Community Engagement

Going Green At 70: Stories of waste reduction - from near and far.

Hi again Green Beans!

We still have a long way to go regarding plastic. And just when you think you might not hear from me again about plastic – I shall return with more information!!

But now it’s time for a good story:

Steve Green and his partner Monika Hertlová started an ocean cleaning movement from their home base on the Helford River in Cornwall. Their ship “Annette” is a 113-year-old, 55-ton former icebreaker; specially designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters. They decided they wanted to do whatever it took to keep their coastline clean.

They, along with some volunteers hold recycling plastic workshops and have retrieved hundreds of kilos of litter from the sea.

They also provide opportunities to join their crew on clean-up expeditions; how cool would that be! Hmmmmm, good incentive for an exciting vacation!

They even received a Points of Light award by Prime Minister Boris Johnson in recognition of their dedication. Bravo!

Now closer to home:

I came across Shawn Bath, a Newfoundlander, on a news show one day and he has an amazing story to tell. He spent his career on the ocean and finally got so frustrated with the waste he found that he decided to do something about it. He started diving and cleaning up harbours in Newfoundland in his spare time. It became an obsession (I get that) and he started devoting as much of his time as he could to this clean-up job. I watched his documentary “Hell or Clean Water” recently and at that time he had pulled 50,000 pounds of trash out of the water. He was close to having his truck repossessed, his mobile phone turned off, and he was struggling with the basics, but he couldn’t stop or wouldn’t stop. He finally did get some government funding, but Shawn’s story makes it very clear, and his words confirm “I do believe one person can make a difference”. Inspiring to say the least!

Let’s get in even closer to home:

Recircle Waste Management Solutions is a company managed out of Antigonish. In 2019 the owner Adam went to West Africa and he discovered the alarming plastic pollution situation Ghana was experiencing.  He was introduced to a unique approach to traditional recycling and ergo, Recircle WMS was born.  Recircle aims to turn trash in-to treasure!

And on a very positive note:

One of the companies I get emails from is the Optimist Daily

On Feb 21, 2023 - Scientists develop tech that can separate 12 different types of plastics

Plastic is a much more complex material than you may think. Because it comes in many different types with varied compositions and characteristics, plastic is difficult to separate and recycle at the end of its life. Although, new technology developed by scientists in Denmark may soon change that.

The team behind the study developed a new camera technology that can tell the difference between as many as 12 different types of plastics (PE, PP, PET, PS, PVC, PVDF, POM, PEEK, ABS, PMMA, PC, and PA12) — which make up the vast majority of household plastic types.

So Green Beans, this may not happen in my lifetime but I am confident it will happen!

In the meantime, stay green.

“'Supposing a tree fell down, Pooh, when we were underneath it?' 'Supposing it didn’t,' said Pooh after careful thought.  Piglet was comforted by this."  - A.A. Milne