The story of stuff

So I've been quite curious about where all my 'stuff' comes from that I talked about in my last blog.

In conversations with a few friends I realised I really didn't know much about the complexities of how we get our 'stuff' and where all the demand for 'stuff' comes from. So many questions...so I decided to get onto the net and have a look!

For the next step of my understanding, this website was incredibly useful. The 'Story of Stuff', a short video which launches the focusses and understanding of the organisation and website, looks at the production line of how we get all our stuff, how we produce it, what effects this has on people, the environment, the economy and who controls it at each point.

Check it out http://www.storyofstuff.com/

And once you have read it go to the 'Another Way' page and have a read. Yes you are one person, but it looks like even one little person can make a pretty big impact.

Enjoy...then share the story with your friends!

Killing less trees

I love quotes at the end of emails. Some can be quite quirky, rude, poetic, philosophical and bloody hilarious.

I saw this one today in an email

'They kill good trees to put out bad newspapers.' ~James G. Watt, quoted in Newsweek, 8 March 1982

This one got me thinking about the story behind our resources and the responsibility we have in using them well. Just looking at the amount of paper I use in my everyday life...it makes me question 'Do I recycle enough?!' or even 'Do I print unnecessarily?'

I often forget that my paper, a book, a letter is all coming from an amazing source - trees. It is so basic, but it never clicks that I am using up trees, and if I'm not careful I could be destroying them when I really do not need to. There is a high demand for paper, it is everywhere and it will be very unlikely in the near future that we won't need paper at all. So perhaps it's about working out how to better use our resources and be aware that resources CAN RUN OUT!

The most important thing to realise is that something you have in your hand, whether it's a mobile phone, a scarfe, a coffee, a handbag, has all come from somewhere else and has been created because people like you and me have a want and demand for it. Little do we realise the impact we can make on our choices about where all of this 'stuff' comes from.

Take the scarfe for example (and I am a huge culprit in ridiculous accumulation of scarfes!). It's a beautiful silky material, with various patterns in the dyed material and with little tassles at the end. A very pretty scafe....and even better because I got it on sale for $10.

Now that $10 goes to the shop I bought it from. And they paid money to purchase it to then sell it on. The shop would have to (you would hope) make a profit on the scarfe, so we can say they perhaps bought it for $6. That money goes to the distributor. The distributor bought it from a little factory in say northern Thailand who sold the original garment for $2.50. The factory then has to pay it's workers for making the scarfe and also for the materials used. Just imagine what the workers would be paid?! Pittance I believe. Let's not even think about the conditions they work in.

There is a story behind everything you buy including paper and scarfes. The workers in the factory are making scarfes because there are people like me who love pretty red scafes with little tassles on the ends. There is a demand from societies for this product. They deliver the demand. And deliver it well.

Then perhaps, we can demand for different things associated with our 'stuff'. For example, I may want this lovely scarfe, but I am happy to pay a decent amount which is then gauranteed to reach the workers to provide fair pay and better working conditions. I am looking right at ethical consumerism.

We do have a choice in what we buy and where that comes from. Lets think about the choices we make in buying our 'stuff', remember there are stories behind them. If we all start asking about the history of our things and what we consume, we will create a demand for better and fairer pay and improved working conditions, improved use and production of products using the environment. All of our other demands in society have been answered...smaller faster computers, better phones, more cheap clothes, massive variety of food and drink, better communication technology etc etc. Maybe we can just demand something a little bit extra!

Cambodians' suffering

When I visited South East Asia, my favourite country by far was Cambodia.
A favourite travelling place is always such a personal thing, always depends on what you love about communities, the experiences you have, how long you are there for etc, etc.
However, I am not surprised to find that the majority of the people I know who have travelled to the stunning country, Cambodia is also their favourite place.

Why? Well aside from South Africa (where I lived for a year) I have never felt so accepted into a community. Generally a calm and loving atmosphere.
One day I was happily sitting on the curb waiting for my friends to finish buying their food. I daydreamed as I watched as the cows walked by on the main road, with cars swerving in and out of the plodding packs. Feeling like I was being watched, I looked up to see a lanky graying man smiling a partially toothless smile at me. Not really knowing what to say...I just grinned back at him. He motioned to sit down next to me, I accepted, and then he practically jumped down by my side. He had been learning English and was so excited to see me so he could practice. We sat chatting for a bit, eventually with my cheeks hurting from all the grinning! We parted about half an hour later after I realised I had lost my friends, but who really cares when they just met the funniest English speaking Cambodian in Siem Riep?!

However, behind the quiet, generous demeanor of the people there is a shocking history, of torture, mass killings and devastation. Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge regime killed more than 1.5 million people from 1975-79 through execution, torture, starvation and slave labour. The regime ended in 1979 after the invasion by Socialist Republic of Vietnam

And today I read about forced evictions for thousands of Cambodians.

Amnesty International reported

'In 2008, some 150,000 Cambodians were known to live at risk of being forcibly evicted in the wake of land disputes, land grabbing, and agro-industrial and urban redevelopment projects. Tens of thousands have already been forcibly evicted in recent years, many left homeless, others relocated to inadequate resettlement sites with poor infrastructure, lacking basic amenities including sanitation, and with limited access to work opportunities. The spate of forced evictions shows little sign of abating.'

With Pol Pot's accomplices on trial in Phohm Pehn for crimes against humanity, it would be nice to assume the worst was over for Cambodian people, but the people 'are now faced with a new peril - rampant land developers literally smashing entire communities, leaving thousands homeless.' (David O'Shea SBS)

SBS aired 'Cambodia for Sale' looking at this situation just the other night and it's worth a watch...or at least to read the transcript.

http://news.sbs.com.au/dateline/cambodia_for_sale_563580

Let's not ignore what is happening to our neighbours this time.

Zimbabwean Email

I've been very lucky to travel. And in my travels I have met the most incredible people.

In Zanzibar, an island off the coast of Tanzania, I went to a music festival. The highlight was seeing a band from Zimbabwe who were incredible and the energy that they created was one of inspiration and absolute excitement. Excitement at the prospect of a new country, a new world for their people.

I got to meet two of the band members, Emmanuel and Sam, and I have kept in touch. They are both living in England at the moment. By the sounds of things, they were lucky to escape.

I want to share with you part of an email response from Emmanuel I received just before Christmas. I asked him about the safety of his family and how he is going with all the news from home.

"I dont know how to relate it to you because the very moment that I start talking or writing about the situation back in my country tears start to roll down my cheeks because of all the images that come flashing in my eyes, sometimes I have to close my eyes because I always get headaches from these flashback and I eventually get a blurred vision such that I can hardly see two meters ahead of me,remember I was there during the elections and left in May, well after the peak of the electoral violence, so I expirienced it all and I even lost my dreadlox forcefully not to mention the beatings and all that has transpired, let me stop there because its all too unpleasent and i just want to forget it all.'

I feel like sharing my stories is one of the best ways to humanise the devastated communities of Zambabwe. The violence is unbelievable, the Government corrupt and the people are killed, abused, ruined. No one deserves to live through this.

These men are fighting for their country through their music. They are doing all they can to make a change for the people. I can't believe how hard it would be to be away from all that I loved, in a foreign country, having experienced horrific violence not only to myself but to all around me. I don't know how I would handle it. I am so in awe of Sam and Emmanuel.

But this is just one story.
Find out more about Zimbabwe, learn what is happening, talk to people about it.

http://www.zimbabwesituation.com/
http://www.radiovop.com/
http://www.worldvision.com.au/emergency/zimbabwe.asp?isource=68
http://www.examiner.com/Topic-Zimbabwe.html

Personal Inspiration

I've recently been around people who are so completely driven that they have reinvigorated me!

It's easy to become relaxed and complacent over the holidays. Everyone seems to be in the spirits of doing nothing but chilling out with family and friends. I have to admit after an intense year, that's what I was looking forward to this summer.

But poverty doesn't wait.

I believe that my willingness, energy and drive towards creating change in my community should be sustainable...something that doesn't easily drop off my radar just because it's a little bit more effort without the constant reminder of the daily routine.

It was made very clear to me recently why I do what I do when I was fortunate to sit in a room and was presented about the reason why by 8 very intelligent, crazy, driven and humble people chose to make a difference in this world.

Each story gave me shivers and left me riveted and at the edge of my seat. I wanted to know more and more... why they did what they did and what kept them going? I wanted to know everyones secret. Maybe one would suit me and keep me going!?

It was then that I realised that every story is different. We all have different experiences, and even interpret and react to the same situations differently. We are all 'wired' in a completely unique way. As one of my old teachers used to say 'we are all different and special and we should immerse ourselves in the diversity'.

It's important to recognise why you do what you do. If there is no justifiable reason behind it, maybe you should ask yourself why you are doing it. It's what I learnt to apply myself. I recognise why I choose to speak for those without a voice and stand up for something I completely and utterly believe in. And I remember the people I have met, the things I have seen and the moments which flung me forward and pushed me to keep going. They are special to me and completely different to anyone else. But those are the reasons why I do what I do. I remind myself of the memories and it's so much easier to keep going and most importantly to be positive.

So now, my holiday is packed with plans and more plans and I am so excited!

But the next quetion is...

What inspires you?

first steps

Acknowledging the poor, the oppressed, the unjust, the ignored, the desperation of others, the abuse of the rights of each and every human, the cries for help and the blatant disparity between the developed and underdeveloped communities is one step.

Realising you can make a difference is the next.

You may ask...'Why should I do anything?'

And there are so many answers to the question, it all depends on each person, but someone once said to me...

'Stop for a second and think if it was you, wouldn't you want help?'

We live in one community. We share the world. We are one kind. We have the opportunity to be stronger, to unite. We deserve to love and care for others and others deserve to be loved and cared for.

Make the choice to change this world.

Learn, Speak Out, Act, Give