Beauty and Beast
May 29, 2009
We are back in the states now and it sure does feel glorious. From here, we will do an assortment of things individually towards the follow up of this trip. Andrew has been filming and hopes to have a commercial for EWB. A photo journal will be made by Lissa. A literature review will be made by Yhni and Sonja. Data summary will be conducted by Marcus. A PowerPoint will be made by Will. Non-government organizations (NGO) involvement and future projects have been in review by Rebecca Midkiff. For me, I am just ready to bask in the sun on the river with friends and family this weekend. For the rest of the summer, I will be in school while helping with the ASCE National Concrete Canoe Contest, EWB store, and rush for Lambda Sigma Phi.
In writing this last blog, I want you, the wonderful audience, to walk away with an environmental engineering food for thought. Within the past 18 hours, I have seen two beautiful sunsets. In the past 18 days, I have seen the highest mountain peak of Indo-China, some of the most beautiful and remote villages in the world, Phnom Penh, which was once known as the Pearl of Asia and now one of the most exotic capitals, and Cambodia's pride and joy, Angkor Archaeological Park. It has been like a walk through paradise or like having a Honolulu girl playing an Ukulele next to me while I sip on un cerveza in a hammock underneath a shade tree by the ocean. But that was a lie, for there is hardly nowhere on this planet that could be so imaginable without being disrupted by the plastic scattered everywhere. Go figure. I am not going to hound you with any lecture; I just want to implant the facts. It is just disheartening to have the plastic beast putting age on the Earth's beauty. So here is the real thing that bothers me: airlines connect to many parts of the world that have accessible plastic recycling centers, yet they only recycle aluminum. People I have talked to don't recycle because they don't have access to recycling centers. Something should be done there. It could at least raise awareness to everyone else on the world that plastic is not bio-degradable.
Robert Quinney, a sophomore in civil engineering
