The Environment Horror Show

Listening to NPR broadcast recently—I love my new wireless internet—about the pollution in Kabul brought me to the realization that I have not written about environmental issues in Morocco.

The NPR reporter mentioned that Afghans burn plastic bottles and tires to make fire for warmth. It reminded me of Twinkle's visit. We were drinking tea and watched a woman stuff a large plastic sack into an forno. Twinkle had this look of slight horror on her face. Sadly though, this is the norm.

In a recent New Yorker interview, Gavin Newsome, the mayor of San Francisco, mentioned that he had recently been in the Middle East. "The surrounding landscape was beautiful but when you looked in one direction, you saw a trash field," he said. That is a pretty apt description of my site. I am surrounded by beautiful green mountains and a cedar forest and yet plastic bags and wrappers litter the ground. Locals always get this bewilderment look when I tell them that Americans have to pay a fine for littering. They know that I have my idiosyncratic ways—I don't like plastic bags and carry my trash 30 km to the nearest dumpster, among other things.

A walk in the woods is such a peaceful thing until one hears an ax chopin' away. Illegal logging is prevalent and it is so sad to think that in 50 years, the cedar forest is going to look so different. It may not even be here for Ali's children. Even sadder, the government ministry in charge of the environment has turned a blind eye to all the deforestation.

I spent last week in Rabat. I am the first to admit that it is nice to be able to sit in a bar and not made to feel shameful. But the niceties only go so far. Cities are full of smog, mainly caused by 20 year-old cars that run on leaded fuel. I have to make sure that I don't walk to close to these cars' exhaust pipes. The smell is enough to induce a migraine. Spend enough time downtown and your snot starts to turn to dark colors. It's just not fun.

I will say this, though. Moroccans have the reduce and reuse part of the equation down. Most homes have one electrical outlet per room. Lights are turned on only in the waning hours of the day and the electrical grid cannot handle more than a couple of items plugged in at one time. My electricity frequently goes off at night (way more than it used too and way more than I would like) and will short circuit if three things (laptop, coffee pot, and phone) are plugged in at one time. My oven is just a bunch of scrap metal remolded to the shape of a box. The annual sheep shearing produces pillow stuffing and wool for weaving. Coke in glass bottles is still the most available form of the beverage—it's cheaper as long as you return the bottle to be rebottled.

The more time I spend here, the more environmental conscious I become. Blame it on what I see and who I spend my time with. I recently read The Big Sort—highly recommended. Its thesis: America is becoming more and more partisan because people are choosing to live among people who share their political and religious views. Americans have trouble getting along because they surround themselves with like-minded people and tend to shut out people with differing views—a classic groupthink example. I admit it; I'm guilty. During Christmas vacation in Republican-dominated Panama City, I was disrespectful to a Sarah Palin supporter. I dismissed their opinion before even listening to their side. This was the first time I heard, to my face, someone supporting her. I live among like-minded people (other volunteers) and let's just say, Palin does not have any supporters in the Moyen Atlas mountains of Morocco. This is a long tangent to say to that like-minded grouping can be bad but it can also produce some good.

In my small province, there are 8 environment volunteers including my sitemate. Our gatherings produce thoughtful conversation and contribute to my informal environmental education. As a result, my environment IQ is slowly but steadily climbing; I'm more aware of my actions in relation to the environment; and I feel more prepared to be a part of possible solutions to the problems Morocco, and America too, face. This is a good thing.

PS. The fact that this was written the same day that President Obama (oh, how good it is to write that) signed an order allowing states to raise car emissions standards is coincidence. But on that subject, as Moroccans say, shiwya b shiwya.