I'm sharing this Earth Day Network link.
A couple of years ago, before I started a blog, I used to write for a ladies ning as a volunteer; it was a fun experience, and gave me some confidence to start writing for the general public.
But what I had wanted to do was get more involved in environmental activism in Bahrain.
I got sidetracked, and honestly haven't been doing much in the way of that for a couple of years, apart from recycling our paper; there is a company that will do take your paper off your hands and make it into something else, or sell it; not sure exactly... we bought a shredder last year, so I could manage all the paper we have at home (school exercise books, notes, homework sheets, text books, etc.) Sometimes we send our used text books overseas, to Africa or other places where they can be used (usually Arabic books, but sometimes Primary English readers, or activity sheets, etc.)
activism;
As the head volunteer (who started the environmental group for the ladies ning) I also asked a friend of mine who was more computer literate than me, to put some of the country's recycling pickup spots onto google maps - specifically in areas where we have high concentrations of expats, like Manama, or areas where we have high concentrations of Bahrainis who own their own homes and gardens, such as Riffa'a - there are some pickup spots used by businesses (in the heart of downtown) or schools in East or West Riffa'a.
After that was done, we felt good about ourselves.
the three r's;
I also wrote several posts about what and how to recycle; my sister gave me more detailed information about specific types of plastic, with no's 3,5,7, 2, y'know. There are some that can be recycled and others that can't. (Wish I had that particular post handy now; it would be troublesome to search for that information; again I'm not as good at computer searches as others might be).
I also wrote about gardening, particularly reusing water from Ac's and other things, which are good to do, and how to make compost. I wrote that with some friends in mind who own their own homes and/or said they had an interest in gardening.
the guilty conscience;
Why did I do this, if I wasn't going to get involved myself for the long haul? It was educational, for one thing. And I felt guilty about waste and not helping the environment, which eventually wore off. I still try not to waste water, too, but it isn't something I worry about daily like I did then.
I initially did some research about groups in Bahrain who promote recycling or environmental awareness, etc. I found one website, whose owner lives in Bahrain (or used to) and when I kept on reading, eventually I saw posts denouncing the governemnt and the royal family. I stopped following the website, and didn't share it with others because I was so angry about the political opinions of the person. She really did turn me off her blog, and her sincerity seemed to be in question.
I think it is okay for environmentalists to be political but not to the detriment of the overall political/social 'environment'. Most expats here really like living here and would not think to criticize the government; many believe Bahrain is one of the nicest countries they have ever been. I have a group (which is inactive) I called “Muslims in the Gulf States”, which I set up on Pal Talk when I left the ladies ning for personal reasons. The acronym is MIGS, which I didn’t realize at first, and which is not really the kind of image for a Muslim group I want to promote (obviously).
A couple of years ago, before I started a blog, I used to write for a ladies ning as a volunteer; it was a fun experience, and gave me some confidence to start writing for the general public.
But what I had wanted to do was get more involved in environmental activism in Bahrain.
I got sidetracked, and honestly haven't been doing much in the way of that for a couple of years, apart from recycling our paper; there is a company that will do take your paper off your hands and make it into something else, or sell it; not sure exactly... we bought a shredder last year, so I could manage all the paper we have at home (school exercise books, notes, homework sheets, text books, etc.) Sometimes we send our used text books overseas, to Africa or other places where they can be used (usually Arabic books, but sometimes Primary English readers, or activity sheets, etc.)
activism;
As the head volunteer (who started the environmental group for the ladies ning) I also asked a friend of mine who was more computer literate than me, to put some of the country's recycling pickup spots onto google maps - specifically in areas where we have high concentrations of expats, like Manama, or areas where we have high concentrations of Bahrainis who own their own homes and gardens, such as Riffa'a - there are some pickup spots used by businesses (in the heart of downtown) or schools in East or West Riffa'a.
After that was done, we felt good about ourselves.
the three r's;
I also wrote several posts about what and how to recycle; my sister gave me more detailed information about specific types of plastic, with no's 3,5,7, 2, y'know. There are some that can be recycled and others that can't. (Wish I had that particular post handy now; it would be troublesome to search for that information; again I'm not as good at computer searches as others might be).
I also wrote about gardening, particularly reusing water from Ac's and other things, which are good to do, and how to make compost. I wrote that with some friends in mind who own their own homes and/or said they had an interest in gardening.
the guilty conscience;
Why did I do this, if I wasn't going to get involved myself for the long haul? It was educational, for one thing. And I felt guilty about waste and not helping the environment, which eventually wore off. I still try not to waste water, too, but it isn't something I worry about daily like I did then.
I initially did some research about groups in Bahrain who promote recycling or environmental awareness, etc. I found one website, whose owner lives in Bahrain (or used to) and when I kept on reading, eventually I saw posts denouncing the governemnt and the royal family. I stopped following the website, and didn't share it with others because I was so angry about the political opinions of the person. She really did turn me off her blog, and her sincerity seemed to be in question.
I think it is okay for environmentalists to be political but not to the detriment of the overall political/social 'environment'. Most expats here really like living here and would not think to criticize the government; many believe Bahrain is one of the nicest countries they have ever been. I have a group (which is inactive) I called “Muslims in the Gulf States”, which I set up on Pal Talk when I left the ladies ning for personal reasons. The acronym is MIGS, which I didn’t realize at first, and which is not really the kind of image for a Muslim group I want to promote (obviously). 
The last thing I thought to do for the environment was to get MIGS up and running, to begin group activities like recycling, etc. But I'm not a group leader by nature; later I was going to start a chapter of “FOEI” in Bahrain. I may still do that some day, so it is appropriate to announce that on Earth Day Int’l. (Even if it never gets off the ground, like some of my other plans didn’t). IF anyone else IS interested, they should go ahead and start a Bahrain chapter of FOEI themself.
Little baby steps… they say. But I have tried in recent years to make lists and do things by a certain date; I find that helps me to accomplish more of the things I want to and keeps me focused. I have a page from a book taped to my wall, beside my workstation at home, which my son pulled out, from the book “Getting Things Done”, which I recommend for people who want to get organized and who want to “get things done” (sooner than later, is the idea).
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