52 for the environment, it's the project I chose to do this year. One a week, in place of a photographic type thing (specifically) I'm going to find something to do to help this planet of ours, you can read more about my motivations here. This isn't that photo. This is a snap I took with my iPhone - leave only footprints.
Well, this week - week one - I thought I'd best start with a simple straight up 'emu bob' that's what they called it when I was at school - they'd bugger off the cleaners and get the school kids out to walk along and pick up rubbish - looking like a bunch of Emus bobbing up and down. Well, I picked up 16 bits of plastic, two crushed cans, two beer bottles - one that was blazing hot in a massive park of dry grass - nice one, idiots. and a plethora of other crap.... from an unused (still packaged, kids) condom to half a bicycle peddle. (really? where the hell is the other half?)
I said I wasn't going to make this a photo project, but there has to be SOME aspect of photography... I took one photograph with my iPhone...
You know, the funny thing about this little project of mine, when I started the walk I was walking along with my 3yo, he was pushing his truck... I had a plastic bag and was simply picking up bits of rubbish, stuff that people have carelessly let fall to the ground, and yes, I'm sure at some point I've done it too! -- But the weird bit came when we made it to the park. Aside form the weird ninja guy that likes to park his pushbike (on its stand) and ninja kick one of the street signs, there were a handful of people in and around the park - sitting in the sun, talking, eating, walking and running, and there I was - slowly wandering around the park, Seb and M half a footy oval away, picking up empty beer bottles and junk - and it FELT WEIRD.... I was sure people were looking at me thinking "What the hell is that guy doing?"
Are we too cool to pick up the rubbish we drop? Thoughts?