Kaizen - One Percent Better Everyday...

or in this case, the picking up of one of discarded item of trash at a time. But seriously, why stop at one??? Experience has taught me there are always others. If not, just wait a little while and there will be. Guaranteed.

Picking up one piece of trash does not seem like a big deal. However, over time, it really does add up. Notwithstanding the immediate danger that one piece of trash can cause. All life forms including humans. Elimination is absolutely vital no matter where you are.

The Japanese word, Kaizen, serves as a continual reminder to me. Translated "change for the better" by doing small daily improvements. Over time, this daily or weekly action can yield massive sustainable benefits over time. A proven fact.

The following is what I love about is this philosophy! It applies to all facets of life. Home. Work. Personal Life. Yes, even my External and Internal clean ups. Doing a little bit at a time it is not so daunting and isn't as frustrating. Actually its challenging, fun and is good for my mind, body, and soul. Not to mention the environment.

Just think, if that one piece of trash, just one, had not entered the ocean perhaps the Pacific Garbage Patch would not exist at all. This is only one example of countless issues humanity knows about and continuously faces.

This single page depicts just one of my actual actual clean ups. Kaizen philosophy is shown in full action and is demonstrated here. All my clean up, including River/Highway follow this same disciplines and processes. No deviation or short cuts. Strict following of protocol to provide context, legitimacy, and repetitive results. Years in mid-level management.

Note: as mentioned above, all images and artwork/photographs shown are from the same clean up. The very last image is from a different weekly clean up.

Lastly, many of the non-icky trash items were retained to provide context and scale. I call them Art-I-Facts.

One Piece of Art...

From the beach. From one piece of trash shown above.

Wow, Another Piece of Trash...

This one is the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH)

All my weekly clean ups consisted of the following:

External Garbage Patch

Downstream: Beach/Ocean and PCH
Upstream: River and Highway

Internal Garbage Patch

Inner Beach (before, during, and afterwards)
This website is part of this ongoing clean-up process.

Wow, Another Piece of Art...

From the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH).

This by far is my best selfie!!! A little levity never hurts!

Speaking of which, some of my images may have you crack a smile or perhaps even laugh. This is just how my creative mind operates.

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Sadly, the pollution clean up battle and war is far from ever being over. Sadly it will probably never will be. Needless to say, this is no laughing or smiling matter.

But I feel compelled to mention the following:

Not to be cruel but totally honest. I figure with all the documentaries, horrific images and videos doesn't seem to be getting the "pollution" message across. Perhaps, in providing a different perspective it will be more impactful to desensitized masses. Ideally, prompt a question like,

"How in hades and hell did a house fan end up in the ocean?"

Large part of my rational for silence as possible, spewing out data and why I don't show countless pollution images within this website.

Because.

What it the point of that? Harp on how terrible it is on all levels. We all know what trash looks like. Not to mention the overall impact to the planet and its residents.

I think it is safe to say that the vast majority of people would rather ignore then pick up a piece of trash in a parking lot. Not to mention, at the beach, well there are seashells to pick up instead.

The same people seem to go on long winded tirades on how terrible everything else is. Including me at times.

So, what I will harp on is the connection between ourselves and our individual contribution to tidy up or ignore. This is the simplest action for the betterment of ourselves, communities, and the planet as a whole.

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So!!! I have come to believe that all of our elected officials should have to do at least one year of community service of picking up trash! Imagine that!

I guess, more truth. Less love. Sometimes ya gotta call'm like ya see them.

Again, employing the practice of Kaizen, is a series of small progressive thoughtful steps yield to massive benefits over time.

For the most part, all this does not align with western philosophy or attitudes. All or nothing. It's not my trash. It's not my job. Etc. So, in the end, in many cases, nothing gets accomplished. Perhaps, I am just jaded.

I tend to believe and notice that I don't fit in. A well worn badge-of-glory. In fact, I have been told on a least a few occasions that others were unable to determine my fit.

The Line Up...

It is always rewarding and refreshing to see the captured items bagged and tagged at then end of an outing. Definitely time well spent! Usually only a few hours.

A good cleaning of my Sacred Place and Studio. Promoting mandated stewardship. Creating Artwork/Photography. Win, win, I would say!

Mug Shots...

Afterwards, all of my weekly Downstream clean ups were sorted, inventoried, documented and photographed.

Above is just one clean up as mentioned earlier. Yet, it yielded 430 individual pieces of litter in just a few hours time. All discards are sorted into four groups.

Art-I-Facts (items kept to accompany artwork/photography when displayed)
Trash Bin
Recycle Bin
Repurpose

Note: Upstream clean ups were weighed and documented instead.

Oddly enough and incidentally, my Inner Clean Ups require sorting, inventory, documenting as well. Aka, Journaling, yuck!

The question remains, do I have the courage to do this ongoing work? One piece at a time reaps big benefits and growth in the end.

Upstream and Downstream Clean Up Details...

SoCal Downstream Clean Ups

I started doing full scale beach/ocean and PCH clean ups on 07/17/2017. As mentioned, I was unemployed at the time. Every week, rain or shine, the mission was being completed. Definitely tidied more frequently than I paddled out to surf.

Beach clean up area consisted of about three hundred steps in length. Width contingent with tides. Ideally low tide for maximum shore exposure.

Artwork was created during clean ups as well as afterwards. Only items found durning that specific clean up were used. No intermingling of clean ups. Total integrity at all times.

Highway clean up area directly across from beach. Both sides cleaned, so about six hundred steps in length. Note the highway shoulder was tidied up for safety reasons. Safety First always a primary concern and practice. No unnecessary risks.

Kaizen: 1 piece of trash to over 57,000 pieces of trash single handily picked up from both beach/ocean and PCH

Hiatus observed during and after Woolsey Fire due to PCH Closures

Hiatus observed during COVID due to beach closures.

Other then that weekly pre and post cleanups were completed as noted.

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NoCal Upstream Clean Ups (Relocation)

My first full River/Highway clean up was completed on 07/17/2022.

River clean up area about three hundred steps in length.

Highway clean up area both sided tidied up. Approximately six hundred steps in length.

Kaizen: 1 pound to over 75 pounds captured from both river and highway.

Switched to using weight instead of individual litter counts due to COVID outbreak.

Kitsugi