Disclaimer: non-wedding-related post ahead!
In case you haven’t noticed, it’s green week around here. And being green = being environmentally friendly.
One of the most amazing places I have ever visited is the country of Ghana, in West Africa. My sister was volunteering there and I was incredibly lucky to be able to visit her over Christmas in 2006. So today, when I was browsing CRAFT Magazine’s blog and saw this article, I was especially moved.
Image and original article found here via link and link
Tap water in Ghana is unsafe to drink, therefore “pure water” sachets are sold in voluminous quantities. And because there are no wastebaskets outside of the more upscale hotels and restaurants, the plastic packaging from these sachets ends up being tossed away, as the rest of the garbage is. I cannot say it any better than the article itself:
In Ghana they line roads, hang from palm trees, float in the sea and gather in drifts on the white sandy beaches. In Ghana’s capital, Accra, they clog the sewers that run alongside roads turning gutters into stinking repositories of stagnant water and faeces and prime breeding grounds for malaria-carrying mosquitoes.
But I can try to show you (pictures taken on my trip).
So, as I said, when I saw this article I was filled with admiration for Kwabena Osei Bonsu, the Ghanaian man who started the Trashy Bags factory in Accra. According to the Independent, Trashy Bags has been responsible for collecting over seven million sachet bags and turning them into these recycled tote bags, which sell for around $8 (not a small amount by Ghanaian standards, let me assure you). It is so inspiring to see someone look past their current situation and do anything that they can do to help – help their community and help themselves.
So in the spirit of being green, whatever your cause is, we encourage you to contribute in any way, however small, to making our planet a better place to live.
And just so you don’t think the pictures above are what Ghana is all about, here are a couple of pictures that show just how gorgeous it is!
Cheers – E.
PS – Also check out Blue Orchid’s post today on giving back in your wedding!