Blog Action Day Takes on Climate Change:The death of an idyllic island.

I wrote this short story with the scenario of global warming in mind.

The death of an idyllic island.

Sisa packed her bags, looked around her little house on the stilts, crestfallen and heavy hearted. She had to leave behind her best china and silver. The headman had specified only two change of clothing and a few photographs.

"You can start all over when we arrive in American Samoa. You can buy anything there."

She called her husband, “Tomi, hurry up, you can not take the dogs, pigs and the chickens.”

The US frigate was waiting out at the lagoon, and the little boats were waiting to take the last of the laggards to go to American Samoa. The younger Islanders of the Wago Wago Island had gone left for American Samoa and California. For Sisa, Tomi and her friends of her generation, they had refused to go and had not heeded the weather change, and the rate that the water level was coming up to cover their beloved island.

Now, the water level has come half way up their stilts, the salt water had killed off all their taro plants. Only the coconut palms were standing, where almost, a lot of them were falling. The beach, where she had dug for pipis, cockles and mussles have been eaten up by the tides. The water comes to where her garden was. The island was almost one third of its original size.

Sisa lamented for the death of her island, the once popular tourist site especially for young back packers. It was idyllic and unspoilt by commercialism. The white sand was pristine and food was plentiful. The tranquil lagoon provided all the fish and sea food they need.

Young Americans and Germans came with just a few dollars and they would stay for months, courtesy the friendly villagers. They love the lifestyle where time was not of essence. They came to surf the waves and fish in the sea. Some of them stay and marry the Wago Wago young girls and take them back to the US of A and Germany. The children of these mixed ancestry were beautiful and famous for their singing and music and inherited their mothers’ kind hospitality.

Sisa sighed, “All these will be gone in no time if the scientists’ predictions are true. It’s all due to global warming, they say.” Though she and Tomi did not require scientists and their scientific reports to tell them that the sea is rising and their beloved island was sinking.

Sis and Tomi looked around, a "king tide" had flooded their garden and showered it with rocks and debris. The devastation was so great, the next “king tide” would take their house out to sea. If they didn’t go now, they too would be carried out to sea and their house would be their coffin to meet their watery grave.

The Chief emphasized that this US frigate would be the last for the exodus, and any stubborn islanders would be like the people during Noah’s times. American Samoa would be too far for them to swim to.

The world didn’t listen to the islanders about the plight of their island. They were sitting ducks and at the island’s demise, USA offered their sanctuary.

“Our identity will be lost, our children and their children will embrace the American culture. How sad that day will be. If only a miracle will happen like Noah’s time” as Sisa board the frigate.

As the frigate slowly sailed west, the old islanders held their hands and cried openly, “Goodbye, my home land, Goodbye.”

http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com/2009/10/change-world-wednesday_14.html

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Change The World Wednesday Refuse Styrofoam

Refuse Styrofoam

http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com/

Durian, the King of fruits is treated in a less regal way, packed in styrofoam. A purist will tell you that durian comes in its own natural package. The styrofoam contaminates its taste and aroma.

But sadly, for convenience, durian is sold this way. Unless you see the vendor pack the durian there and then, it is not advisable to buy them. Prepacked durian tend to be a lesser grade and often old and rejected by customers.

Change the world: Grow your own vegetables.

On World Environment Day, all students and staff of my school, Pt Chevalier School, wore green
and donated gold coins to be used to buy construction material for the planned bantam coop we are going to build later on this year. This is great, we not only have a vegetable and fruit garden, we are going to have chicken. The students will love it.

We all played our part in school sustainably and having a waste free lunch. We came first for the “Greenest Group” award run through Auckland City Council.

.."It was clear that a lot of effort went into the event and the focus was on making sustainable changes. The judges were very impressed. Councillor Lister would like to come to an assembly next term to present the book and tree prize".

The photo shows some of our colourful veges. We are in partners with WWF. We can not sell our produce. All the children are welcomed to harvest the vegetables when they are ready. They don't have to be members of the enviro club who grow them.

http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com/2009/06/change-world-wednesdays_24.html

Change the World: Recycle bags

Last week's challenge: refuse plastic bags. Some stores in New Zealand charge ten cents per plastic bag. I am guilty of going shopping without a recycle bag and coming home with plastic bags. My excuse is I do recycle my plastic bags to line my rubbish bins.

My school recently issued us with this bright recycle bag, and I like it very much. It also has the message "Mind that child."

Some big supermarkets commissioned a local designer Trelise Cooper to design her "designer recycle bag." It costs a lot more than the ordinary 99 cts green bag. The idea they thought was customers would be proud of owning Trelise Cooper designer bags and would use them. I don't know how effectively the idea is.

You may like this anecdote. I bought a Trelise Cooper designer recycle bag to give it to a friend from Singapore. When I was paying for it together with some of my grocery items including some fish fillet, the check out operator wanted to put my purchases in my Trelise Cooper bag. I told her I didn't want to. She asked why, I said I was keeping it as a gift. She replied I could still put my grocery in it. I told her in a jovial manner, I didn't want my friend to have it smelling like fish.

In November I did a post on recycle bags.

http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com/2009/06/change-world-wednesdays_24.html

Change The World Wednesdays ...

Change The World Wednesdays ....

This is what I just found out. Change the world Challenge.

Each Wednesday I'll post a green challenge. If you're willing to accept the challenge and accomplish the task within the next week, let me know in the comments section. Then, write a post on your blog, letting your readers know what the challenge is and ask them to also commit to the task.

Each Wednesday I'll post a new challenge and I'll also include a link to everyone who committed to the previous week's task.

My school is an enviro school. We had this water tank installed to collect rain to water our vegetable garden.