who run this organization, are some of the kindest, most generous and loving humans we have ever met.
Recently, they posted a Facebook update about a beach they regularly clean up, not far from the town of Mahahual. This beach is not frequented by locals or tourists and is in a particularly wind-swept area, so it sees a lot of trash build up. This beach also happens to be prime nesting habitat for Green Sea Turtles – how nice of us to trash their pad.
As you can see from these photos, the problem is dire, but Menos Plastico tackle the cleanup with determination. They are there to educate, inspire, and spread ultimately the message that “Less Plastic Is Fantastic” (the literal translation of Menos Plastico es Fantastico). For them, they find satisfaction in gathering community members together to keep this beach clean for nesting sea turtles.
Less Plastic Is Fantastic!
Not only does Menos Plastico engage with locals, they have started to conduct outreach campaigns with tourists (did I mention there is a massive cruise ship terminal just north of town? No? Well, next time…), bringing them along for cleanups and educating them about how to avoid single-use plastics in their own lives. The effort is amazing, and the ripple effect massive, particularly considering how grassroots this group truly is. They deserve major kudos for doing what they’re doing. Ana, Isabel, Evan, Emma, Ela, and the rest of the Menos Plastico team: Less Plastic really IS Fantastic. 🙂
What a week, am I right? Lots of action: that seems to be the key to surviving in this crazy world. Take action in your own way this week! If anything in particular comes to mind, share it in the comments. And, if you hear of any good news stories, please feel free to share.
Happy Wednesday, friends!
