There’s no time for coffee today. The old beach pavilion of West aan Zee creaks in the strong northern wind. The beach is deserted except for the lonely figure at the horizon. Armed with a blue trash bag he’s ready to search for the treasures the wind blows ashore. The beach is the cleanest it’s been since the disaster with cargo ship the MSC Zoe.
“Just because you don’t see something, doesn’t mean that it’s not there,” tells Guus Schweigmann us with the recognizable Rotterdam accent. He learned that lesson fourty years ago through a simple example. Take two glasses of water. You can drink from both. Throw all sorts of white junk in one of the glasses. Gin, pepper, salt, vinegar. Stir it, shake it and let it dissolve. What you’re left with is two identical glasses of water. “It’s clear. You don’t see it, but one makes you ill and the other doesn’t.”
Microscopic parts
Years ago Schweigmann went on his first environment journey from Harlingen in the Netherlands to the Caribbean. Next to one of the yachts of the organization floated a little raft with a small trap attached to it. Every couple hours it was emptied and carefully studied. It surprised Schweigmann that he’d find oil every single time. Fourty years later, Schweigmann organizes beachcombing actions with his non-profit organization De Milieujutter to lend nature a helping hand. The organization is one of the few of its kind.
