It's very true. After spent more than 20 years as TKI in various country, I live in small village east Bali - beautiful place, very green or golden yellow rice paddy fields, crystal clear water continuously flowing, with the majestic mount Agung look after us. Unfortunately, rubbish - particularly plastic are almost every where. People still do not realize or pretend do not know that plastics is not same as banana leaves or bamboo leaves or taro leaves. Even I can see plastic rubbish on the subak waterways where the water not only used for irrigation. Many people use it for bathing and washing their clothes. There's small garbage dump where people can drop their rubbish, and 2-3 times a week, a truck will collect and dump to the TPA 12 km away. During main festive session, the garbage dump not able to handle the massive quantity of rubbish, though not too bad as most are organic rubbish. Many people still burn their rubbish - mostly organic - in their yard as they believe it's more effective than bringing rubbish everyday to the garbage dump with their small scooter or walking a km or more.
When people live in poverty and have to manage less than Rp. 50k per day to feed their family; they do have their own priority which is different than mine. Sure it not a good excuse as there's some area like Penglipuran village where their village is very clean - it's another interesting story.
So, what I (assuming I'm more intelligent and well educated) should I do? complaining to the sky, whining, screaming to them, telling them than the planet will end tomorrow, while million USD spent to drop thousand tones of bomb and spread million bullet to fertilize the soil with blood and fleshes.
Sure, we can always blame the government and extend our anger to the society.
I'm not trying to pretend to change the world. Infact, I'm very selfish as what I did is solely for me, to make me happy. So, I start with me and people around me.
We interact with people around us. They can see that we never burn our rubbish; instead fermented to compost; use it for our garden.
We pick-up plastic rubbish from our paddy field and our project - and show-of, from the street too.
I just back from Kigali, Rwanda - so, I share the story about this amazing country - how clean the city though they are not rich country with the darkest pages of history not very long ago.
I also share the Kigali story in my WA group - tell my friend who just elected as law makers. Whether they listen or not is not important.
So many small things that we can do just to make us happy. Not always successful though; or the impact is almost nothing, but at least we are happy doing something regardless the result.
Actually, I can see very small changes. Similar when we lived in Egypt, there's a traffic light I passed everyday where none stop when red light. I asked my drive to follows the traffic light, and used emergency light to avoid collision from behind. I recall, initially only my car and few my colleague. After 6 years, I could see almost all obey the traffic light. I dont care if it was because of us, or their own awareness - but I least I'm happy doing the right thing.
Back to Bali, I'm happy there's actually many people, bule, half bule as well as locals are doing much much better to fight against plastic waste.
This amazing lady is just one example they have been doing since they are very young, I think a decade ago. many more, but yes, far from enough. So, why not make yourself happy doing something more useful.
