Taken from: Contested Grounds Essays on Nature, Culture, and Power Edited by Amita Baviskar Insightful analysis of the significance of natural resources in contemporary life Empirically rich research on the politics of the environment Eminent contributors include David Gilmartin, David Ludden, Michael Thompson, Lyla Mehta among others About the essay: beauty of the area and humanity's impact on it floating junk brought in by the tide element of hope - children taught environmental awareness (by Sunita Rao) and how to make the most of all the garbage the island receives Things like shampoo, aftershave, styrofoam chair, clothes basket - also, lobsters, coconuts and fish - come from the sea These are useful, or made useful - however the "stream of manufactured objects" they (ships using Bombay-Penang trade route) leave behind is also a great inconvenience bottles of water, juice cartons, beer bottles, cans as common on the beach as sea-shells nobody knows ab...