I cast my mind back to 2006, the year I spent 2 months living and working on the island of Borneo. I had seen no place like it before in my life. The jungle so thick, so diverse, so full of colour, life and sound it was overwhelming to the senses. My tour guide, Nufi, tells me of the pressures being imposed on their land by developers and big business, but proudly explains that the people of Borneo are smarter than their neighbours in surrounding Indonesian islands – “Here we can see that the economic advantages that they are gaining elsewhere by clearing land for monocultures is only short-term. We can see that preserving our rich biodiversity here keeps a much more valuable resource and is certainly more sustainable. The other islands have made a big mistake”.
I was inspired by his pride in the jungle life and intelligent foresight. The jungle had provided for his ancestors, it would provide for all his needs, and those who came after him. This was his home and monetary offers, regardless of their size, had no value – his home was worth more than money. In retrospect these experiences and moments in my life are probably what has led to me being 500km away from circumnavigating the country by bicycle.
As we continued downstream on the longboat – spotting wild orangutans, gibbons, proboscis monkeys, and all sorts of strange creatures I had never imagined existed – I felt a sense of contentment in his words. Until today I thought my happiness was simply an appreciation of the present, but I now realise that there was much more to it...
As I scoured the Coffs Harbour newsagency shelves for some reading material, some words in the endless sea of magazines caught my eye on the front cover of the November issue of National Geographic magazine – “Borneo’s Moment of Truth”. After buying it I soon learnt that Nufi’s ideals were certainly not shared by the whole island population. Extensive plantations, logging, burning, and consequent habitat destruction has been going on elsewhere for quite some time. What’s most frightening about Borneo’s future is that it looks like these practices are threatening to encroach the entire island.
I think of Nufi, and of the beautiful jungle he guided me through. I turn the page to see the burned and cleared land close to his home in Sarawak, reading on to find it has been cleared to make room for an uninhabitable oil palm plantation (the primary cause of permanent rainforest loss in Indonesia and the source of the world’s top vegetable oil). I promise myself never to buy vegetable oil made in Indonesia, and to find a sustainable locally grown alternative.
My contentment in 2006 came from the assumption that Borneo as I was seeing it would continue to exist in perpetuity. I could come back again one day and visit Nufi, maybe with my children, and spot the monkeys swinging high in the jungle canopy. He would certainly be there still, sharing his home with other travellers. Now I feel this may not be the case. Nufi’s home may be taken and transformed beyond recognition. He may not have a say in it.
Logging for timber and paper is another major reason for global deforestation. While it is important that we continue to harvest trees for their many uses, how much we use and where we get it from is something we all must be conscious of. Take a look at Action #3 “Get recycled paper for the home or office” and tick it off today. The easiest way to take this action immediately is to buy 100% Recycled Paper toilet paper (endorsed by Planet Ark) next time you are at the supermarket. It is made from recycled office paper, not trees from forests or plantations. Nufi will thank you.
Huge thanks to Dale and Ron for having us at your place tonight. It was great to share stories with you and a pleasure to speak on local radio about the tour!
Email of the Day:
Heya,
I just wanted to congratulate you guys on mypower and to let you know of at least one other person you have influenced. My old man has always been a greenie enviro-nazi, and I've always copped lectures about lightswitches and leaving unnecessary appliances on etc etc, so when I moved out, I was excited about not having to worry about crap like that, and not copping rants about what is recycleable etc etc - BUT, thanks to you guys, Al Gore and I guess the little tree-hugger deep down in me, I have been switching lights off religiously, unplugging my phone charger when it's not in use, even switching off the microwave unless I'm using it! Whenever I think about using the dryer, I think about how much I hate using an exercise bike, and how passionate you guys must be about the environment to dedicate a year to the mypower cause, and I feel guilty and decide to wait until the sun comes out. Oh, and I've invested in rechargeable batteries, energy saving lights and I even intend to use solar xmas lights this year!
So yeah, I know there are plenty of people out there who have similarly taken your msg on board, but I wanted to share my personal experience with you, to show that you're not just preaching to the converted, but converting people along the way
I also admire the way that you persevered with the trip after what I would assume to be the hardest obstacle of all, I don't know how I could cope with losing a parent, but I cannot emphasise how impressed I was that you guys continued the trek.
Cheers,
Jackie