Downsizing? No! Just hard to find today.
I think I have it figured out, well, partially anyway. But first, my meager takings from today:
Fiberglass coated plywood boat hull fragment
Two PET water bottles
One beer can
One full tetrapak drink box with straw inserted
Metal bar/handle
Plastic food cup
Blue plastic packing strap
Red plastic spice bottle cap
Broken flower pot
Styrofoam bits
Styrofoam buoy
Plastic rope
Plastic wheel
Plastic bucket half
Plastic packaging
Plastic orange toy ball
The list seems long, but compared to my last few hauls the sheer volume of trash is miniscule. And, I think this is why:
Fiberglass coated plywood boat hull fragment
Two PET water bottles
One beer can
One full tetrapak drink box with straw inserted
Metal bar/handle
Plastic food cup
Blue plastic packing strap
Red plastic spice bottle cap
Broken flower pot
Styrofoam bits
Styrofoam buoy
Plastic rope
Plastic wheel
Plastic bucket half
Plastic packaging
Plastic orange toy ball
The list seems long, but compared to my last few hauls the sheer volume of trash is miniscule. And, I think this is why:
Out of Sight, Out of Mind
I spent a good part of my afternoon hunting around for garbage. I didn't really find any because I do not have the cold weather and waterproof gear to rummage through heaps of snow. So, I decided to walk down to the shore because I thought the tide may have brought some flotsam in or at least washed away the ice and snow. Not so much...but I did come across this snow covered space.
At first I didn't recognize that there was anything there, until Manju sniffed out some rotting mussels still attached to the styrofoam buoy. Once I shewed him away I saw bits of other junk poking through the snow. And then, I saw the big black buoys in the background (but I left them as it was near some other fishing gear and might belong to someone). I picked out what I could find.
At this point, it dawned on me. I had been out actively seeking garbage; I knew it was somewhere, but I couldn't see it because it was covered in snow. This is where that fitting saying comes in: Out of Sight, Out of Mind. This could be true enlightenment or complete rubbish (pun intended!), but I think one of the most compelling reasons the islanders just throw their garbage in the forest or the sea is because once they do it is gone, or rather, gone from sight. If they don't see it they don't have to worry about it. Most households have a tidy front yard, but look behind their back fences and walls, and you will find a veritable dumping ground.
This behavior pattern is not only limited to the confines of our little island, but is pervasive in all of human culture. The way that most of us treat our garbage is sad. We buy a product, use it and dispose of it. Even if we put it in a nice little plastic trash bag and set it our for the trash man every week, we are still putting it out of our own sight, and therefore out of our sphere of responsibility. Whether an individual dumps their garbage out their back door into the woods or over a cliff to the sea, or a community allows overrun landfills and ocean dumping, the underlying mentality is the same: if I don't see it, I don't have to deal with it.
I am not sure how to change that, either on an individual or a community/cultural wide level. If you have any suggestions let me know. For your input, I would thank you, and the world would thank you!
At first I didn't recognize that there was anything there, until Manju sniffed out some rotting mussels still attached to the styrofoam buoy. Once I shewed him away I saw bits of other junk poking through the snow. And then, I saw the big black buoys in the background (but I left them as it was near some other fishing gear and might belong to someone). I picked out what I could find.
At this point, it dawned on me. I had been out actively seeking garbage; I knew it was somewhere, but I couldn't see it because it was covered in snow. This is where that fitting saying comes in: Out of Sight, Out of Mind. This could be true enlightenment or complete rubbish (pun intended!), but I think one of the most compelling reasons the islanders just throw their garbage in the forest or the sea is because once they do it is gone, or rather, gone from sight. If they don't see it they don't have to worry about it. Most households have a tidy front yard, but look behind their back fences and walls, and you will find a veritable dumping ground.
This behavior pattern is not only limited to the confines of our little island, but is pervasive in all of human culture. The way that most of us treat our garbage is sad. We buy a product, use it and dispose of it. Even if we put it in a nice little plastic trash bag and set it our for the trash man every week, we are still putting it out of our own sight, and therefore out of our sphere of responsibility. Whether an individual dumps their garbage out their back door into the woods or over a cliff to the sea, or a community allows overrun landfills and ocean dumping, the underlying mentality is the same: if I don't see it, I don't have to deal with it.
I am not sure how to change that, either on an individual or a community/cultural wide level. If you have any suggestions let me know. For your input, I would thank you, and the world would thank you!
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