Community Circus Day

As the ambassadors of Lithuania and Britain invented cleanup diplomacy, Yanukovych and Azarov invented the guilt-tripped subbotnik.

Yanukovych: Let me be honest: I invented it — this day. That’s right. When I convened the governors for the first time, I asked, I said: “I’ve been to many towns during many campaigns. The amount of dirt I saw there — I’d never seen so much before. When do we get to clean up all this dirt? When do we get to put some order? When do we start to plant some trees?

Azarov: Where there’s garbage, we’ll tell Lenoid Mykhailovych [Kyiv Mayor’s name, patronymic] right way: Lenoid Mykhailovych, get out of the bus, get a shovel and clean that garbage with those who are supposed to do it. Our capital, our country’s capital doesn’t have to be full of garbage.

So let’s plant a few trees here, drop a few publicity bombs there and call it a day?

How about regular cleanups?

How about awareness?

How about a policy of sticks and carrots (smart subsidies, fines, eco-friendly packaging, reusable bags, etc)?

How about a recycling industry?

How about a culture of environmental stewardship as opposed to a culture of grabitization?

Video embedded from:
http://video.oboz.ua/movie.php?aWQ9MzYwNzYmdnQ9MA

Staby (A Quality of Government Report)

Hi guys! I want you to meet my little friend.

It’s a dead dog. Dead since last Friday (Apr. 9). I call her Staby (as in stabilnist). She can be found here.

Naturally, the municipal hotline didn’t help. The CDC didn’t even answer calls.

Hour after hour, day after day, the beach gets visits from unsuspecting kids and carefree adults. That’s where they run into Staby.





I’ve been picking up plastic bags and bottles on Kyiv beaches for about a year. I’ve even buried a few birds. (We don’t have a reliable service to take care of dead animals or roadkill. Most of the time, they just rot away on the streets or become car-pressed steaks on the highway.)

I gave up on Staby. She’s too heavy and too much of a health hazard. You can smell her from a distance of 50 meters if the wind blows your way.

Ironically, the bay goes by the name of Sobache Hyrlo (Dog's Throat). Here's what it looks like in the summer.


Back to Staby, I last saw her on Thursday evening, half-submerged. With the water rising, she may sail away tomorrow. Too bad she won’t reach Koncha-Zaspa.



Mr. Yanukovych, I know you hear everyone. Why don’t you pick up Staby and take her to the White House, along with the enriched uranium?

Or maybe we should keep her as a tourist attraction for Euro 2012?

Mr. Yanukovych, my offer remains open for you until further notice.

As of April 20, Staby appears to be gone. Gone in 950,400 seconds.

Tons of Dead Fish Rot Away on Dnipro

When Ukraine’s elites dumped water from the dam to rescue their splendid riverfront villas from spring flooding, tons of fish died.


Trapped under heavy ice in receding coastline waters, some of the fish became fair game for hordes of fishermen. With the ice gone now, the rest of the fish litters the Kyiv Sea coastline — in what looks and smells like a miles-long mass grave.





Naturally, it’s no disaster, as far as the government is concerned. They didn’t notice it. They still don't notice it. It’s not their job. Thus, no cleanup effort has been undertaken.

As the fish decompose and pollute the water, Kyiv’s supply of drinking water remains safe and under control, authorities say. Just a little smelly, but that’s OK.

Videos embedded from:
http://censor.net.ua/go/offer/ResourceID/155953.html
http://censor.net.ua/go/offer/ResourceID/152404.html
http://censor.net.ua/go/offer/ResourceID/153858.html
Original sources:
http://5.ua
http://tsn.ua
http://kievtv.com.ua

Yushchenko Climbs Mt. Hoverla

He first did it in 1972. Since then, he’s done it almost every year, completing his 35th climb on July 18.



Climbing Ukraine’s highest mountain has become something of a soul-searching ritual for him.

In 2004, it was a fighter's climb. In 2009, it’s more like a farewell climb.

Plus tons of trash.



Videos uploaded from:
http://censor.net.ua/go/offer/ResourceID/127435.html
http://censor.net.ua/go/offer/ResourceID/127830.html
Original sources:
http://5.ua
http://ictv.ua

Tons of Mercury at Abandoned Plant in Kyiv

Wanna play mercuryball? Some 200 tons of mercury, a highly toxic element, can be easily found on the premises of Radikal, a defunct Soviet-era chemical plant a few minutes’ walk from Lisova Station.



Much of the mercury has already polluted the soil underneath. Meanwhile, Radikal profits from renting out plant space to local businesses. Who cares?

Sources:
http://nevsedoma.com.ua/index.php?newsid=52540

A Spring Sunday at Obolon Bay

The place, the people, the parody.


















Ukrainian Leaders and Their Connections













Bending the Dnipro Over a Barrel

Chernobyl Is 23

We remember.

Collecting Another Bagful of Trash

I made a cameo appearance at the Saturday cleanup on Trukhaniv Island. (HT: Elmer)



Moroz comin' thru














IMHO, the effort lacked coordination and field resources. There weren’t enough bags for everyone. Some people were promoting corporate brands, some where loafing, and some couldn’t find those bags. I only found one bag. Bagless people would ask me where I found it.




Under the Tree, or 10 Minutes X 10 Square Meters












Mine is the biggest:)!




The Green Party of Ukraine
Is that a hybrid car?




Oleh Skrypka thanks everyone. The next scheduled cleanup: May 16.






There's enough work for everyone...but not enough bags.


I'll be back.