My post from November 30, 2017, a year ago – I thought a reminder to us all would not hurt. What do you want to give your children and grand children for the future?
Every December I remember our month in New Zealand some years ago. Never have I been to a country where I found so much and so many to admire and love.
This is where our antipodes live, this is where I had one of my first penfriends, this is the country whose nature I believe to be the most diverse and beautiful in the world. And this is where Rainbow Warrior went down, sending many people around the world into an unbelievable state of shock.
We are constantly reminded of how much we contaminate our world, and the focus here in Swedish media, right now, is the sea, the oceans.
Just like in Wellington, we can still bathe, swim and fish in Stockholm – but for how long?
I am a member of many organizations trying their best to help preserving our planet for generations to come. But right now, we receive news every day about all the plastic and micro plastic in the oceans – a terrible threat to all organisms-
So, I think again, with my heart wide open, about how much I respect and love NZ, its people and its genuine efforts to help the world stay healthy. Down to every detail… for example the artwork made for making us humans see and do the right things.
And these are only two, small, brilliant examples out of many, many…we saw new examples every day.
Hopefully it is not too late for the world – but You and I, and all of us, have to do our bit, our part, every day – to save our enigmatic and fantastic planet. Start with the little things…don’t use plastic bags, bring your own when you go shopping. Don’t throw old medicine in the toilet, in Sweden we leave them at the pharmacy for destruction.
Can you say you try to do everything you can to help? I know I try – but I also know I can do so much more.
Leya 
This is so beautiful! I love the initiative taken to help people be more mindful of the environment. I wonder how art can help people care about the things they do. I’ve watched so many documentaries regarding those issues.
Art helps, I am sure! Thank you for commenting so positively!
As you know I adore NZ it is a hidden gem trying very hard to keep clean and green, but as Su says it does have its problems but maybe the smaller population helps. I’m going in March to catch up with my family, always a trip looked forward too.
You have so many beautiful places to go to down there – hopefully the younger generation also will keep up the good thinking and doing.
I hope so too
My city is good at recycling and I try to re-use and reduce the plastics, but it’s hard. Also since going to Borneo 9 years ago, I avoid nestle products because I saw the impact on habitat of endangered orang utan.
Good that your city works on it too! I would like to hear more about the nestle products and its impact in Borneo. Please tell me about it!
https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2018-06-29/nestle-suspended-sustainable-palm-oil/9923238
They say they’re working on change now, I hope so. The indigenous forest was being chopped down and replaced with palm oil plantations, I flew over miles and miles of it, it was heart breaking because I’d seen the orangs in the sanctuary.
Thank you for the link! A sad story…
A timely reminder and a lovely post. I hope we can hand over a future to our next generations. A future on a clean and flourishing planet. Would world peace be too much to ask for?
Thank you for a lovely comment! But world peace is utopia…
Maybe we’ll find it one day.
Let’s hope so – meanwhile I will go on living in my little garden, like Candide.
Beautiful post, but I wish I could feel as positive about my homeland as you. We are beginning to understand the impact of plastic on oceans and lifefirms, but we still treat water as an I fi it’s resource – giving it away to agriculture and foreign companies to sell abroad and polluting it with farm effluent. There is so much that needs to change, and like you I try to actively be part of that change. I hope it is enough.
“Treat water as if it is an infinite resource” — apologies i’m typing on the iPad.
How good we both try – but now our governments must act!
Agreed, but I’m not holding my breath.
Oh well said. I do worry for the future our children and grandchildren will have, plastics, Climate change; where are we heading? We are so slow to change our bad habits. Each of us has to try our best.
Yes – and I somehow think young people will be a great force in the necessary changes.
I love the messages in the art work Ann-Christine 💜 Like you, I support environmental charities and we all do our bit with recycling and picking up litter that others leave behind. It is a big issue here, especially during the Summer. We all pick up what we see on our dog walks and there are community litter picks as well. It would be even better if those people who leave litter on our beaches simply put it in the bin. The New Zealand art is a great idea that might work here too – thank you so much for sharing 🙂💖 xxx
Love to hear you pick up litter as well – littering is a big problem over here now. When I was a child I was thoroughly taught not to through anything unnatural on the ground, and to ”leave nothing but footprints”. Today I don’t know what parents teach their children. It seems the grown-ups are littering and the children will of course do what their parents do.
Thank you for the inspiring post, Ann-C!! Like you, I try too, need to do more. For example, I buy my own paper bags for trash and also use my own shopping bags to minimize the use of plastic bags. Our town takes plastic bags and plastic food containers and bottles for recycle , so I clean them well before I put them into the recycle bin….
How good – you are recycling too! What is needed now is that our leaders put a great deal of effort to change our ways of living. The technology is there already – the option of transportation without oil and petrol for example. But stupid money rules. The oil barons and lobbyists are many and powerful. In Sweden we believe in not buying. Not buying is the only thing that works, because if nobody wants their products…..
Thank you for your message and your efforts! I heartily agree and keep looking for deeper ways to get involved in the work of changing our culture and ending the human destruction of the planet.
Thank you – and thank you for your efforts as well! If we all work together and put pressure on our politicians we might still have a chance. We will not catch every country in this movement for a sustainable living, but having big influential countries on the boat is necessary. I want to believe we are many enough who want life on earth to exist. Why would we else put children into this magical world?
Like you I try. And I try to do more whenever possible. At the moment we have a Government which supports and encourages our efforts, and tries to lead the way. The best thing I saw today was not in New Zealand but in this video from Australia. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/nov/30/climate-change-strike-thousands-of-students-to-join-national-protest Apparently these protests were inspired by a Swedish student. 🙂
I hadn’t seen that video, but Greta is well known here – a strong young lady. She has suffered much hatred through media, the most disgusting treatment of a young girl who strongly feels something must be done…and really DOES something – when politicians do not listen, she has made people listen. I did not know it had spread over the world like that! Thank you for posting. It seems she is going to the top meeting with leaders from all over the world. Specially invited. Heja Greta!
I hope she will feel inspired by the Australian protests. When I was at high school I protested against the Vietnam war. It was against school rules but I did it anyway. Young people should have strong voices. It is their future at stake after all.
Yes, young people have strong voices – fortunately! Love that you protested against the Vietnam war. I greatly admire you for that!