The Plage

I’ve never exactly been a geographic nincompoop, so I was surprised to emerge from the winding streets of Paris onto the Beach.

Hundreds of people were enjoying the warm Saturday afternoon, stretched out in lawn chairs and canvas hammocks and children were racing around barefoot on the hot sand.

Did I mention that we were in Paris?

“The Plage” is a project put together by the city of Paris to bring a free seaside to the city, begun in 2002. Installed along the north bank of the Seine River, Parisians (and undoubtedly many tourists as well) are enjoying summer beach life without ever leaving the city.

It’s a Seine-side holiday!

Ranging from a kids BMX course to misting areas, and wooden lawn chairs with umbrellas to oversized trampolines, the Beach is a great way to spend a chilled-out day in Paris. There is a lending library, a free swimming pool with scheduled activities, evening concerts, and plenty of ice cream vendors.

The only drawback is that after a few hours of sunbathing, the cooling view of the Seine just isn’t enough and the misting tent seems a poor substitute for a refreshing ocean dip. But hey, at least we didn’t have to leave the city to find a taste of the beach!

For the last few years, the Paris Plage has added a sustainability component to their installation: recycle containers are prevalent and visible, drinking of tap water is emphasized through the use of fun drinking fountains, previous years equipment is reused each year, and even the beach sand is recycled! Some educational programs are also scheduled throughout the Plage summer.

The Paris Plage runs along the Seine from the Louvre to Pont de Sully, and from Rotonde de Ledoux to the former Magasins Généraux. The Paris Plage is open from July 20th to August 20th.  

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Global Directions

Bonjour from Morocco! We've been adrift from the blog, caught in the whirlwind of our final few months of circling the globe. But today, as we wandered through the streets of Casablanca I realized something: this journey is only just beginning. Perhaps "honey service year" will ultimately describe this initial year of exploration, a time when the iridescent bubbles of thoughts and ideas and projects first began to take shape. But the time frame shall truly only describe this first step, for now that our journey has begun, I see no end in sight. Although our bodies may not always be in motion, it seems that our minds and energies and efforts always will be. How fantastic!

Traveling helps to deepen my faith in humanity, my trust in people, my belief that people are inherently good and helpful and filled with care for others. So much of the global media works to dissuade these sentiments - coverage of terrorist activities and radical religions and tyrannical oppressors and political activism keep the world on edge and pull people apart. We must direct our conversations and our movements toward positivity - why spend critical hours discussing the differences, the dislikes, the problems, rather than working towards solutions that can unify us as a people and make positive global changes?

There are so many points upon which we can come together. There are so many common themes among people. There are so many similarities and commonalities and positivity that can be explored, if we just take the time to share, to ask, to listen.

And aren’t there great global themes which impact us all? Aren’t we modern day proselytizers when we try to convert others to the doctrine of recycling and reuse and carpooling? Suddenly the work of N’s family so long ago in India and our motivations to share concepts that can positively impact our changing world don‘t seem as different as they once did.

The shiny blue and green globe that we call home continues to shrink...do you feel it too?

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Plastic Feet

In the last month, efforts to reduce our plastic footprint have increased. We try to be conscious, and it’s a fun new way of problem solving. We encourage each other and work together to reduce our imprint. The message gained from “Addicted to Plastic” and some of the topics covered in our earlier blog about plastic are impacting our actions more and more each day. The more we think, the more responsible we feel. The greater our efforts, the greater our motivation to strengthen these efforts.

We have about nine plastic bags that we reuse: a few are used to organize our clothes, one to keep my conditioner from exploding over the contents of my bag, and we carry several to use while shopping. Of the plastic bags that we carry and reuse, one is from the delicious Zam Zam bakery in Mumbai, India, where we bought boxes of cookies back in March. Another toughie was acquired at the Gaylord Hotel, dating from December of 2009. We also have the Gaylord to thank for two disposable (but actually incredibly strong and durable) plastic cups that we continue to carry and use with frequency.

When we left the United States, I packed two forks and two spoons with us, so we can refrain from accepting plastic utensils with to-go food. But I kick myself for not hanging onto a set of wooden chopsticks.

Now that we are in more westernized regions of the world, we have discontinued our bottled water purchases. We drink tap water from our Nalgene bottle, which we carry everywhere. This is made much easier in Turkey, for roadside water coolers are abundant, and many businesses also set public water coolers out on the sidewalks. The water is clean and completely safe for consumption.

My flip flops keep breaking, but I am obsessed with trying to find a replacement that is more eco-friendly: leather or wood or a combination. Soon I shall be barefoot. Cyprus had plenty of gorgeous Roman-style sandals, but I couldn’t justify the 80+ Euro price tags. I am a humble backpacker, after all!

Whenever possible, an easier feat in this part of the world, we try to purchase food in bulk and shop for homemade goods that are less likely to be wrapped in plastic. Yesterday we bought the most delicious cheese, a sour mozzarella that cuts like butter. We asked for 2 Turkish lira worth of this decadent cheese, and had the shopkeeper put the cheese in a Tupperware container that we carry with us. He barely batted an eye, but tried to put the plastic container inside of a plastic bag. Sorta defeats the purpose!

A jar that once had homemade peanut butter from Ghana is now filled with a homemade spicy tomato paste purchased here in Turkey, perfect for dressing up cheese and cucumber sandwiches.

Nathan has cut himself off from buying packaged ice cream from the cooler and now only indulges when hand-scooped cones are available.

But that’s not to say that it is always easy. In fact, some people are terribly confused by our actions. Some of them appear to be downright horrified when we pull out an obviously-used, rather wrinkled, perhaps even a bit dirty, plastic bag instead of accepting a new one. I have even had to argue, heatedly, against pushy salespeople armed with mountains of flimsy plastic bags. Our Point-It Book lacks images to communicate recycling or reusing or eco-friendliness.

I am desperate to find a translator; I feel that it will heighten our decisions and help people to understand our intentions. I’d like to write out a small card that reads: “Thank you for your understanding. We choose not to use plastic because we feel that it harms the environment.“ Please email me if you can help with this translation in Turkish. I will be needing Bulgarian, Croatian, Italian, Serbian, and French as well.

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Imagining Backpacking Without Plastic

Today I tried to imagine a backpacker without plastic…it’s hard to do! So much of our journey depends on plastic: purified water, laminated passports, debit cards, 3oz conditioner and sunscreen and insect repellant bottles. I would be nearly blind without my big plastic sunglasses in the bright Mediterranean sun. Our camera records visual memories, and our external hard drive stores writings and music and digital maps. Imagine trading in our laptop for a pencil (no rubber eraser) and un-bound paper. Imagine a sketch pad and paintbrush instead of a Sony cyber shot. Imagine toting ceramic or glass containers instead of Tupperware for leftovers and meal prep. Imagine no zippers on our backpacks or buttons on our pants. No swimsuits, no headphones, no Bandaids, no duct-tape, no sleeping bags, no playing cards, no headlamp. How drastically our trip would change if we culled everything that contained plastic.

And that extensive list simply encompasses just some of the material things that we carry with us. Our everyday travel consumes plastic at an alarming rate, even with a conscientious effort to decrease our usage. We carry extra plastic bags so as not to accumulate more, but shopkeepers all around the world like to double and triple bag things. Even if we purchase home-made, natural chips, they come in a bag, which is then placed in a bag. With a frequent language barrier, a request or charade that indicates, “please, we don’t need a bag” is lost in the gap. When we try to hand the plastic bag back, it usually is just thrown away, unused.

Although we have traveled through a few regions of the world that have placed a ban on plastic bags (Mussoorie and Jabalpur, India), and though many places choose to use alternatives (oftentimes in India we received nut mixes in handmade paper bags, served delicious beans in biodegradable bowls shaped from leaves, and handed FanMilk ice cream wrapped in sections of paper while in Ghana), efforts are not global. Sometimes it feels that the efforts of some are overshadowed by the inattention of others.

But the solution seems too simple not to be widespread….just stop using plastic bags! Place a huge tax on plastic bags, make them more expensive, charge people for them. Is it really so hard? Are we really so addicted to thin, easily-torn, completely disposable plastic bags? It seems that we are.

We are all connected, sometimes in positive ways, sometimes in negative ones. The plastic pollution of our seas and airspace impacts the entirety of our species. Last night we watched a documentary called “Addicted to Plastic.” While not the caliber of a Michael Moore or Lolis Eric Elie documentary, the movie makes you think. It makes you reflect and increase your awareness (and so associated impact) of plastic use.

It’s good to be cognizant and aware, even if you can’t completely change your behaviors. Make a list of all the plastic in your bathroom. In your kitchen. In your car. Simply think about it, for that is a step in the right evolutionary direction. And, when you are thinking green, think outside of the box. Shortly after Hurricane Katrina, when our green friends and architects were disposing of newly found wealth, many chose to trade in gas guzzling SUVs for hybrid green vehicles. While their intentions were good, the truth is that the environmental cost of manufacturing that new product is much, much higher than simply driving the ‘older model’ another few years.

Some plastic parts of our lives are nearly impossible to change: wooden cellphones, or fred-flinstone, tire-less style cars are *slightly* impractical. But other simple solutions make a collective difference. Wooden reusable chopsticks are way cooler than plastic sporks. Canvas shopping bags are much classier than plastic ones. Try eating at the restaurant instead of getting take-out. Have you ever been to a store that has bulk shampoo instead of buying a new bottle every two months (shout-out to Periwinkle Provisions in Sweet Home, Ore.)?

Please share your tips and tricks to avoiding unnecessary plastic use. The comment feature in blogger is very tricky, using the “Anonymous” option for leaving a comment seems to have the best results.

Addicted to Plastic mentions several very cool companies, more information and links can be found below (but seriously, watch the movie on your plastic DVD player if you get the chance):

TieTek, LLC in Houston Texas: when the city stopped recycling, this company came up with a solution. TieTik takes any and all waste plastic (from tires to household plastics), melts it down, and turns the product into plastic railroad ties. These ties are then sold to railroad companies all over the country. TieTek ties last longer than wood, are impervious to termites, can be melted down and used again and again, and because all railroad ties are uniform in size, only one mold is used.

Agri-Plas, Inc. in Oregon: focuses especially on the agriculture waste products like baling twine, plastic flower pots, plastic sheeting. It processes 15% of the state’s waste. Baling twine is melted down to make truck bumpers, while flower pots are turned into more flower pots.

Interface, Inc. in Georgia: Recycles any and all plastic components into new carpets, efforts are powered by methane from the local landfill. “Landfills are the oil mines of our future!” the CEO says hopefully.

UniquEco in Nairobi, Kenya: Knits plastic bags into purses for resale. Employs locals and pick up plastic bag trash. Flip flops are collected from beaches and towns and then cored out to make curtains, jewelry, and knick-knacks.

Global Mamas in Ghana: recycles plastic water bags and other disposable trash into a variety of resale items.

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A Pledge Against Plastic

Mussoorie, India is a ‘hill station’ in India, set up by India and the British as an outpost for military encampments, and, during the hot season, as a cool place for rest. It has been in regular use as a honeymoon destination for 150 years. During our low-season visit, a chill is still in the air, and the weekdays are peaceful and bereft of many tourists. However, the weekend brings many newlyweds, feet still adorned with lingering henna dye, many posing for photographs against the dramatic Himalayan backdrop.

The winding mountain road that leads to Mussoorie is flanked by signs that iterate the importance of planting, raising, and preserving trees. People want to keep this peaceful hill station a green and relaxing place.

But, Mussoorie (and the entire state of Uttarakhand) have done something special. Something a little extra to make sure a clean, green, verdant environment greets the honeymooners who flock here from across India each summer, escaping the humid heat of the urban centers. The people of Mussoorie and the state of Uttarakhand have pledged not to use plastic bags as a way to save the environment, clearly stated by a large billboard covered with signatures.

Plastics, the people here recognize, do not biodegrade, Plastic bags blow around on windswept mountainsides and get stuck high in trees or on mountain bushes. They get stuck in fences and are strewn about by hungry monkeys and bored cows.

However, sometimes a billboard, even with many signatures, is not enough. Mussoorie has not yet defeated the plastic bag. Around town, we have encountered several unmitigated dumping areas, mostly filled with plastics. Shopkeepers still dispense in bags. But, when we bring Tupperware for fresh yogurt the man is pleased and happy to oblige. Although some new bags are still being added, the recirculation of bags here is strong; people reuse plastic bags until they disintegrate.

India definitely recycles. Indian recycling happens through individual family efforts to make a living and feed themselves. Across the continent of Asia, existing almost entirely on poverty, recycling ‘wala’ workers begin a process which is needed. It is near complete. Small residuals of plastics and items part plastic do disappear into landfills.

But, with hope that springs from pledges not to use plastic, our world takes a turn for the better.India needs a clean-up campaign. It will benefit the whole planet if we find models in all our countries to clean up and value the stewardship role we can play for our planet. Replacing plastics with biodegradable/reusable products is a great way to begin to see this role functioning more effectively.

Can we make pledges not to use plastic and plastic bags?

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"Do You Need A Shoe?"

It seems that every beach on the planet is a graveyard for solitary shoes. Where do they come from? Garbage dumped into the ocean? Tsunami’s and natural disasters that wash the contents of  villages, towns, and cities into the sea? Strong winds and unexpected sneaker waves?

What happens to all of those lonely shoes, the ones that clutter the beaches of the world?

While on the island of Ko Mak in Thailand, we met a Swedish couple who came up with an idea of what to do with all those lonely shoes. They created an art project, titled “Step-by-Step.“ They collected over two hundred shoes and tied them onto and from a coconut tree that leaned precariously over the warm waters off Ko Kood.  Ewa and her husband were in in Ko Mak for 10 days, on vacation from the chilly Sweden winter, and began their project in the final three days of their stay. Their project was inspired by a similar concept that they saw on Bamboo Island in Cambodia several years before. Decorative elements (in addition to shoes) were scavenged from the beach, including plastic flowers, burly sea-rope, and the title of the project (“Step-by-Step“) written on a wooden plank and hung with frayed rope.  The first shoe that began the project was sassy. It was gold. It was called “Zha-Zha.” She was the beginning of their fantastic project.

As we learned from the ‘Step-by-Step’ Giving Tree, there are many ways to affect change some of them direct, some indirect. This is our Top Ten List of Service Projects for Beach Cleaning:

#1. Start with Something

Instead of complaining try fixing something.; the world is waiting for your help. We can all make a contribution to making our world better and cleaner. If you need a reason to clean a beach, just watch children playing in the surf. Look at how much they enjoy the water, the waves, the sand. Do you want your children, your niece, your cousins, your friends children and their grandchildren to visit beaches where trash washes up on beaches and floats inside the waves? Try picking up a few pieces of trash. People will look at you funny; they are jealous. People wonder, ‘Why is this person so confident that they can make a difference in the world?’

#2. The tools for your project are in the trash

Every time we clean trash we find some useful things in the surf. When we were once stranded on a small island with little water and not enough food (it turns out we hired the town drunk to shuttle us out to this island) we found fishing line, net, hooks and lures and broken buckets which we used to catch bait, then fish, then keep the fish alive until soup time. But, there are also tools for cleaning trash, plastic bags are one of the most common forms of ocean trash. Don’t worry if they have holes in them, you can tie knots in the bags and they can carry trash. If you run out of bags, there is fishing line and rope which can be used to lash the trash into moveable piles of rubbish.

#3. Involve the immediate community

When you are cleaning, people will spontaneously smile and thank you for what you are doing. It may not have occurred to people that this effort is something you would take on. Rather than only focusing on your work, engage people, offer explanations for what you are doing, ask people if they want to help you. The Step-by-Step project not only made a statement about how we can each contribute to the care of our planet, but it also served to clean up the beach. Some of the mobile-style strands of shoes were removed, as they blocked the beach path during high tide. However, these shoes removed from the project were taken off the beach and thrown away. Sometimes our project can evolve into a sustained effort.

#4. Make your statement heard

The ‘Step-by-Step tree had a nameplate or title hung from it on driftwood. Just the name ‘Step-by-Step’ had such a powerful force. There was the idea that we have to take many steps to make an impact on cleaning the oceans and the beaches. Publish/Advertise your work to make your project continue to grow. This about who might want to see your project. Take photographs. Contact environmental organizations, the government, and the local press of TV, newspapers, or internet and tell them what you did, why and how you did it, when and where.

#5.  Have fun

Remember that you are at the beach. Have Fun!! If you get hot wade into the water, swim, or go snorkeling. Pulling trash  out of the sea is very rewarding. Not only do you stay cool and enjoy the water, but you help the living creatures have better lives. And oftentimes cleaning the beach can help you to make new friends!

#6. Combine work and learning

Cleaning beaches and oceans can be quiet and meditative work. Even if you do this work with friends or children you are likely to find your group spread out and individuals working alone. This will be a very good time to think about better ways to do a project, how to involve more people, and, most importantly, how to find alternative ways to stop pollution and trash from getting to the beach at all. We have seen many clever ways to get people involved. Trash cans that were shaped like empty logs, pandas and other animals with open mouths, 100 liter recycled barrels that were painted in art contests were but some of many ways we have seen improvisational and artistically attractive ways to get people involved. As a child in the USA, there were campaigns to change the ways people behaved toward our planet, Smokey the Bear told people how to prevent forest fires while Woodsy the Owl had a song the he sung that said ‘Give a hoot don’t pollute, we can make a better day.’ We have also largely stopped boats from letting go waste into oceans and rivers.

#7. Take some breaks

Breathe, get shade, bring water, watch the sunset and sunrise. Taking breaks remind us why we want the beaches to be clean.

#8. Review your project

Ask yourself what you are doing, can you be more effective, can you involve more people? How?

What would have happened if you  started with no plan? How do you learn just from inspiration?

#9. ‘Ready, Fire, Aim’

I have taught classes for a long time in the USA that ask the important question, ‘Why are we planning and not taking action?’ Then I learned that many projects take a different approach. They learn from their mistakes, but do not wait to have a complete plan before they try it. Instead of using the old practice, ‘ready aim fire’ they say ‘ready fire aim.’ ‘Ready Fire Aim’ means, if you want to take an action, go ahead and do it, then learn from what did not go as you planned, learn from your mistakes, and the next time make your aim better. Cleaning beaches may seem simple. However, when you have begin your project you probably do not know everything. For example, you may not find that when you pick up trash you have followed the best route, perhaps a zig-zag cleans a beach better than a straight line. Waves do not bring trash to beaches in straight lines, so why would a straight line clean a beach?

#10. Remove your trash

Your job cannot be finished until you  can get the trash off of the beach. However, if you re lucky you will pick up so much trash you cannot carry it all away. When the ‘Step-by-Step’ artists first brought back their shoes to the ’Giving Tree’ they left it above the tree. In the night the tide was high, so when they returned they found much of their work had washed back into the sea. If you can’t carry all the trash off the beach, always move it very high above where you think the ocean cannot possibly reach.

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