The Submerging Republic of the Marshall Islands Dispatch | Messages of Global Hope… A refreshing look at the human races extraordinary achievements in the battle against environmental tragedy.

"What do you do when your island home
is in the cross hairs of climate change
and faces forever being swallowed
by the tide of a rising ocean?"

A Contrast in Water Quality

January 10, 2010

Here are two videos that we would like to show you:

The first is a study Thomas Goreau made in 2006 showing the disastrous effects that dolphin pens in Mexico and a turtle farm in the Grand Cayman Islands had on the surrounding corals. The water in these areas is being over taken by algae produced from the bacteria of the excrement of the dolphins and turtles that are held in the pens, as well as the rotting food that is used to feed them. In this video you can see algae has coated the cages that  keep the dolphins and turtles contained.

Unfortunately this is not just a problem associated with captive marine life. Thomas told us he has witnessed even larger scale algae take overs across the globe as a result of cities pumping their sewage into the oceans. It is even happening here in B.C. where the city of Victoria still disposes waste into the sea. For more info check out: http://www.poopvictoria.ca/

The deposit of all of this waste ultimately leads to the killing of all corals living in the area. Workers from the Dolphin Park scrub off the algae on a regular basis, but it returns within days. Thomas explained that he has seen positive cases where cities have stopped the flow of contaminants into the oceans and the spread of algae has slowed, but they are few and far between. Like so many of our environmental problems that we face individuals and communities have first admit that there is a problem and second commit to investing into new environmentally friendly methods to overcome it.

The second video is a bit of a contrast.

During our conversation with Thomas about this problem he pointed out the following in reference to our trip to the Marshall Islands:

“Unfortunately almost all populated coasts are now undergoing a steady increase of sewage nutrients, over-fertilizing and killing reefs. You have no idea how rare it is for us to see algae free reefs like what we saw in the Marshall Islands.”

You can see in the clip from one of our snorkel sessions with Thomas in Arno that it’s a completely different world compared to the one shown in the first video.

It’s yet another great example of how special and unique the Marshall Islands are and how important it is that we do everything we can to address the problems of climate change. If nothing else the thought of loosing gifts like this to polluted waters should provide enough motivation for us to rethink the way we treat the earths oceans.

The Business of Copra

January 7, 2010

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When you think of a Pacific Island oasis like Arno you almost instantly think coconut trees. Well think again. The Coconut trees are not actually native to these islands but were brought by European settlers in the 1800′s to be grown and harvested for the families back home. Coconut palms over the past few centuries have become the main source of income for the locals who work tirelessly to produce and export the harvested Copra to feed their families.

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Copra is the first stage of harvesting coconuts; it is the dried coconut flesh. To make it is a long and labor intense process, it takes days to prepare and when the crop is sold, it pays just pennies a pound. Never the less this is the main source of income for many families in the outer islands who work together to process the coconut meat and sell it to the buyers in the capital of Majuro. Eventually the meat is exported and processed in countries like Thailand where it is then packaged into what we know as coconut milk and paste.

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If you get the opportunity to visit the outer islands of the RMI you will undoubtedly run into one of these smokers, which is a sure sign that the locals are producing copra.

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Coconut Meat being baked.

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It’s refreshing to see how resourceful the Marshallese are — even the coconut husks are used to make copra. The locals dry them and use them as fuel for fires under the smokers.

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In 2008 the Marshall Islands reportedly produced 7,641 tons of copra – a record year for the country. Virtually all of it comes from family operations like this. Pretty cool.

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After the husks have been removed, the first step is to split the coconuts, which is usually done with a machete.

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It’s so cool that this is a family production-everyone gets involved. In North America where there are concerns over rising rates of depression and crime it’s so inspiring to see groups like these working together to not only humbly support their families, but also share a laugh and enjoy a little human contact. What positive change would see in our society if we made it a priority to spend this kind of regular quality time?

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The finished product.

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Once the copra is baked its collected and packed into sacks. The farmers are paid by weight so they break the copra up with a staff ensure they get the highest yield in each bag.

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Once the sacks have been packed, they are shipped to buyers on the outer islands who sell the copra to the larger distributors. From there it is shipped to places such as Indonesia for processing. From there it finds it’s way to your table. So next time you are sipping on your Pina Colada, eating your curry or enjoying a macaroon, remember the island families who worked so hard to bring you this tropical delicacy.

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It’s the simple things that stand out…

…still on the observations and perspective train of thought…

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It’s amazing how much effort can go into some of the simplest tasks when you live on a remote island. One day while scouting for an interview site, Paul and I came across these two girls in the middle of their two-hour plus session of washing for the day. As you can see this is a simple but dedicated process. They use nothing more that a wash tub of soapy water and a piece of plywood to clean their clothes. With little to no access to power this is the way most people do laundry in the RMI.

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I thought I was useless with the laundry here at home but I don’t know where I would even begin with this simple set up.

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A School Day on Arno Atoll

January 6, 2010

Here are some images of an average school day on Arno Atoll. Every morning kids all across the world go through this same routine. Although the learning environment for the Marhsalese children is humble in comparison to the developed world, it is energizing to see their eagerness to learn. Enjoy!

Perspective and Observations

January 5, 2010

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Alongside some well needed down time, the holidays really helped refresh my outlook on the situation in the Marshall Islands. Over Christmas I spent a good amount of time recounting to family and friends some of the stories from Majuro and Arno. I have to confess that this brought further perspective on how severe the situation is in the Marshall’s and how unique life there is. Over the course of the next few posts I hope to try and illustrate some of my new-found perspective by comparing some of the differences between life here in North America and that in the Marshall Islands.

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While away I was bombarded with emails from buddies telling me of the record snowfall during the first two months of Whistler/Blackcomb’s season. Not only did this make me envious of my friends riding chest deep powder, but also it brought perspective about the geography of the Marshall Islands.

What instantly stood out was that it has snowed over seven meters on Whistler/Blackcomb this winter. That’s over three times the average elevation of the Marshall Islands. Hypothetically speaking, the record snowfall that hit the West Coast of British Columbia while I was gone really could have completely buried these low lying islands.

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After comparing some of the geographical differences between Whistler/Blackcomb and the RMI you see that you really can’t find two more polarized areas on the planet. For one, Whistler/Blackcomb’s 8000 plus acre terrain is roughly one-fifth the size of the total land area of all of the Marshall Islands. When I was asked by our Marshalese friends about life in Whistler I mentioned that the top elevation of the resort was almost 2,500 meters–this was virtually incomprehensible for a person who lives on a island with an elevation of only two meters.

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It just goes to show how precious the land in the RMI is, and how important the development of nation wide shore protection initiatives like Biorock are.

Note: Thanks to my good friend and photographer John  Scarth for the snow images.

The House without Floors

December 19, 2009

After an eventful final few days of travel, some much needed down time and reconnection with our families we are back. We now have the arduous job of logging the footage from the trip. Our plan is to pull moments from the 30-plus days we were shooting and post them to the site along with some editorial.

Please continue to check in with us.

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This is erosion… All around these islands you see scenes like this where the beaches have been stripped away and all is left is the coral bedrock.

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This is a house that Freddy and I came across during one of our tours through Majuro in search of signs of Erosion. Although this is during low tide you can see how the sea level has risen up to erode the floor of this house. While we were shooting tape of this home the local family that lived behind this house mentioned that the waves regularly come up where the floor has fallen out and flood the rest of the house.

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You can see where the floor has been eaten away from underneath by the rising tide.

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This boy sits on what was either the homes’ floor, or exterior wall.

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-12-13

December 13, 2009

The HD Trailer is Live!

December 7, 2009

Here is a first look at the Dispatch Trailer – in High Def!

From day one this project has truly been an inspiring journey. The drive of Dr. Thomas Goreau and his life-long work building Biorock from the coral reef communities of the world is amazing, and we are honored that he has shared this experience with us. During this trip we have been introduced to a wide range of remarkable people including Roger Bason and his Natural Currents team, who have pushed the limits of the value Biorock technology can offer the people of the Marshall Islands. The people here have demonstrated a dedicated amount of hospitality and commitment to this project, support which must be partly driven by their concern for their culture and communities which could quite possibly be swept away by the rising tides. Global warming is a legitimate concern and will develop into the most influential environmental, political and social issue of our generation. There is nowhere in the world where the signs are as evident than here in the RMI.

We invite you to check out this glimpse of our story and see how Dr. Goreau and team are working to develop an encouraging solution for the people of the RMI, who face the possibility permanent relocation within the coming decades if nothing is done to stop these devastating effects of climate change.

Thanks for the support,

— The Dispatch Team

Living on Arno

December 6, 2009

What an amazing experience to be living in one of the most remote locations in the world with the local people for almost two weeks. It was humbling, unforgettable and unique experience.

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Downtown Jabu Village

Downtown Jabu Village

The only kitchen in Jabu Village

The only kitchen in Jabu Village

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Coconut-leaf thatched homes. They've been providing shelter to families for generations.

Jabu's School

Jabu's School

About to hit up an arvo snorkelling session

Shauno about to hit up an Arvo snorkelling session

Another ocean-side sunset

Another ocean-side sunset

We camped in the yard of the island Queen’s house, located front and centre in the small village of Jabu. We were awoken every morning by the soft, dulcet tones of about 9 roosters crowing just outside our tents. “Miss Piggy”, a huge pregnant pig took a particular liking to Justin’s tent, and was found most mornings asleep on top of half of it.

All our meals were put together by Freddy, the locally appointed cook who would crank out pancakes with peanut butter and coffee, before moving onto donuts and peanut butter later in our stay. With white rice and beans for lunch and dinner lets just say all of our digestive systems were running at a snails pace.

The first morning the natural alarm clocks started crowing about 4a.m. (I thought they started at daybreak, bastards!) so by 6a.m. we were up from our temporary beds, which had been set up on some charitable families tiled living room floor. Their house possesses the only 12v internal light of the village and with three rooms, was a Palace by Jabu’s humble standards. I set off on a 45 minute run along the one road of the island, getting my first real insight into life on Arno. The palm-leaf huts and numerous stray dogs, pigs and chickens quickly displayed the quiet and simple way of life. There were plenty of blank and curious looks from people of all ages trying to start their day, disrupted by some random white guy jogging past smiling and calling ‘Good Morning’. After a few days the novelty of our presence wore off and they relaxed.

Our days were mainly spent at the worksite on the small dock in the neighbouring village of Ine. The installation of a state-of-the-art Wind Turbine (the largest in Micronesia) with such a small team was a great experience to be part of and document. The local team was in constant high spirits, and sure they needed their fair share of guidance, but once empowered with their tasks their work ethic was awesome. It would have been an overwhelming experience to see a 15 metre wind turbine being erected in front of their village, along with about ten of Dr. Tom Goreau’s BioRock domes which were then placed in the shallow water. Once they gained an understanding of the whole project, they embraced it with both hands.

And to wind down back in Jabu, how does a swim with the local kids in the most amazing turquoise blue water and coconut tree lined beach sound? Mix it up with a few snorkelling trips to the most breathtaking spots I’ve ever seen and some spear-fishing with the local fellas out in the middle of the lagoon, and you’ve got a lifestyle out in the middle of the Pacific that ain’t too bad at all.

AND IN BREAKING NEWS….WE’LL BE UPLOADING OUR 2 MINUTE TRAILER OF THE SHOW TODAY AT DISPATCH-SERIES.COM. WATCH THIS SPACE GUYS, IT IS BLOODY AMAZING!!

Peace!

Paul Sonntag.

Arriving in the Marshall Islands

It’s been three weeks since our arrival in the RMI, and the time here can be best summed up as eventful. So let’s take a trip down memory lane as flying into Majuro feels like a lot longer than three weeks ago….for all the right reasons!

Cruising in from Honolulu

Cruising in from Honolulu

First view of an "Atoll"

First view of an atoll.

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Majuro International Airport Baggage Claim

Majuro International Airport Baggage Claim

Seeyalater Majuro!!

Seeyalater Majuro!!

Our first sight of part of the MASSIVE Arno Atoll

Our first sight of part of the MASSIVE Arno Atoll

We flew in via Honolulu, HI and the views over the atolls that make up the Republic of the Marshall Islands was spectacular. The Majuro International Airport boasts the smallest and simplest terminal I’ve come across in my travels (a personal favourite was the baggage claim which involves a forklift bringing the bags in a container from the plane, then loaded through a gap in the wall). Our contact on the ground promptly drove us to the dock, where we jumped on a small barge and embarked on a three hour voyage through a few rain storms which included views of some amazing beaches. We quickly learned that both would become the norm in our stay on Arno.

Myself, Jeff, Freddy and Justin helped unload all the equipment and materials at the site for the BioRock and the Wind Turbine near the dock at the Ine village in heavy seas. We had left any possibility of communication avenues back at Majuro, so we could only hope that Shauno would be joining us in the coming few day. Next stop was Jabu village, our home for the next 10 nights…..

Peace!

Paul Sonntag

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