The underlying Mission of the “Island Rover Foundation is EDUCATION> Education of the populace as to what the Species “Homo sapiens” is doing to “Mother Earth”.
The local Freeport Cable Channel 7 aired a one hour documentary in the first quarter of 2003 about the “Building of the Schooner Island Rover.” It was aired with great interest and with repeated broadcast printed on the web a great article on the Island Rover in January 2003 and is still up and available.
Community Innovation News
exchanging ideas for building communities
In February 2003 – Captain Harold Arndt made a presentation to the Maine Maritime Alumni Association of the status of the Island Rover project. We have a link to the Maine Maritime Heritage Trail on our links page.
On August 6, 2003 – Captain Harold Arndt was the guest speaker at the Maine Maritime Museum and spoke to an enthusiastic group who gathered to hear the latest on the Island Rover project.
If your organization would like to have a presentation by Capt. Arndt – please contact him via e-mail at: Capt.Arndt@islandrover.org (Please see our Contacts Page)
February 2005 Brunswick Kawanis Club Presednitation
Ocotober 12, 2004 Singles Network presentation
January 8, 2004 Brunswick High School Environmental Club presentation
September 21, 2004 Greely Middle School presentation
Correspondence through email with Captain Harold and two student at Village Green Elementary School, in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Dagh and Aaron question Captain Harold about where the recycled materials come from, will the ship come to Florida and do research on coral reefs and about the completion date. They ask if you need to be in good shape to build a ship like the Island Rover and if it will have a crew when the ship is finished. Keep the questions coming kids, it keeps Captain Harold on his toes.
Island Rover Foundation School Presentations:
WHEN making presentations at schools the THEME behind the mission of the
“Island Rover Project” has to do with those words that have been around since
the recycling movement began in the previous century:
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE
The IRF Volunteers then point out to the students that in their lifetimes, there
are five concepts, which will have a larger impact on their lives than any other
words or concepts that they can think of. Those concepts have already made
significant changes and impacts on OUR LIVES!!!!
Consumerism
Mass Merchandizing
Natural Resources
Reuse / Recycling
Industrial Waste Minimization (Industrial Recycling)
It is pointed out to the students that THEIR generation has the POWER to make
Positive Changes in those concepts by the way that they think and act as they
grow up and mature; OR if they choose the status quo THEIR Generation can
take the American Society (maybe even the world!) down the road to disaster
and the end of the most advanced society to inhabit the earth. (That we
Know Of!)
Presentations to the smaller school children dwells a lot on:
Non-Renewable Resources —- oil, coal, —energy, — land
Recyclable Resources —- steel, aluminum, fiber (paper), plastics,
Renewable Resources —- Veg. Oil (bio-diesel), solar, wind &
water power-(electricity), labor
And what the differences are and why those differences are so important.
We discuss that we are a DISPOSABLE SOCIETY !
Through Mass Merchandizing and Consumerism, shopping has become a form
of entertainment!
Take the case of Walmart. A study showed that 80% of what is sold there is in a
landfill or incinerator in less than one season cycle (one year!)
VERY WASTEFUL and Environmentally WRONG!
The United Sates of America is WASTING Natural Resources!
More than any other country in the WORLD —- We produce it,
sell/buy it and then throw it away!!!!
That is the all to common story with electronic stuff, entertainment stuff,
sports equipment (radios-TV-tape players, CD players, phones) a long list that
goes on and on-) ALL KINDS of stuff that have nothing to do with the basics
of life —Food, Clothing and Shelter —-BUT WE EVEN waste food, clothing and
shelter. The stories are numerous of the wasted food from fast food joints, food
store chains and restaurants. Clothing is no longer worn until it is “worn-out” —
it is tossed long before that when “Mass Merchandizing” renders it “out of style”!!!
Buildings in this country are routinely destroyed instead of repaired when the social pressure or financial motivation dictates.
AS A SOCIETY we have gone WAY BEYOND the basic needs of an acceptable
standard of living.
The American society is living a standard of living, THAT is out of control.
We don’t ALWAYS have to have the latest and the greatest of whatever!
We should — make do!
Years ago —- Grandfather had ONE CAR —repaired it and made it last a lifetime
Today we trade cars to keep up with the advertisments or neighbors or to
change models
In times past a building had One phone! It was black and it was just there and
there for ever. Now we have numerous phones and they are Disposable
NOT REPAIRABLE — they are designed to be disposable and NOT Repairable.
—- that is MERCHANDIZING!!!!
WE ARE USING UP Natural Resources at an alarming rate! We have been for
two generations (since the middle of the last century [50 years ago]) —- soon
it will be all gone —-nothing left for the next generations.
UNLESS WE —– CONSERVE, REUSE and RECYCLE
Conserve —- use less to begin with
Reuse —- use it up
—- make do with what we have
—- repair it when it breaks (design FOR REPAIR!!!) NOT disposable!
Recycle —- recycle the basic raw material when the item is worn-out
Paul Hawkins in his book “Ecology of Commerce” points out that commerce
must start emulating Nature!
Basically: Nature does not waste anything! When an animal dies it becomes
food for another species. Be it four legged prey or scavengers or worms or flies
that lay eggs that become maggots that clean up the remains. An elephant
poops and it becomes a nest for the dung beetle to lay eggs or it becomes
fertilizer for the grass that grows and feeds the antelope. A tree blows down
in the wind and it becomes shelter for deer or the rabbits, nesting places for
the birds until it decomposes and becomes nutrients for the next plants to grow
there. Everything is useful and important to something else in nature. Nothing
is done in excess in nature —- or IF IT IS there is a natural plan to deal with it!!!!
The best lesson to be taught to students today IS THAT:
We MUST CONSERVE and REUSE and
RECYCLE ALL RESOURCES
If your organization would like to have a
presentation by Capt. Arndt – please contact
him via e-mail at:Capt.Arndt@islandrover.org
(Please see our Contacts Page)
