Thursday, November 14, 2019

Stepping inside the box..



'In today’s global world you may drink coffee from Brazil or a smoothie containing frozen fruit from China. You could be wearing clothes made in India, watching a TV made in Japan while sitting on a sofa containing wood from Argentina on a laminate floor manufactured in Sweden. All of this has been made possible by a rectangular steel box – the shipping container'.

We don't really give it much thought do we. I have to confess when I stepped inside one of the six 20ft shipping containers, part of the Container - the box that changed the world exhibition in the port area of Fremantle Harbour last week I was shocked to see images of the catastrophic effects on the environment the 'simple shipping container that 'revolutionized' the way we live' can cause. It's definitely worth embiggening the pics to see more, a visual is so much more effective than words don't you think. Happy Thursday, take care and stay safe..


22 comments:

  1. To say it's problematic is an understatement.

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  2. Bought one of those at work to use as storage

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  3. Some are repurposing containers to make tiny homes. Their contents are another matter.

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  4. Another reason to attempt to buy local when you can, Grace.

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  5. There is some disturbing information on those signs. It's bad enough all of the plastics we dispose of but, to hear the number of containers full of things that have been lost at sea is even more distressing. This is one problem I had never thought about.

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  6. ...there are now containers everywhere!

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  7. My husband’s company moved our belongings to Europe back in the seventies. They no longer allowed the shipping company to ship containers on the deck because in rough seas some families lost all of their belongings. I am trying so hard not to add to the world’s pollution. Little steps...but hopefully making a tiny difference.

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  8. I bet the ocean has a lot of containers floating around that nobody knows of. Add it to the list of things that humans can destroy. Polluting the oceans, SAD!

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  9. It can't be too hard to secure containers on ships. I remember being shocked at how many fall off ships.

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  10. This exhibition seems very interesting. I heard about the friendly floatees. But I didn't know their real travel. It's crazy. Here we use some containers as small apartments ( especially in Germany and Netherlands)

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  11. I bet some get ate by sea creature of all kinds.
    Coffee is on

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  12. Perhaps it is more of what is in them that is a problem, but all it takes is for a bunch of them to go overboard, and environmental disaster strikes. They make neat tiny houses though.

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  13. This was a fascinating read. There is a new place in my city that attached a bunch of these containers together and turned them into high end shops.

    It's really amazing reading about the floaties and how they have given us a way to learn about ocean currents. I would have really enjoyed seeing this exhibition.

    You mentioned in your comment to me that you wished you were more arty. You take the most amazing photos, and to ME this IS arty! I always love seeing your "art."

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  14. I forgot to mention. In the States, it is estimated that only about 33% to 40% of the citizens vote in any given election. It takes a contested candidate for more than that to get out and vote. I wish it was mandatory to vote here. Then people would HAVE to pay attention to the candidates and what they stand for. Why we have voting on Tuesday is beyond me, but some people try to vote before they go to work, on their lunch hour (when I went), and after work. Standing in line can be fruitless if you have to leave before you vote because you have to return to work. Thankfully, my voting place is never busy on election day, but other places have had lines around the building waiting to vote.

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  15. There are also problems with the containers in the North Sea. Every year they are busy cleaning up the fallen containers ...
    People make a mess of everything ...

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  16. Well, Grace, I try to buy local and the "Friendly Floatees" sure are pure irony.
    A very interesting exhibition.
    It makes my totay´s blog post even senseless.
    We always buy German apples, but you can get them from New Zealand as well. What for?! We can grow enough apples, but probably ship them to New Zealand instead.

    I understand some of the exchange. When Ingo was young (haha..... ) they got olives from Italy/Greece and Ingo even thought they were sweet and nearly puked.
    But here they do not grow so there is no other way - or maybe they can and do grow them in greenhouses, that were not poular then?

    You are right, most people just don´t spend a thought and only a real containership with such an exhibit might (!) waken some people up.

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  17. Muito interessantes esta exposição e aproveito para desejar a continuação de uma boa semana.

    Andarilhar
    Dedais de Francisco e Idalisa
    O prazer dos livros

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  18. Interesting food for thought. Well found, Gracie. x

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  19. Interesting exhibition Grace. I remember hearing about containers going overboard in bad weather and can't understand why they don't get tied down or maybe not piled as high!

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  20. This year the MSC Zoe of the Maersk shipping company lost 342 containers off the coast of the Wadden Islands at the beginning of January. It is still being cleaned up and is an ecological disaster of unprecedented proportions.

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  21. And now people make houses out of them.
    The containers seem to be a necessary evil in a society built around consuming.

    Janis
    GDP

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  22. I wanted to say the same S.C. already has done I see. It is an ecological disaster indeed.

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