What does the environment mean to you? And, are you apart of it or are you not? If you are, would it change how you see it and treat it? If you are interdependent, then would you consider embarking on such a project?
On the 28th of May, at around 4:30pm , I began what I am calling #pickitup2016 – a project that aims to clean up some of the roadside waste from along the main highway on which I drive regularly.
This post follows on from my original, titled “The Plastic Skin” (click on this to see more information).
The epidermis, the outermost layer of our skin, is of particular focus with this post. This is because it is the outermost layer. Recognising the effects rubbish and garbage have on the environment is to realise it goes beyond the surface and right into the earth itself.
Just like with landfill, roadside waste has a similar evolution, and one begins to realise this when starting to clean up the waste. Note: This will also form a question for consideration a bit later on.
Analogy: betwixt skin and scraps
In some way, I believe this cleanup is much like the analogy I am using with skin. Skin, having three layers-the epidermis, the outermost layer; the dermis, the middle; and the hypodermis, the last-can be understood in terms of visibility, consideration and awareness in this context.
These, of course, are seen through a slowed-down, more thoughtful view of nature and the environment. For example, a person bypassing and not really wishing to acknowledge the damage could be floating above the epidermis layer, while someone more aware and concerned could be on the epidermis layer. They are thinking about what is going on.
Reaching the epidermis and going into the dermis would be when thought turns to action, and action turns towards revealing and inspiring others.
Acronym-powered Activism
The way in which this research, project, activism or whatever you want to label it will be measured successful to me is in how I conduct it.
In our times we have a tendency to want bite-sized chunks of boiled down language that give everything to us at once. Focus and attention on huge spans of text and information takes more time to process and, with that daunting feeling of immediacy and rush that seems to be everywhere, doesn’t cut it.
Instagram has capitalised on the use of acronyms and these bite-sized # (hashtags) to take the satisfaction of having something accessible and easily remembered and going from the micro to the macro through this. And keywords are something people remember.
Likewise, I am hoping to promote this cleanup and project through a simple hashtag that I will wear on my journey. This, funnily enough, will have a direct Instagram account behind it so whoever remembers (or wants to remember) can view and track the progress through the account. Photos will also be added. I hope that this will also target a wide age-range. Mostly, though, my audience will be focused on people around my own age (18-24).
Cutting into the flesh
Having started the cleanup, I realised that my ambition to do what I plan to do may take a lot longer than till the end of the year.
Currently, my idea was to cover from Bunbury (at the entrance of the St. John of God Hospital) to the entrance to Busselton and back, netting up about 100km of road and verges. This is an incredibly huge space.
From the first small clean that I did yesterday, I gained considerable curiosity from the motorists and some people screamed at me from their cars. I realised in that instance that it takes a lot of courage to go from talking about something and hoping to do good, to going out and doing the thing you said you would do.
For the 400m I covered, I collected about a 90lt bag of rubbish. The demographics (roughly) would be that almost 50% of the items were able to be recycled. This really does show carelessness.
Continuing the Journey
Despite all of these thoughts listed, there are the logical questions that I could be asked about WHY I am doing this. I have asked myself these and many others before embarking upon this journey. The questions below I will leave open. I do have my own thoughts on them, though.
Q1: Location
What makes the rubbish on the road and verge any different from being in landfill or at a waste facility?
Q2: Connection vs Disconnection
Do people consider the environment as necessary (read: essential) and part of their ongoing existence or separate from them?
Q3: Impact and Will
Can this project be significant enough to produce further change?
Thanks again for stopping by.
If this post or its message made you think in any way, consider leaving a comment. Or, if you have any questions, send me an email to tansell@our.ecu.edu.au or leave a question here.
To follow this journey, follow me at https://www.instagram.com/pickitup2016/
Cheers,
Tom.
His Empty Space 