Mama SRL

Prietenos cu planeta inseamna o responsabilitate a propriilor gesturi. Nu sunt tocmai prietenos cu planeta cand arunc multe lucruri la gunoi. Trebuie o intreaga reeducare intr-o societate care a trecut asa repede de la lipsa ambalajelor de plastic la o abundenta de asa ceva si un consum masiv. Eu am invatat din calatorii cum sa ma port mai bine cu planeta si incerc sa imi dau mereu seama ce pot face mai bine.

Nu aruncati hartie in toaleta pentru a fi mai prietenos cu planeta!

Grecia a fost prima tara unde am vazut insistent mesaje sa nu aruncam hartie in toaleta. Cred ca atitudinea grecului de a fi prietenos cu planeta a fost mereu o caracteristica a vietii lui. A fost la inceput un pic deranjant, dar apoi, cand am cugetat un pic mai atent asupra subiectului, s-a dovedit a fi o lectie buna. Din moment ce toate insulele filtrau apa, hartia aruncata in toaleta risca sa blocheze reteaua de canalizare. Ar fi fost o risipa de resurse sa deblocheze reteaua si ar fi insemnat ca planeta avea si mai mult de suferit.

Asa ca grecii au pus semne sa ne ajute sa tratam planeta mai bine. Oricum soarele si apa erau asa bune pentru piele pe acele meleaguri, incat simteam ca taramul e chiar o binecuvantare in sine si nu ar trebui sa supar zeii. Devin astfel mai prietenos cu planeta. La intoarcere inca ma aflam sub semnul mesajului: nu aruncati hartie sau servetele in toalete. Inca ma gandesc ca la noi in tara aruncam o multime de lucruri in toaleta incat un asemenea mesaj ar fi de rasul intregii comunitati. Noi aruncam uleiul folosit, betisoare de urechi, paduri demachiante, parul cazut si multe alte lucruri in reteaua de canalizare. Este valabil atat la oras cat si in mediul urban.

Iata o campanie in care se incearca educarea romanilor sa nu mai arunce orice pe reteaua de canalizare. De altfel la inceputul anului 2020 am vazut un mic brief de campanie de responsabilizare a oamenilor referitor la folosirea sistemului de canalizare in regiuni unde acesta urmeaza sa fie introdus. Campania trebuia sa educe oamenii referitor la regulile de folosire a retelei. Pentru mine a fost cumva surprinzator intrucat m-am gandit la gradina bunicii. Acolo nu se iroseau foarte multe resturi. Toata mancarea veche era mereu data animalelor din ograda. Toata hartia era pusa pe foc. Apa folosita pentru spalatul vaselor sau pe corp era aruncata in zona sterpa a gradinii. Aceasta parte exista intr-un colt de curte, la intrarea in gradina din spatele casei, spre grajdul animalelor. La acea vreme revolutia ambalajelor de plastic nu venise peste noi. Imi amintesc ca moda sacoselor textile era in mare voga la acea vreme. Bunica ar fi fost extrem de la moda daca ar mai trai astazi. Obisnuia sa faca multe sacose in diverse forme si din tot felul de materiale.

Mai tarziu anul acesta am mers la munte intr-un loc minunat numit Poienita Ursului. Este o mica cabana la munte cu 8 camere, fiecare cu baia ei. Au o bucatarie comuna cu zona de luat masa pentru toti oaspetii. Totusi cand te duci la munte de obicei inchiriezi intreaga cabana pentru un grup de prieteni si petreci mult timp la gratar. Este prima data cand vad semnul de “Nu aruncati hartie in toaleta” si unde cosurile de gunoi sunt organizate pe categorii. Am descoperit astfel un loc extrem de prietenos cu planeta care imi reda optimismul. Cea mai mare dilema cu care m-am confruntat in perioada sederii a fost unde aruncam scutecele? Aceasta intrebare m-a determinat sa il invat cat mai repede pe fiul meu sa ceara la toaleta. Scutecul nu e usor biodegradabil, dar nu e nici reciclabil. Deci unde merge? Tind sa cred ca merge la gunoi menajer doar ca va dura ani pentru a se descompune.

Intre timp am decis ca e vremea sa sortez si mai atent gunoiul: hartie, metal, sticla, plastic, textil si compost. Asta ma ajuta sa fiu mai prietenoasa cu planeta. Inca nu am gasit niciun raspuns referitor la ce facem cu scutecele si cu absorbantele. Am incercat si optiuni mai prietenoase, dar exista ceva probleme: cele din bumbac, precum fibra in sine, nu retin umezeala pentru foarte mult timp. Fiul meu s-a dovedit alergic la ceva din compozitie asa ca am renuntat la tentativa. Totusi scutecele lui, consumate in numar mai mare, ar umple mult mai repede groapa de gunoi. Scutecele din bumbac sau bambus, care nu contin fibra sintetica, nu retin lichidul asa bine. Si daca trebuie sa consumi de trei ori mai multe scutece care ajung la groapa de gunoi atunci o si umplem mai repede. Imi imaginez ca trebuie sa ne gandim un pic mai profund la aceste solutii pentru o atitudine mai prietenoasa cu planeta.

Un alt motiv pentru care gunoiul facut de noi trebuie redus este ca ne afecteaza orasele. Spre exemplu, statia de filtrare a apei este peste tot unde te uiti din cetatea Feldioara. Abia iti mai aduci aminte ca esti intr-o cetate medievala. Sigur ca asta este un mic exemplu, plin de ironia deciziilor administrativ locale, dar exista multe alte efecte nementionate ale “urmelor” noastre.

Voi continua sa reciclez si sa incerc sa refolosesc cat mai mult posibil, dar unele lucruri au nevoie de inventii noi. Avem unele alternative, dar ar fi bine sa incercam sa nu ne intoarcem in Evul Mediu prin folosirea lor. Planeta ramane la fel, noi trebuie sa ne schimbam si sa ne facem vietile mai bune. Trebuie sa gasim si solutii la problemele pe care tot noi le cream. Solutia nu inseamna in mod necesar sa ne oprim in loc, dar sa reducem impactul actiunilor noastre. Pana la urma planeta asta a vazut suficient “rahat” si totusi a inflorit. Deci trebuie si noi sa gasim solutii sa facem planeta sa prospere cu tot ce lasam in urma. Trebuie sa traim sub semnul prietenos cu planeta.

Planet Friendly

Planet friendly means a whole responsability for our actions. We are not exactly planet friendly when we throw out a lot of things at the garbage. We need a whole reeducation in a society which quickly passed from no plastic packaging to an abundance of such and a massive consumption. I have learned from my travels how to be more planet friendly and I am trying to figure out what I can do better.

Do not throw paper down the toilet to prove you are planet friendly!

Greece was the first place I have seen the persistent messages “Do not throw paper in the toilet”. I guess the planet friendly attitude was a strong characteristic of their lives. It was at first a bit disturbing, but then after thinking about it a little bit, it actually turned out as a very good lesson. Since all the islands need to filter water, the paper thrown down the toilet would block the sewage. It would be a waste of resources to unblock it and it would mean the planet would suffer even more. So the Greeks have put out signs to help us treat the planet better. The sun and the water are so good to my skin that I felt it’s actually such a blessing the land itself that I shouldn’t bother the Greek Gods. I got used to this behaviour and continued being planet friendly. Upon my return I would still behave the same. I am still thinking that in our country we throw a lot of other things into the toilet that it’s actually quite the laugh of town to put up such a sign. We throw out used oil, ear sticks, makeup removal pads, hair and a lot of other things into the sewage. It’s something that happens in both in the rural and in the urban area. 

Here’s a campaign meant to educate Romanians to stop throwing out anything into the sewage system. Early this year a small campaign brief caught my attention as people needed to become aware that introducing piping system in their region would also come with rules. This is a bit troubling to me because I remember my grandmother’s garden and its rules. All the old food would be fed to the animals in the household. All the paper would be put on fire. The water from various washes would be thrown into a barren land where no plant grew. This part existed in a corner of the garden, somewhere at the entrance into the back yard, towards the animals stable. At the time when this was happening the plastic revolution had not come over. I remember the textile bag was part of the popular culture at the time. My grandma would still be quite fashionable, were she still alive. She used to make a lot of those bags with different sizes and patterns. 

Then this year we went in the mountains at this great place called Poienita Ursului. It’s a small mountain cabin with 8 rooms, each with its own private bathroom. It also has a big kitchen and a dining area for all guests. However when going in the mountains, people usually rent out the whole place for a group of friends and spend most of the time out by the fire. It’s the first time I see this note “Do not throw paper in the toilet” and also organized trash as per category. A very planet friendly place which makes me very optimistic. The biggest dilemma I have encountered there is “Where do you throw the used diapers?”. This dilemma made me decide it’s time for my son to learn to use the potty. I am asking this since the diaper is not biodegradable, but it’s also not recyclable. So, where does it go to? I am tending to answer the usual garbage which would take years to bio decompose. 

In the mean time I have decided it’s time to put the garbage into an even more precise category: paper, metal, glass, plastic, textile and compostable garbage. This helps me be even more planet friendly. Still no answer what we have to do about the diapers and also about absorbents. I tried moving to a more planet friendly choice, but there are some problems: real cotton ones, just like cotton fiber itself, doesn’t hold too much liquid. My son turned out allergic to something in the diaper composition. Still, his diapers would also fill up the landfill much faster as the cotton without some synthetic fiber in its composition, doesn’t have a good absorption. If you are putting up three times more garbage into the dump, then you are filling it up sooner. I am imagining we need to think a little bit deeper about these planet friendly solutions.

Another reason our waste should be diminished is that it’s affecting our cities or travel sites. Water filtration system is everywhere you look out the windows of Feldioara fortress. You barely remember you are in a medieval fortress.Of course, this is just a small example reflecting also in bad local administration decisions, but there are a lot of other blind side effects of our “tracks”.

I will continue to recycle and try to reuse as much as possible, but some things need new inventions. Planet stays the same, we need to change and make our lives better. We need to find also solutions to the problems we are creating. The solution would not necessarily be to stop ourselves, but rather to reduce our impact. After all the “shit” the planet has seen it has thrived. So we need to see how the planet can thrive with our continuous “shit”. We must live planet friendly.