Taking the Sand. (hotels, home, buying)

[Galactastica]

haha yeah the Leave Nothing is the motto for the national parks system...as geeky as it is i've said it to people before. One persons reply was "Oh yeah, i took lots of pictures too!"

i don't think they got it.

[Mae1]

I was in Maui recently... I made my considerable offering to mother ocean and in return a small worn piece of shell washed up to my feet. I accepted it. I consider it lucky. Then, after enduring the Hana highway with a negative person who would not stop to enjoy the beauty of the garden of Eden waterfalls and such... we arrived at the town of Hana. There, on the beach, was a large piece of driftwood. Since I need help walking, I cleaned it off and put in the the car. I used the wood to walk with... and at the end of my visit, left it at the beach for someone else to use. That's simple, no matter where you are...sand gets in your shorts so consider it a gift..ha ha. But the truth is, nothing is free in this world. Once that is understood, life gets really easy.

[KooieBear]

I am so happy that I stumbled across this post! My man and I are heading off on a magical adventure later this year, and are fortunate enough to be spending a few days on Oahu along the way. I had been thinking about taking one item found in nature from each place we visit to create a lasting memento box. One from Hawaii, one from Alaska, Japan, Russia, S Korea, China and so on. It seemed like a wonderful, thoughtful & unique idea, but now I can see the flaws in my plan.

I may come up with something better between now and when we leave, but I have immediately refined my concept to this: I will still look for my nature keepsake, and then photograph it in its full beauty and context, but leave it behind when I move on.

Superstition or not, it is an ecological decision, but I will confess that I for one won't mess with cursed luck or someone's ancestral spirits!

Thanks Galactastica.

[SkyBob]

Originally Posted by KooieBear

II may come up with something better between now and when we leave, but I have immediately refined my concept to this: I will still look for my nature keepsake, and then photograph it in its full beauty and context, but leave it behind when I move on.

For your Hawaii memento you could look in the stores for some item that was handmade in the islands. I purchased an intricately carved bowl that now reminds me of an excellent three-week vacation. Of course, I have to take their word for it that it was carved there and not at some factory in the Philipines.

Bob

[Jonah K]

If tourists are willing to take sand and rocks, I wonder if they'd be wililng to take Albizia wood, Clidemia hirta (aka Koster's curse), Miconia, and stuffed coqui frogs as souvenirs?

[alex7777]

Maybe I'm missing something, but aren't there enormous amounts of sand under the water, stretching out for miles? What if you just took a little of that sand, as opposed to the sand actually on the beach?

I have no intention of taking anything, myself, but it seems like taking a little shell wouldn't be a big deal. Maybe I'm wrong, though -- Hawaii does have lots of tourists.

[Galactastica]

that's the thing, there are hundreds of thousands of tourists. even if it's a type of sand that can be renewed (which not all sand in hawai'i can be renewed) it would take hundreds of years. It's the same as saying, we'll there are lots of trees in the country over, i guess we can chop all the ones in the US down.

Also, the ocean can't look over to Punalu'u and say "hey, looks like people have been taking a bunch of sand, looks like it's about time to send some more over!" and push some sand magically out of the ocean floor to refill the beach with. It's currents erosion and many other things, and that's only if it's ocean created sand. Beaches like Wai'anapanapa and many others sand is pretty disconnected from the ocean as far as the creation and location of it's sand goes.

And on a personal note, i just don't see the point. What does taking the sand, rocks or shells do? Is a souvenire that will sit on a shelf or in a box somewhere that important? Aren't there other, much cooler things to get while on vacation? What do people do with the Gallon milk jugs of sand they take? One lady told me she was taking it back to give it to people as souvenires, that she wasn't keeping it so it's okay. I'm not going to point out how stupid that sounds in the first place, but just go right into-what are her friends and families going to do with the sand she gives them? Is it really important enough? I just can't see any possible yes to that question.

Basically, there are only so many rocks in the Grand Canyon. Sure, it's a high number because there are a ton of rocks, but with the amount of visitors they get, those rocks could be gone in no time. My grandma alone took so many rocks from so many different places it's like she single handedly wiped out a small country of their rocks. Bad, grandma, Bad!

[Mae1]

The "taking" discussions of personal morality are timeless. The logic behind the grains of sand on a beach being plentiful is unquestionable. I have a spiritual belief system which says if you kill a living creature for food, you use every part of the animal and thank the creature for giving itself to you.
And to think, 50 years ago, there was no world-wide awareness of what a carbon footprint really meant. I do not feel bad for the small shell I believe I was entitled to receive from the ocean..our earths' mother. It's just my belief.I am not a howli white person with no soul as the Hawaiians' refer to many tourists as.But tourists' money spent in Hawaii is good all the same isn't it?!Taking photo's and supporting the tourist trade, which supports the people that live in a place...is essential to many of the world's populations. That's why spend when I travel. Nothing is free. That's where the "taking" of mother nature's beaches comes from. I was in New Zealand and a person next to me handed a small stone from a graveyard to me. We discussed the psychic connection the stone invoked in us both. I kept the little stone. It's what people do. Any idiot that would take a whole bag of sand and so forth is someone that isn't spending (sharing the wealth) and really believes because the sand is free, it must be taken. Big difference to me anyway.

[nwcountrygal]

Yes it is a big deal to islands now and ever. The birds are less from being killed from a designer point of view for lie's or hat bands. On the big island I went around during a low tide really low tide throwing the shells in an area that doesn't have tourists to the most part into the water hopeing they live. There are few shells on the island from "locals" and tourists picking them up. Never take sand or a rock. It is soooo differnt than the mainland. I am a complet rock shell person on mainland. hence I did find a shell/coral I admit it I did keep a few wrong - going back this year to put it all back never sand rocks.

I respect culture but no it isnt' just a myth. I look at Hawaii as a place that really changes quickly by our actions...and if you I and everyone else takes something to create what it is whe make a differnce on the islands.....one of the few things I do believe...pro logging pro mining in the mainland redneck type of personality but taking from the islands is wrong,

One of the best things during that low tide is three people was collecting shells and finally the big Hawaiian said OK no more you have to leave the shells for the island. They only took maybe ten but still that is allot in the area I was...

[amsterdamtulip]

Thanks Galactastica, very insightful look into religions and beliefs. This will cure me from stealing from Sky and Earth and the locals of the places I travel to.