One thing that has been bugging me since I've been back from nationals is the fact of how much trash I noticed us Rainbows left behind. The plastic bags the ungodly amount of trash was bundled in...*sigh* If we are supposed to be the chosen ones...shouldn't we make wiser decisions on our amount of trash we consume? Shouldn't we be the change we all want to see in Babylon?
I Guess Not Since According To Rainbows Everyone Is Welcome And Therefore So Are The Differing Opinions And Habits.
haha, you make it sound like some sort of cult but yes, i agree with your point, and its a point that a lot of "hippies" like to ignore i've found.
LOL, it does, doesn't it? Well, that's what I hear from some hardcore Rainbow folk...but these are the same people who have bags and bags of trash at the end of the gathering and leave them there for "someone else" to take care of.
Clean-up crew does a good job of disapearing all that crap. But that doesnt mean we should leave it there for them to deal with. I stayed for clean-up in '04 and the thing that got me the most was the huge pile of disposable propane cylinders. We're learning though, can't be perfect yet...
those 'disposable' propane cylinders are a problem. we used a propane camp stove the first couple of years at the hippiestead, now we're trying to turn our empty cylinders into a Hank Hill memorial sculpture; not sure what else to do with them
at the british camps we just have a big dump that people can take there bags of trash too and thats removed at the end and we also have a clean up crew going round at the end when everyone has left picking up stray bits of rubbish, but the vast makoriy of litter is put in the dump by campers cos they understand about taking responsibility.
Yeah but once it goes into the trash...then where does it go? I don't think the issue is the trash on the ground getting into a rubbish bin...but it's what happens then? I thought we wanted to be more sustainable...and less dependent on babylon. Seems to me, we're not accomplishing that.
at the gathering , i just dont know . but in general , once you make a mess with unnessecary -wastefull packageing the dammage is done , due to the cost of fixing it . the secret is to package and transport ect , in a kind and synergystic manner . at farms or even semi permanent camps ....folks can set up integrated permaculture type systems on an appropriat scale that run clean n kind .
At the end of the camp, the organisers take all the rubbish to a dump, however we do try a recycle as much as possible.
"Work, produce, consume. Work, Produce, consume." People need to quit producing so much trash to begin with! Recycling is common-place, nowadays. It is not radical, it should be something everyone does.
People who know and care need to be alot more vocal about the issue at gatherings. Not just at council either, because lots of folks avoid council 'cause it can get a tad boring. No matter what group you hang with, there's always gonna be more followers than leaders. Sometimes folks just need to hear it to get some direction. There are certain things that Rainbow is all about, and keeping it clean is one of them. So folks need to be reminded of this often, and recruited to help...
The key is participation, be a part of what you believe in. Be vocal in a kind way, teach by example. Annie, you say that you don't see where Rainbow is accomplishing a way free from Babylonian dependence, but Gatherings are just one step on the Rainbow paths. For those with the vision of a self-substaning Gathering, many have formed communities to reach their vision. But freedom from Babylon is only one vision among many, each Rainbow has a different way of seeing what they believe Rainbow to be. we see Gatherings as a place to get to know Family and a place where spiritual healing can begin. our kitchen respects the raps and we do the best we can to recycle all the various items that show up at the kitchen, but our focus has always been to help young Rainbows find their way home, and young Rainbows are usually stuck in Babylon. They learn how to do the 'good things' with time & Love. The hippie generation has made such an impact on the way people think about things like civil rights and the environment; this is progress that is carried on in many forms. Work toward the way you see your Rainbow vision and you will see a difference being made. Lovin' you!
Dancer Annie, if you really want to know, participate in a rainbow clean-up. You'll see why rainbow is diferent. We're loosing it, say the elders, bit by bit. But it's still quite an experience, and you'll see why rainbow is different. And those dumps on site are not really the best solution. First off, they encourage people to leave their trash there instead of taking it off site themselves. And also it's a health problem for those working in them.
