Landscapes & Landfill 🖼️ Plus, how lucky can a pooch be?  

A couple of lab-grown humans and their dog zoom through the air, high up on their air scooters, overlooking a massive mound of trash that goes as far as their enhanced eyes can see. 
 
"Can you believe they used to throw stuff away in something called a 'garbage bin', then dump it here, call it 'Landfill' and never give it another thought?" 
 
The other looks down at the eyesore of trash mountains that form the landscape.
 
"It's crazy. What were they thinking?" he says, shaking his head in amazement.

Humans often look back aghast at the actions and customs of their ancestors.   
 
Of course, humans in the future will do the same to humans of the present.  
 
What will shock them? Disgust them? Amaze them? What will they thank you for?
 
Will they thank you?
 
Will they exist to thank you?
 
I think about the future a lot.
 
I wonder if technology will increase my lifespan.
 
I wonder if a space scooter will take me to the dog park.  
 
I wonder if my food will be grown in labs.
 
Sometimes, I wonder if there will even be dog parks.
 
Sometimes, I wonder if there will even be humans. 
 
Will technology usher us into the future, or will we go back to basics to get there? 
 
Will we get there?
 
I hope so.
 
But hope as a strategy is a little like closing my eyes when my human throws me the ball. 
 
I can hope the ball lands in my mouth, but what are the chances? It's just a game of luck.
 
How much luck can one doggy have over thousands and thousands of throws?
 
That seems a silly strategy.
 
Humans have elaborate plans for technology to solve their impact on the planet.
 
Technology as a strategy is like spending oodles of time, money and resources inventing a high-tech gadget to strap to my head and guide a new, improved, high-tech ball straight into my mouth. 
 
It catches the ball but misses the point. 

DID YOU KNOW...

Lucky Dog is an idiom that cheekily describes someone who falls into good fortune.

"You caught the ball with your eyes shut? You Lucky Dog!"

ANDRE HUNTS DOWN THE ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS

'Andre, my friend has an adorable Shih Tzu called Tilly and is sure that Tilly brings her good luck.  Can dogs be a lucky charm?' 

Well, my human always tells me how lucky she is to have me; I can't argue with that!

It is said that Buddha kissed his Shih Tzu after the pup morphed into a lion to save him from robbers.  
This left a white mark known as the 'Buddha's kiss'.

Apparently, monks in Tibet bred Shih Tzus as Holy dogs around 624 CE.

And it's not just Shih Tzus that are considered lucky; other breeds, such as Pugs and Chow Chows, join the alleged lucky ranks. 

I wonder if Tilly is lucky enough to catch a ball with her eyes closed…. that would be a charm.

THE DIRT WORTH ROLLING IN...

  • The World as a Waste picker {link}

  • California Composting  {link}

  • Yes, your individual actions matter {link} 

HUMANS WHO PLAY NICE WITH THE PLANET ®

One way to stop building mountains of trash and reduce landfill is to recycle.

At the time of my pawing this newsletter, Recycle Smart had saved 616,287KG of stuff from landing in landfill. That's a lot of stuff!

Soft plastics, clothes, e-waste and misfits can be collected from your doorstep as part of the Recycle Smart service offering.

That's what I call clever doggies!

 

That's all for this month.  I'm off to move myself into position for the catch!! 

See you next time.

Howling out,
Andre