Saad Shaikh, MD

     I was walking through Kathmandu a few years back when I came across the plates at a local street corner stand. What struck me was how beautifully simple, and elegant the whole concept was. All made from plant materials and all biodegradeable. Here, we have “trash.” Yes, there’s recycling but it’s still built on the concept of trash, not conscious consumption. Indigenous peoples had a different understanding of their place on this planet and their relationship to nature, before our culture destroyed theirs. Unlike the modern western mythology that has us lord over nature, where plants, trees and animals are subjugated to our use, while we destroy this planet and soon others through non conscious consumption, they didn’t have a concept of trash. Every part of any animal and nature was used and reused and everything was biodegradeable. Even shit was properly biodegraded. S.O.S. We are the only animal species on this planet that saves ou...