Plastication Imagination photography exhibition returned Autumn 2019 for a second exhibition of images to inspire reflection, action and commitment to changes that care for and support the wellbeing of our environment, ecosystems and all beings including ourselves. Let's use imagination to get ourselves out of the mess we have made! click to see all the plastication images from 2019 and 2018 Read the article in Hastings Online Times Last year, this work was about our need to WAKE UP to our collective responsibility for cleaning up our messy lifestyles; I wanted it to be both playful and serious. Now, while we are slowly waking up to the need to change our behaviour particularly our attachment to using plastics and our habit of throwing things away after use, we still need to find motivation and inspiration to commit to making more holistic, and likely less convenient, choices. These images are a result of my own exploration and expression of multitude conflicting thoughts and feelings about the environmental challenges we collectively face. Overall, I feel optimistic about our capacity for connecting with and caring for our environment. I also feel an urgent need for collective shifts in attitude and frustration about how difficult it sometimes is for me to make better choices and also what I see as continued mass complacency. I still want to inspire positive action because we can all make a difference with our everyday choices- choices about what we buy, what we eat and drink as well as how we dispose of packaging and things we no longer need or want; we can choose to buy things with less packaging; we can choose to pick up rubbish when we see it on the beach and on the pavement so it doesn’t end up in the sea, instead of expecting someone else to do it. We need to use our imaginations in order to evolve and to solve our current ecological dilemmas; I'm also convinced we can enjoy at least some of this process. Lots of people will tell you, myself included, that it feels good to pick up litter and care for our local environment! detail, dreaming beyond the plastic age a list of some local relevant organisations from Strandliners newsletter StrandlinersCIC - Our website with information & events United Nations Association Southeast Region - partnering StrandlinersCIC projects Sea-Changers - supporting the CAT programme BreakFreeFromPlastic - partnering brand audit surveys Rye Bay Beachcombing - for recording all beach finds natural & manmade - Facebook Strandliner blog - creator of Strandliners, Andy Dinsdale's blog search for on Facebook: Zero Waste Hastings and Rother, Plastic Free Hastings, Hastings Beach Cleans, Clean Seas Please
A little good news: Highly informative for the whole family, and ending on a positive note, BBC documentary The Secret Life of Landfill: a Rubbish History, is still available on bbc iplayer by clicking this link. Another must see is Drowning in Plastic, also on bbc iplayer. Its painful viewing but absolutely essential that we collectively understand our currently dire world situation so that we can all access motivation to not only change our personal behaviour, but to also demand change from those authority to STOP making plastic and to find alternatives. unexpected catch ![]() Global Citizen's 7 ways to cut out junk plastic Global Citizen's 10 Facts About Plastic Pollution
Further information about marine plastic pollution and articles about the rise of plastic rubbish found on UK beaches: Global Citizen Plastic news articles Cornwall Live article about Cornwall's Beaches after storm Eleanor Guardian article, 'Shocking' rise in rubbish washing up on UK beaches ![]() A particular bugbear of mine is cigarette remains which smokers fling without a thought onto the pavement; they end up in drains which lead to the sea, of course. I am not attacking smokers! This is a symptom of our 'throw away' attitude that needs to change. Check out the article. Image on the right pictures a pile of cigarette ends I recently collected on a very short stretch of my road; imagine how many are on the streets and pavements across the planet, waiting for rain flow to take them to the sea... Take action and connect with like minded others: Plastic Free Hastings face book page Lots of ideas for taking action from Clean Seas Please Recycling Facts and Info from recycle now Plastic Pollution Facts and Figures from Surfers Against Sewage check out the UK's eco psychology site to learn more about the diversity of thought and practice within eco psychology all content including images copyright Marybeth Haas 2006-2021 all rights reserved |