HOW SMUDGE EARTH BEGAN

It started with a video.

A video showing us a journey taking place in Indonesia. Plastic was being removed from the ocean. But that wasn’t where the journey ended.

A video showing us a journey taking place in Indonesia. Plastic was being removed from the ocean. But that wasn’t where the journey ended.

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT

The recovered plastic was recycled into slabs. Those slabs were being used to build schools.

To date, 27 tonnes of plastic has been removed.

THE MOMENT

Watching that journey, I felt awe. Pride. All of it. And then I immediately had a question.

Watching that journey, I felt awe. Pride. All of it. And then I immediately had a question.

Why can’t we see this?

Positive environmental participation was happening. But outside the people immediately connected to it, almost nobody knew.

Positive environmental participation was happening. But outside the people immediately connected to it, almost nobody knew.

THE BEGINNING

That question became Smudge Earth.

Smudge Earth was conceived from positive environmental participation taking place that no one could see. The activity was already happening. What was missing was the ability to see it.

Smudge Earth was conceived from positive environmental participation taking place that no one could see. The activity was already happening. What was missing was the ability to see it.

What if we could make it visible?

Dawn O’Brien

Dawn O’Brien

Founder & System Architect

WHAT IT IS

A way to make positive environmental participation more visible across people and place.

WHAT IT IS NOT

A claim that every action is known, or a substitute for the care and work already happening.