Living without a bathroom for two months under a tent in High Atlas mountains, each day we both transported water on foot, from the neighboring village to our wild  mountain hill with this unique view. It was fun. It was also a hard adventure. How many days do you usually pass with only your face and hands washed? “Shower – building” construction was the first action after building a big, stone fireplace. It was a simple pleasure to hang our cloths on an argan tree and use the bucket full of water, being sure that there is nobody seeing us. 5 to 10 litres of water was really enough for a shower. It was less in cold days, when water was icy. It was great on shiny days but o windy ones we felt cold. Not each day meant shower. It was during the total lockdown period. We needed a special authorization for going out from home. We were lucky and had choice. Liberty and nature or comforts of home in the center of Agadir. We have passed two months of non-stop activity holidays. Days starting from making fire to have some coffee 🙂 Protecting fire from wind was a must. We built a stone oven. I have loved waking with the sun and having breakfast with this unique view and only nature around. Days were full with doing simple things. Wood for the oven and fireplace were the day to day preoccupation.    

I hope I will never forget the moment I have felt the real shower and hot water, at home in Agadir. I had known from years that water is precious, that we have less and less water in Souss Massa region and in so many places in the world. Now I remember how I have saved water during those two months in the nature. It wasn’t so obvious as to turn on the tap. 

We live more and more comfortably. Heaving water at home is so normal for the majority of people. Impossible now to live without it.  We usually take water for granted. 

Some years ago Moroccan law banned all sorts of plastic bags. It was a good idea but for a year it wasn’t possible to buy any rubbish bags. We have started bringing it from Europe. It has become a really appreciated present. The next year it was already possible to buy those precious rubbish bags (ecological version) but they disappeared from the store shelves in a record time. We have started to call friends just to tell them that they can buy it now in a supermarket. Normally after half an hour they were out of stock. Is it so difficult to use a garbage bucket instead ? It doesn’t really take more time. Still you need to clean the bucket time to time.   

The time came when I have really hated the quantity of plastic bottles (with water and other liquids) that I was bringing home. What I have hated most was the moment of bringing the empty bottles to the garbage can in my street. I was really happy when jug type water filters arrived to Morocco. I have expelled a lot of plastic from my life. 

I love forests with old, bent trees.

During each walk or run in a forest I spot some rubbish. Less and less in Europe but still there. In Africa many people don’t even understand the world „biodegradable”. There’s a lot of work in education to do here. If people can afford some tasty snack or a bottle of a sweet drink, the wrapping or the bottle (mostly plastic) finishes on the ground. In the cities the cleaning services take care of it or there are some regulations. In the villages and in the wild no-one really cares. It just depends of how much money the local have for such luxuries wrapped in plastic. I have been once in a forest in Poland with my mother to collect the wild mushrooms. Sadly, during two hours walk  I have collected two bags of different rubbish. My mother, who would never leave any garbage outside the garbage can, asked me why am I doing this. It’s not a „cleaning of the world” day.

I have notice that recently more and more trees in the forests in Europe are young. The process of cutting and replanting is visible. It’s already good that it’s not simple deforestation. That people were doing for ages in Europe. Now this awful process is still popular in Africa. Once again there is a need of education in some wonderful but poor regions. We can’t live without wood. It so nice to have a wooden furniture, floor and so many more. Maybe we can just limit the use of paper and when it’s necessary use the recycled one. Do you know that for 1 ton of office paper 24 trees need to be cut ? I didn’t but I have checked it. It’s only 400 reams of paper. How many trees have I cut in my life by printing, books reading and during the office work ? I don’t really want to know and it’s not really possible for me to eliminate the use of paper. I’m just doing my best to limit it. I love to read the real, paper books but from years I’m  using  an ebook. If it’s possible to buy something without a carton box, I do it. Do we really need to print every single paper ? 

Once we get used to paper towels it’s difficult to imagine living without them. Using it is so quick and comfortable. We can clean anything and just throw it away. I have recently restarted using normal kitchen towels while cleaning. Finally it’s not a big effort. I jus need to have a lot more to fill the washing machine only with all those cleaning staff. 

I have also replaced the cosmetic cotton swab with tissue swab. We can buy it or do it ourselves from some used cotton clothes. I really do how much rubbish I produce. 

No waste – that wood be nice also. It’s not only the ecological aspect but shearing with others and the fact that we can reuse so many things. In Africa it’s really rare to just throw out a computer, a fridge or a Tv because we have bought a new one or because it doesn’t work. There will always be someone to fix it and there will always be a family wanting to have it. I have a friend, who is taking on holidays (when going to a poorer country) only the clothes she doesn’t want any more. It’s really impressive. Normally we would take the best clothes we have. She leaves the clothes, one by one, in hotels to the cleaning ladies. We, women, always do have some nice clothes in our wardrobe, that we have bought but haven’t really put on. 

There are many little things that we can do for the nature and our children and grandchildren to continue living in a beautiful world. We don’t need to change totally our lives. Thinking about consequences and small modifications can become big changes if everyone can do it, just day to day.