Tools For Sustainable Living
On the 27th May 2017 the Australian documentary, A Plastic Ocean, was premiered in Taipei. Translated into traditional Chinese especially for our event, more than 250 people arrived to watch one of the most powerful stories concerning the global issue of plastic pollution in our oceans. Continue reading “A Plastic Ocean – Taiwanese Premiere”
Recently, we have been lucky enough to go exploring. First to Sanya, on the tropical Island of Hainan, located off the South coast of the China. Then, to a small town called El Nino in Palawan, Philippines. These islands, a little over 1000 km’s from each other, are both nestled in the South China sea. Even, though they share a lot of similarities, there are some very different attitudes about plastic pollution.
Continue reading “Beach Clean – El Nido, Palawan and Hainan Island”
It was cold and raining which can only mean one thing, beach cleaning day!!
Another great event organised by 陳信助 and joined by over 60 volunteers. We were all greeted by a mountain of trash!
Continue reading “Beach Cleaning – Wanlei District, Taiwan”
In Taiwan, the 28th February 2017 was designated as Peace Memorial Day (二二八事件). On the 28th February 1947, an anti-government uprising in Taiwan was violently suppressed by the Kuomintang-led Republic of China government, which killed thousands of civilians. What better day then to go clean some beaches and help give something back to the Taiwanese people. Continue reading “Beach Cleaning – Keelong, Taiwan”
We live in confusing times!
Food resources are stretched to the limit and for the ethical consumer, how to make sustainable, healthy and practical choices? There is so much to consider – animal welfare, food waste, human welfare, land erosion, unsustainable practices, deforestation and so on.
How can we make sense of it all? And how can we help?
Continue reading “52 Ways to Reduce Your Environmental Footprint – 17. Food Waste”
Single-use coffee pods have become a status symbol around the world. The reality is, that coffee has now become part of the global environmental disaster that is our disposable economy. There are now billions of the sleek aluminium and plastic capsules ending up in landfill every year. There has to be a better way!
Maybe even something that George Clooney would approve of?
Did you ever wonder where your garbage really ends up, or what happens to it?
Unless you are a devotee of Zero Waste lifestyle, then, like me you will find that there is always some trash that needs disposing of.
I live in Taiwan, whose inhabitants are considered to be excellent at recycling. In fact, Taiwan has one of the highest recycling rates in the world. Does this mean they have one of the lowest waste problems in the world? And what happens to all their waste? With my curiosity piqued we decided to make an appointment at the waste incinerator facility in Mu-Zha, Taipei and find out.
There were a lot of questions to ask and we ended up receiving some very surprising answers!
Maybe 2016 will be remembered as the year of ‘The Trump’ and the global rise of the “Alt Right” political movement. Perhaps this is a predictable response by people ignored for generations by the political and wealthy elites and threatened by global expansion and global catastrophes. Or maybe people will remember the seemingly high numbers of famous people who passed. Luminaries such as Prince and Bowie, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Leonard Cohen and Harper Lee, Alan Rickman, Gene Wilder, George Micheal, Mohammed Ali and most recently Carrie Fisher. Perhaps though, their spirits were buoyed by the ratification of the Paris Agreement. This landmark agreement is designed to hold the world to task. From it, we hope to create a strategy to mitigate the worst effects of global warming with a challenge to limit the rise to under 2 degs C.
For me though, it was something else that resonated. Something so profound, I know it will stick with me for the rest of my life.
Continue reading “2016 Year in Review and the Plastic Island”
We always seem to be looking for the next great solution for all of our global problems. With bewilderment, we stare at the monumental challenges ahead, trying to comprehend how it is even possible to find a solution for global warming, plastic pollution, mass extinction and all the other great issues of our time. The weight of our responsibility bears down heavily on some of us.
One Brown Planet recently interviewed several families of varying sizes from around the world about their food shopping habits. We also asked if they would collect all the disposable plastic that they use in a single week and send in a photo.
The results were quite suprising!
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