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Environmental Action: Don's/ BT print outs.
Bonaire Talk: Environmental Action: Archives 2008-2009: Don's/ BT print outs.
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Captain Don (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #298) on Sunday, June 22, 2008 - 11:51 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Morning. or pa bo bon dia. Wds 435 0520 am

I have printed every document posted from 'Environmental action;. A titled generated for don/ because he wanted to share with you BT'ers a serious issue. Sewerage. So let's play hard ball. Okay?

God! The printouts are an inch thick. So let's find out who you guy'sare.

Years ago I had a dive master. David Sirloin who said. Tell them don/ then tell them again. Then tell them what you told them. David was a pretty smart fella!

When I was told that Bonaire talkers were a real gossipy grope and keep your self-distance Captain don/ and that I was mad to tell them of Bonaire dirty laundry. To make our sewerage problems public ,so to speak.

My reply was it's not our dirty laundry it's theirs. The tourists

I know where my poop goes. When you talkers visit my island do you know where yours goes? Huh

My poop goes into a big round hole that I dug. We call it a 'Beer put' And because this hole is in hard ground that is where it stays. Then during the week I add 250 gallons of city fresh water. (My cost nafl13,00) and then with fervor I stir the pot with a big long handled paddle. Usually takes me five-minute or so. And I do this while sitting in my wheel chair. Good for the arms you know!

Then every Saturday Ramon my helper cranks up a special pump that I have installed in the tank that is attached to maybe a quarter of a mile of 5/8" garden hose which is attached to special piping. Then proceeds to water my gardens. Four big shade house full smaller plants Most of my big plants are on dip using over 500 gallons of Well water a day.

My poop of course has become a fertilizer to these growing plants because it is very rich in nutrients. Now I put the question to you BT'ers Where do you put your poop. Maybe In the sea to feed the corals?

I don't think the corals needs your help. Really guy's. Ask your hotel. Hey where does my poop go? Put it in a bucket guys and bring it to my nursery and I will be happy to add it to my big hole. Oh and any other water that comes from your bathroom. I've got thousands pants and they are all screaming for that stuff.

Not in the sea guys. The corals don't need it. In fact it is currently killing them. Why don't you ask your seaside resorts for hard facts? Huh? Start with the Habitat. Yeah. Why don't you do that? Or how about the marine park.

Oh! I should mention that every inch of my farm -, nursery is covered with Sean's gravel. We call it stainslaag. = It is my flood and weed control. It is spread one inch plus deep and covers maybe two plus acres. In all of the houses as well as all my farm roads. Couldn't live with out it.

Ps - Ms, Carol B, I think it's time we meet. After I milk the chickens maybe. Farm life is full of chores. Oke.

Daddy Warbucks/

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Carole B. (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6757) on Sunday, June 22, 2008 - 1:08 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

-Dear Don, I don't understand your hostility towards people who have concerns (legitimate) with regard to the present and future situation(s) on Bonaire....I disagree with you in that we ARE all of the mind that these situations need to be addressed and corrected NOW and not years down the road. Should have been done many, many years ago.

Sean Paton is not your adversary. You both have the same goal in mind...to implement solutions to the areas you have addressed as well as some addressed by others on Bonaire as well as on BT.

As for the stripping of rock/coral along the eastern coastline...the extent it is now being performed could well have adverse effects at some point in time. The natural barrier and front line of defense from storms, runoff, etc. won't be in place when needed. The benefit to the yards on Bonaire seems to be a possible detriment to the island's natural defenses on the eastern coastline. Just MHO, of course. It is the "extent" of stripping that is my concern, not the fact that there are some rocks/coral being crushed for lawns and other good purposes.

Again, there is strength in numbers rather than individuals fighting the same, one battle.

Actually, I think it would be a good thing if you and I and my husband (waste/sewarage water treatment plant operator in US) could meet and amicably discuss the issues at hand and how to approach an "immediate" manner of "treatment" to occur until the final plant is constructed and up and running.

On our first trip to Bonaire in 2000 Joe and I met with whomever was the Government/Environmental person in charge of the proposed treatment plant and discussed the "plans", what was being done at the moment (nothing, really), how the proposed plant would operate and Joe's desire to become an active party to the up and running operation of the proposed plant once it was on line.

Again, we sincerely would love to meet with you on our next trip to Bonaire to engage in a constructive (and hopefully fruitful/beneficial) discussion about the entire situation at hand.

Chickens...hmmmm....one never knows what a chicken might do...not even the chicken, itself. Might just be able to produce some milk after all.

Never rule out anything. We should all know that by now.

Peace, my good Captain. Ayo. Carole

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Carole B. (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6758) on Sunday, June 22, 2008 - 1:27 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Don, I will let you know when/if I hear from Divi regarding what they are doing with the "poop"....I know you already know the answer to the question but I want Divi to respond the inquiries, directly.

Will keep you posted.

I know other BT'ers have also sent memos off to their favorite resorts, as well, and they will let everyone if/when they do receive their responses. Peace. cb

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Meryl Virga (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #5402) on Sunday, June 29, 2008 - 4:12 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Captain, I would love to see the farm and your "Poop be gone" system. I would imagine your plants are doing well? Do you compost?
Being near the wetlands I am also concerned with what we put into the ground. We use no pesticides on our lawn and I am letting the clover take over. Our neighbors are not so happy as they are trying to "maintain" their lawns!!
We seem to have so many beneficial bugs, spiders,praying mantis,ladybugs etc. and many honey bees. I am trying to put more trees and bushes in and take out some of the "lawn".
A friend of my mother keeps sending me little saplings which I am planting out back, trying to restore what the "developer" has taken away.
Carole..maybe your husband can answer where "our" city sewage goes...I would imagine a treatment plant?!
My problem is were to dispose of our cat litter. The cats can be outside all day and hold it till they come inside! I wish someone would make biodegradable liners to go with the pine litter.
Don, thanks again for all your updates we will investigate our hotel when we arrive and hopefully get to see you and the chickens!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Carole B. (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #6796) on Sunday, June 29, 2008 - 5:05 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hi, Meryl! See if your town has a website and if so, see if they have information right there on how they treat the waste water and solid waste, etc. If you can't find itlet me know and I can have Joe check it out for us.

Your place sounds wonderful! You and Steve are so lucky to be where you are! Ayo. Carole

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Meryl Virga (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #5404) on Monday, June 30, 2008 - 9:40 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks again Carole...we are only an hour away from you...come on down! :-)

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Fid Chinoy (BonaireTalker - Post #66) on Wednesday, July 9, 2008 - 6:52 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Cptn Don: "My reply was it's not our dirty laundry it's theirs. The tourists".

You cannot blame tourists for the lack of infrastructure on Bonaire. It is up to the residents and government of Bonaire who profit from the tourism to deal with Bonaire's issues.

Captain Don's posts on issues such as this are effective since it helps to open the eyes of tourists to local issues. However since you are the one (Captain Don) who helped to generate tourism and profited from tourism for decades, you really have no right to point your finger at tourists for the island's inadequate sewage infrastructure.

Tourists don't have voting rights, do not have political contacts on the island and are usually not on the island long enough to do anything to make a difference, so don't dump this off on tourists.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Captain Don (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #318) on Thursday, July 10, 2008 - 2:33 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Fid,

I think you are the greatest. I watch your stuff jump up on screen every now and then and I think you are a pretty powerful debater. For the most part, I applaud the tourists. I am not saying that the tourists are to blame for the island's inadequate sewage system. I am saying that tourism contributes to the sewage problem and asking tourists to contact their hotels to ask where their poop is going. If tourists care, then those hotels will be more motivated to change. The tourist industry has a total apathy to this responsibility of theirs. I beg you tourists to contact the resorts you use and ask them the point in question. "When I vacation with you, where does my poop go?" Bring to their attention their responsibility to maintain the health of our reefs, my children, my friends. Hey, thanks, Fid.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Fid Chinoy (BonaireTalker - Post #67) on Thursday, July 10, 2008 - 6:01 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thank you Captain Don for not taking my posts the wrong way and taking offence, because none is intended. It is quite clear that you have the island's and the reef's best interests in mind and in your heart.

You are absolutely right about the apathy of many hotels and also about the solution. Unfortunately I doubt many tourists will ever ask "where does my poop go?". If a few hotels get on board then I am sure the rest will be shamed into following, but it will be difficult to get the ball rolling since profit is their ultimate goal. A corporation has a fiduciary duty to it's shareholders to generate the maximum profits possible so it is very unlikely that the director or board of directors would authorize any expenditure of money to protect the environment. Laws are required to compel them to take action.

Then there is always the problem of passing laws which put a heavy financial burden on smaller operators.

On another note, you might find this article on the destruction of coral reefs interesting: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7498502.stm

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Timmmy - Bonairian Bottom Dweller (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #5816) on Monday, August 4, 2008 - 5:28 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post



(Message edited by muddysoapfish on August 4, 2008)

 


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