"World Changing"

I stumbled upon this site while surfing the net for some green enterprises. Check it out, it's a great online magazine called World Changing with sections for being green in Communities, Businesses, Shelter, Politics, and Stuff.

I remember when I was a young kid in Malaysia, on some afternoons, I'd hear this loooooooooong sing-songy chant in our back alley "sao gao bu zi, sao bo li jun......." (i.e., collecting old newspaper and used bottles) followed by the sound of his horn, beep beep... beep beep. His chant and the sound of his horn break the dead silence of a hot humid afternoon. This recycling man usually is on a tri-cycle where the back is full of old newspapers and gunney sacks of empty bottles. These bottles click and clack as he paddles in the narrow back alley. His skin is dark and wrinkled. Sometimes he wears a big straw hat that's similar to a sombrero but without the vibrant colors. His short sleeve shirt is unbuttoned on top, baring his sun-kissed chest exposed to more afternoon sun. His cotton shorts are just above his knees with frilled edges, and his flip-flops look flimsy under his strong, muscular legs.

That was recycling at work way back when!

I remember we stacked our newspaper neatly and packed them using grass string, each pack was 5 kati (1 kati is 1.1lb) , that's the unit the recycling man liked. On days when my mom or cousin waved to the recycling man and hurried in to move the stacks of newspaper to the back door, I'd carefully helped my mom calculate the money we received from the recycling man and put them into the family drawer. It never occured to me that I'd ask for a tip for helping out :)  But then again, we go to the same family drawer to get money to buy coconut buns or kaya buns when the vendor come beeping in the back alley.

Those were the days.

Now recycling is in vogue again. What I can't understand and don't like is that clothings that are made of recycled materials or creatively being recycled by cutting out the sleeves and adding other cute accessories cost an arm and a leg. What logic is this?

 

Comments

[Rubes]

Pi Wen! :) Just wanted to say hey and that I hope you're doing well. :) It's school hols now and I am catching up on sleep and having a "life" in general... :)  A visit to the West Coast is definitely in order one of these days! I look back on all the times I "imposed" on you in Chicago with great fondness. :) Hee Hee!