The Plastic Bank.....social plastic, an idea whose time has come!

Loving, protecting and living on the earth 

Another post about plastic, but this one is good news! This will be very short.

Please, check out the Plastic Bank - Harvesting Plastic Waste to Reduce Poverty.            

The website is plasticbank.org

What a brilliant idea they have! I don't know these people, but I am pretty sure I love them:

David Katz is the founder and President of The Plastic Bank. According to the website, David's dream was to bring hope to and liberate the minds of the world’s most disadvantaged and to rid the world of ocean plastic.  His inspiration came from his travels, seeing beaches with more plastic than sand and people living in extreme poverty withouthope.  David realized that, not only do the people of the world need hope, but also that the world itself is also struggling.  I realize this too.

plastic in ocean

Shaun Frankson is a social entrepreneur.  He wants to change the world. So do I.

Andrew Almack believes in the power of social entrepreneurship to change human behavior.  I believe in the power of ideas to change human behavior.

Sarah Ross is dedicated to making the world a better place for her children and her children's children. So am I.

Please go to their website and read about this revolutionary idea. If it makes sense to you, the way it does to me, please sign their petition asking companies to use social plastic in order to improve lives while reducing plastic waste.

If you know of any other innovative businesses that are trying to solve environmental problems and improve lives, please leave a comment.

I want to introduce my readers to all of them, because I know that if we all work together we can protect the environment and improve the lives of those living in dire circumstances.

With open minds and optimistic hearts we can make a difference.                                      That is why WE are here NOW.

A New Year's Dream

I had a dream of a hill with many trees - trees of every shape and size, with leaves of every color, and some with no leaves at all.

A voice in the dream told me that each of the trees had been planted by a different person and that each person watered and cared for their own tree. Each person, in fact, truly loved their own special tree. The trees were so well cared for that they grew to be large and magnificent to behold.

But in order for any tree to remain healthy, all of the trees had to be healthy. Eventually, there were times when someone was unable to care for his or her tree and it failed to thrive. As one tree became weak, other trees would also succumb.

The people who lovingly planted their trees were desperate to save them. They concentrated more and more on the health of their very special trees, hoping to save them from the fate of the weak and dying trees.

No matter how hard they tried to preserve the health of their own tree, they met with failure. More and more trees were dying.

Until .....

..... until, someone walked away from her own tree and started caring for all the trees on the hill. Gradually, as she lovingly watered each tree, even the trees that were furthest away grew healthy again.

From that day on, all of the tree planters, worked together to care for all of the trees. The trees grew to enormous size. People who could see this hill from a distance were amazed by the vibrant colors. Some even thought they saw the whole hill glowing.

Gradually, the hill of trees became known for its healing properties. People made pilgrimages to this amazing forest to be bask in its essence. They were filled with peace of mind and heart just by being there. No special prayer or ritual was necessary to make the healing occur.

When I woke up from this dream, it made so much sense to me. It was so simple, but to me it is about so many things. Not just our connection to nature and our connection to each other;  not just how the welfare of society as a whole is close related to the welfare of each individual, but also, about the peace that emanates from a place where loving care is giving freely.

Dreams are usually hard to put into words that make sense when we are awake. But this dream was so clear to me. It was a great way to start the new year.