Projects. Plastics. Mission Impossible.
How do you eliminate plastics from your life? This is a personal endeavor and part of a broader struggle.
My rationale for this were pictures like the one above. I'm blessed to be close to nature and know plenty of hunters and fishers who love their environments. Yet the amount of plastic we dump is shocking.
According to The Ocean Cleanup, a non-profit organization, more than 5 trillion pieces of plastic litter the sea.
Around 2014, the 18-year-old Boyan Slat dedicated his life to developing technologies that removes plastics from the Oceans. He started with the Great Pacific Garbage Patch between Hawaii and California. By age 21 he had raised 1.5 million euro to kick off a system which went into action in 2018. The V shape structure targets, traps, captures and recycles plastics. A remarkable innovation, and the funding keeps rolling in, currently estimated at $31.5 million.
Projecting forward Slat's Ocean Cleanup is expecting to remove 154 million lbs. / 69.8 million kgs of plastic from the sea in 10 years.
The waste product is recycled into saleable goods and also generates other innovations. British engineer Adrian Griffiths has developed a machine that breaks down the plastic waste through pyrolysis, a form of recycling, turning it back into oil.
As with many things, we are the problem, and we need to be part of the solution. Who doesn't want to swim in clean seas or enjoy clean countryside? So, back to the top, removing plastics is my new project.
This is actually extremely difficult, and I have started with simple actions - buying food not wrapped in plastic, using ceramic or glass jars, cloth bags for storage. No more hand pumped soaps. Just going without unnecessary stuff. Just the tip of the iceberg.
In the U.S. 380 billion plastic bags are used every year, requiring 12 million barrels of oil. While some States - California, Hawaii, Oregon have banned single use plastic bags, and some companies, such as Walmart are following, the problem is vast.
Imagine though, with plastics in the food supply chain, killing off animals, what is it doing to you?
When it comes to heroes and entrepreneurs, forget the limelight obsessed Elon Musk and salute Boyan Slat. A young man setting an example to all generations by humbly "cleaning the sheds."
People. Orchestra Conductors.
Paavo Jarvi, Neville Mariner, Gustavo Dudamel, Joshua Bell, Nadia Boulanger, Seiji Ozawa, Sakari Oramo.
These people are all podium performers yet, they are not household names. Orchestra conductors are stage artists who work in awesome locations, with the medium they love and look like they are having a great time. All the time.
A mélange of master chef and wizard, the conductor is the knot in the laces of the whole orchestra, a guiding spirit blending the combined talents of musicians.
Through an intensity of energy and expression he or she compels artists to obey his or her interpretation of the music they are reading.
A great gig, and a vocation with six-figure earnings potential, which requires more than personality. A bachelor's degree, some skill with group dynamics and human psychology, appear to be basic requisites. The ability to inspire others and also acquire knowledge of a musical language like French, Italian or German add another layer.
In an interview with the BBC Esa-Pekka Salonen shares further traits which include love, empathy and actual playing ability. Whilst these may seem logical, more interestingly conductors must stay in shape, get out of their comfort zones and "tweet." Social connectivity, he says, serves to keep the classical music professional humble and accessible.
Surprisingly then, their uniformity of dress offers stark contrasts to the creative personae whose individuality and expression is often manifested in an abundance of hair and intensity of stare.
Conductors are, in my mind, the true architects of a state of flow. (An optimal performance condition that many aspiring organizations and teams seek and fail to find.)
The real magic of the conductor, though, as witnessed by the hard evidence of played music is their ability to manage beats, tempo, notes and egos with not a word uttered.
A baton, facial expressions and hand gestures are the tools of their trade, supporting the cues that breathe life into the sounds of the symphony.
Communications skills are essential to our lives.
Orchestra conductors, under the pressure of beats, bars and bass, and the glare of public scrutiny take this to another level. They perform on stage, in public, with no margin of error and without the benefit of dialogue.
Real magic.
Genuine leaders truly worthy of their title "Maestro."
Persevering. Losing weight.
Staying on the theme of weight loss, discipline is now the biggest routine challenge.
Bottom Line Up Front: at the time of writing, I have lost 30lbs / 14kg.
That's a further 12lbs / 5.5kg since the last write up.
Finding a coach helped. Changing my relationship with food has been the real deal and here's the rules I set for success.
Buy natural foods.
Eliminate sugar.
Go without.
Rule 1: Natural foods offer color, flavor, choice and nutrients. Natural for me also means no plastic and I found markets that will sell loose fruit and veg and try to buy product in different packages. Critically these methods slow down your impulses, allow you to think before you eat and help re-program a quality over quantity mindset.
Rule 2: Sugar is everywhere. In more than 80% of everything you buy sugar is probably the biggest single contributor to a weight loss challenge. A major obstacle that feeds and fuels the path of least resistance. As an addictive energy source sugar disguises flavors and foments cravings. To combat this, I am learning to chef, to control ingredients, eliminate this enemy and experience the joy of new flavor discoveries.
Rule 3: Going without is a genuine mindset challenge. It is a question of being reductive in the pursuit of quality, being deliberate and determined in your choices. If you approach this with a sense of optimism, a pathway to a desired goal, then the task is less laborious. By following rules 1 and 2 above, 3 becomes a natural by-product and a powerful tool in your box. The front end of my week comprises "spartan days" of limited food intake underpinned with intermittent fasting, which has gradually built up from a few hours to a personal best of 45 hours.
Food and drink should be a source of pleasure. Going without does not have to be a forever condition.
By being discerning and deliberate, food and drink are companions to joy in the intersections of our day.
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