Seaweed looks as if it might help in the future, but there is so much of the stuff in the sea it will be a nightmare to clean up now.
Amid all the political stories today I came across this. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-49494957 Are the young who attend so flush that they just take themselves off leaving everything behind?
The young have no sense of responsibility or even irony They bleat non stop about how we have destroyed THEIR planet and then do that Little wonder they all suffer from depression they are totally unable to face and deal with their own inadequacies
The attitude of so many to littering is quite astonishing. As you know I do organised walks of between 50 and 100 km every year. The majority of walkers do it for chosen charities and will have trained bloody hard to get to the starting line. Sure it sounds easy as its onky walking but I can tell you that doing a non stop 100km isn't a piece of cake! Anyway, the amount of litter you see over the course is breathtaking and it's people of all ages. Gigs are the same - went to The Cure at Hyde Park last year and the scene afterwards was appalling. It isn't that hard to find a bin or bring a bag and put that in one when you do find a bin.
There is a roundabout as you leave Crawley with signs asking you take your litter home rather than put people at risk on the side of the motorway. It is appalling with cans, bottles, both glass and plastic, paper, boxes, used syringes and the odd rusting fridge. It almost seems as if people see the signs and it reminds them to empty the car.
On the flip side to that litter picks and beach cleans are becoming a popular public activity. Sure, they shouldn't be needed but nice to see that some people at least have a sense of responsibility / local pride. And without wanting to start another argument it is worth pointing out that this problem isn't confined solely to the young - though your second post shows that anyway!
I think a great idea would be for retired people with a history of managing people successfully to organise groups of the young unemployed who actually want to work to clear the litter and driftwood from beaches, canals, rivers and lakes The youngsters would be paid slightly more than they would on benefits and those showing leadership could become team leaders I have seen a programme where rubbish is cleaned and sold as fuel for low grade power stations in Scandinavian countries so could even be a long term business opportunity Would be a healthy activity for all concerned
Germany has similar schemes for asylum seekers who are not allowed to do normal jobs Duggie. Also this type of work is often done by normal volunteers - in my area it is done by groups from each community who, on a monthly basis, clear up rubbish or do other constructive work. The worst job which we have done on this basis was/is the removal of the giant hogweed from sections of the river bank - not a job I would wish on anyone
Some thing needs to be done and soon When I was working near Paddington I used to walk the canal at lunchtime and the amount of rubbish was horrendous
I was tempted but there was too much and with no where to put it anyway, most of it was in the canal rather than the towpath so a three piece suit was not suitable attire More rubbish bins are needed but most of those have gone because of the fear of someone planting a bomb in one Society itself could do with a rethink in some areas
One of my favourite subjects is this. When I lived in England we used to arrange a litter pick each year around the village, and although it was not a dreadful place for litter we would collect a dozen large bin bags of stuff that had blown under hedges. Much of it actually came from the dustmen who didn't get everything from the bins into the lorry. The worst places were on the main road between Oxford and Northampton, and it is still the same from my trips over there. The lay bys at one time had litter bins in them, but to save money they were removed. The result is great heaps of stuff that people do not want to take home with them is dumped there. You actually need to instil a sense of pride in people's surroundings. I always notice how barren the roundabouts are compared to what I see here, where thoughout the year I see a blaze of colour from the council planting schemes You have to be careful here that you do not trip over a litter bin, and to find one overflowing is very rare. This of course all comes down to councils having enough money to employ the gardeners and general workmen to collect the bin bags. Another problem is happening by councils selling off the waste or re-cycling centres to private operators who have to make a profit from it. The last one I went to in Dorset charged £25 to receive a fridge, and £10 for a car tyre. Rather than pay up people dump these items in a bit of woodland or in a lay bye. Giving councils enough money to provide attractive surroundings helps to give people that sense of pride in where they live, and to some extent helps to save money on clearing up operations when stuff is dumped. Although France does have some black spots, it is very clean compared to the towns I visit in England.
I know Cologne told us about his articles on garnering food from the countryside. There is now an article on the Beeb's website about just that. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-49516682
This has many aspects Frenchie. There are about 200 wild plants which are actually enjoyable as flavouring or as a vegetable - plus about as many others which are technically edible but of little nutritional value. Before foraging in the countryside it is important to be able to correctly identify plants - and others which look similar. So lots of walks in the countryside in which you test yourself to see how many you can correctly identify is usefull in itself (you can make a game of it) and makes even the most boring walk more interesting (because this is possible even in London). The goal is not to rip out whole plants here there and everywhere but rather to develop a respect for what is actually out there. Such gathering should be targeted at what you actually need to enrich a particular dish, and you should know in advance where you are going to find it. Foraging blind and thinking 'that could be wild garlic' could well lead to undesired results - and actually does on a regular basis. A plant should answer the description you have of it in every detail - including stage of growth, neighbouring plants, soil characteristics etc. or you leave it alone. Done correctly it can be great fun and also a social event if you want it to be so - of it can be an excuse to get away on your own for long periods.
One of my most boring days ever was searching for wild mushrooms on Mont Ventoux with some extremely enthusiastic locals.
My one memory of Mont Ventoux was on a cycling holiday where we were looking for a camp site. Not knowing much French we followed the signs for 'Camping naturelle'. Only upon actually going in did we realize the full connotations of this - namely everyone was stark naked, even at the reception. After much deliberation we decided 'when in Rome do as the Romans' and went along with this for a couple of days
Would have made foraging rather hazardous. It's a brilliant hobby for those who enjoy it. I don't really have the patience to research what will and won't poison me so leave it well alone!
My wife & I stumbled across a nudist beach in Spain many many years ago. We duly felt obliged to join the others although our young daughters looked at us most strangely at first. Certainly swimming naked is great although I was caught by an impromptu estate agent once, we all had a good laugh at my expense.
Being caught by the "estate agent" sounds painful, and although it is a new expression for me, I accept the imagery.
