Stoa Scleractinia Episode 2 - Jason Neptune

Episode 2, Part 1

Jason Neptune is a dedicated marine conservationist, musician, and surfer. After finishing his studies at the Australian Maritime College, he wanted to give back to Indonesia. A country he had taken many fond memories of surfing and sharing space with the local communities away from. Jason and his band “The Lost Thylacines”, created The Crystal Land Tours, with the mission to help tackle the problem of marine plastic debris through education and physical action. From leading by example, Jason and his friends can mobilise hundreds in to cleaning up beaches, whilst simultaneously educating communities on how they can manage this global problem. Since starting the Crystal Land Tours, Jason has expanded his reach from Indonesia to countries such as Sri Lanka, and El Salvador. All of this is done with the motivation to give back and do good for others.

"Love manifests its reality in deeds, not only in words - these alone are without effect." - `Abdu'l-Bahá

Episode 2, Part 2

The memories Jason took away from surfing trips to Indonesia gave him the desire to giveback and create the Crystal Land Tours with his bandmates. Their goal is to educate communities about the problems associated with of marine plastic debris and actively help in the cleanup process of beaches that have been overwhelmed with plastic debris. Jason gets communities together by putting on free music concerts and providing educational seminars. On one occasion The Lost Thylacines were the first international music act to play on Bawean Island in the Java Sea, getting an audience of approximately five thousand people. Through this act of generosity, Jason is able to inspire hundreds if not thousands of people to get involved in marine conservation and the issues facing the Ocean due to marine plastics. The Crystal Land Tours is tackling the global problem of marine plastic debris at a local level. Jason has inspired countless young people by providing an important perspective on marine plastics, and showing that any individual can make a difference by contributing to solving this massive global problem.

"Consider that a good disposition is invincible if it is genuine, and not an affected smile and acting a part" - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 11.18 (9) Quote source: Meditations - The Philosophy Classic by Marcus Aurelius (George Long Translation) with an Introduction from Donald Robertston. (2020).

Episode 2, Part 3

For Jason, the last five years of The Crystal Land Tours has been a learning process in figuring out what does and doesn’t work. Dominic and Jason discuss how the learning process is riddled with failures before we find success. But it is in those failures that genuine progress is made. As long as you can figure out why something did not workout, and “keep having a crack” you will find your way through some of the most difficult situations.

“Motion makes you feel like you’re getting things done. But really, you’re just preparing to get something done. When preparation becomes a form of procrastination, you need to change something. You don’t merely want to be planning. You want to be practicing.” - James Clear, Atomic Habits.

Episode 2, Part 4

Challenges facing the Earth’s environment often seem too large and complicated to manage. We are now at a time in human history where the time for talking about the problem is over, and we have to take action as individuals that can collectively make a tremendous difference. It is important that we don’t let headlines of doom, gloom, and fear make us think it’s not worth attempting to help ecosystems recover around the world. The problem of marine plastic pollution is one of the biggest threats to life in the Ocean. There are two things that need to happen in order to fix this problem.

1) We need to put an end to plastic production by stopping the demand and supporting sustainable alternatives in our consumer decisions.

2) We need solutions to rid our ecosystems of plastic pollution and support industries that repurpose and recycle plastic waste. As Jason explains, cost and a lack of infrastructure are the biggest hurdles in overcoming the problem associated with plastic pollution. This can often be the case in more remote locations that have high tourism value. Therefore, it is especially important to be conscious about your plastic use in these areas and take steps not to leave your waste on others’ doorstep.

“The future is a concept—it doesn’t exist There is no such thing as tomorrow There never will be because time is always now. That’s one of the things we discover when we stop talking to ourselves and stop thinking. We find there is only present, only an eternal now.” - Alan Watts

Episode 2, Part 5

In a world more connected than ever, the ability to raise awareness for environmental issues should be easier than ever before. However, we get led astray by political debate and the cult of celebrity trying to dictate how we should to live our lives. If you are unaware of environmental issues that threatened marine and terrestrial ecosystems, you will never have a conscious reason to change. We need behavioural change on a mass scale to mitigate impacts from human-induced climate change, marine plastic pollution, overfishing, habitat degradation, etc. That change has to come from the individual. We can no longer rely on politicians who have multiple agendas that conflict with environmental preservation. We must lead by example when attempting to help others understand what’s at stake in their everyday decisions. Therefore, it is important to approach others who may be unaware of the damage their individual actions can have on the environment with empathy and forgiveness.

“Every soul, the philosopher says, is involuntarily deprived of truth. Consequently, in the same way it is deprived of justice and temperance and benevolence and everything of the kind. It is most necessary to bear this constantly in mind, for thus you it will be more gentle towards all” - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 7.63 (George Long translation).

Episode 2, Part 6

Being fully aware of his climate impacts through touring and life in general; Jason calculates his carbon footprint by looking in depth at his tax returns. He then figures out how many trees he would need to plant in order to offset his emissions and multiplies that value by 100. Jason then goes the extra mile to ask land owners is they would like native trees planted in their gardens for free . This is seen as a win/win by both parties. Jason gets to take part in bush land restoration (something he is passionate about) and the landowner gets a bunch of free trees. No ego’s, feelings, or daily commutes are harmed in the process. This is an excellent example of how to combat and raise awareness about climate change. Being alive today means we are all affected by the impacts of human-induced climate change. Climate changes will affect future generations, but we are the ones that can mitigate those impacts and we have to start now.

It serves no purpose pointing the finger at people on their daily commutes and trying to disrupt their daily lives purely to grab headlines and attention. There are many ways to educate people and raise awareness about climate change. Alienating people is not one of them.

“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.” — Charles Dickens.

Episode 2, Part 7

The damage done from plastic pollution to global ecosystems in the relatively short time it has been around is frightening. The good news is there are already countless solutions that have been created to combat this problem. Unfortunately, successful solutions are often drowned out by fear mongering headlines in the media. There are any ways you can eliminate or repurposed plastic in your everyday life.

It just takes a simple search on a search on your favourite search provider. One initiative Jason talks about here is “Precious Plastic”(https://preciousplastic.com/). Precious Plastic is a movement created to help people recycle and re-purpose plastics, and turn it in to things like construction material, furniture, or jewellery. The website has an incredible amount of information that should in school curriculum and dominating the new headlines.

“Humanity must seek what is not simple and obvious using the simple and obvious.” ― Gaius Musonius Rufus, Musonius Rufus on How to live.

Episode 2, Part 8

Apart from being a marine conservationist and musician, Jason Neptune works as a chef. He fully understands the importance of making consumer conscience decisions with sourcing food he is going to cook for other people. The key principle that he relies on is to find food that has been as locally sourced as possible. Jason spearfishes as an activity to catch the food he is going to eat. When done responsibly, spearfishing is without a doubt the most sustainable form of seafood there is. The freediver can be selective with their catch and pick fish and other marine organisms that have had the chance to go through at least one reproductive cycle. In Western Australia, where Jason lives, there are strict rules against taking undersize or restricted animals. The punishment involves a fine, jail time, and authorities will seize all possessions involved with an illegal catch. That includes your boat, trailer, and car! It’s really not worth acting in a manner not in accord with nature! Being consumer conscious about what foods you buy can be both beneficial for your health and the planet. In most cases, what’s better for the planet is better for your mind and body, especially if it does not come wrapped in plastic and smothered in toxic chemicals.

“Everything that exceeds the bounds of moderation has an unstable foundation.” - Seneca

Episode 2, Part 9

Debates surrounding how various diets affect human health and the environment are ongoing. One thing is for sure, many of the pesticides and herbicides used in the production of our food is not good for either human or ecosystem health. Jason shares his experience working on bushland regeneration projects where they were combatting the blackberry weeds on river banks in Australia. Instead of using a herbicide called metsulfuron (which is unselective in the plants it kills), Jason and his friend used a different approach, including a whipper snipper (aka brushcutter) and small amounts of glyphosate to get rid of the blackberries. This method helped keep the bushland intact whilst removing the blackberry for a lot less money. Be sure to look into Jason's methods if you want to get rid of weeds, but do not want to kill everything else in the process.

“The nation that destroys its soil, destroys itself” - Franklin D. Roosevelt