瘋長的雜草讓50國湖泊窒息，如今女性卻用它編織成絕美包袋 | 全球零廢棄：英語精讀講義

This invasive weed is choking lakes and rivers around the world. 講解

這種入侵雜草正在堵塞世界各地的湖泊與河川。

Water hyacinths now clog waterways in over 50 countries, 片語搭配

如今，布袋蓮已經堵塞了50多個國家的水道，

including Tonle Sap, 文化背景

其中包括洞里薩湖，

the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia.

也就是東南亞最大的淡水湖。

The people there cannot travel easily when it grows super thick.

布袋蓮一旦長得非常茂密，當地居民就很難往來。

And also the living things under the water die.

水下的生物也會死亡。

So far,

到目前為止，

exterminating the plant has proven impossible for the 1.5 million people who live here. 片語搭配

事實證明，對住在這裡的150萬人來說，要徹底消滅這種植物是不可能的。

Now,

如今，

locals are removing the pest with their bare hands

當地居民正徒手清除這種有害植物，

and giving new life to the dry stems. 慣用語

讓曬乾的莖重獲新生。

We went to Cambodia to see how local women are making fashionable bags from worldwide waste. 表達脈絡

我們前往柬埔寨，看看當地女性如何把這種遍布全球的廢棄物做成時尚包款。

Water hyacinth is native to the Amazon, 片語搭配

布袋蓮原產於亞馬遜地區，

but over the past century,

但在過去一個世紀裡，

humans helped it spread to places it never should have been. 文法

人類卻幫助它擴散到原本不該出現的地方。

It's been transported all over the world because it's beautiful. 文法

因為它外型漂亮，人們把它運往了世界各地。

It's an ornamental plant species.

它是一種觀賞植物。

Dr. Kit Magellan is an ecologist who studies invasive plants.

Kit Magellan博士是一位研究入侵植物的生態學家。

It's native to the upper reaches of the Amazon basin. 用詞

它原產於亞馬遜盆地上游。

Most of the transport occurred during the early 20th century.

它主要是在20世紀初被運往各地的。

In the Amazon,

在亞馬遜地區，

weevils and moths keep the hyacinths in check. 慣用語

象鼻蟲和蛾類會控制布袋蓮的數量。

But without predators, 文法

但在沒有天敵的地方，

the plants can double in size every 2 weeks. 片語搭配

它們每兩週就能增加一倍。

They block out light and oxygen 片語動詞

它們會隔絕光線和氧氣，

and kill all kinds of other species.

導致其他各種物種死亡。

That's a big problem for Tonle Sap's floating villages. 文化背景

對洞里薩湖的水上村落來說，這是個大問題。

Tonle Sap is the heart of Cambodia. 慣用語

洞里薩湖是柬埔寨的心臟。

This is a unique ecosystem.

這裡有著獨一無二的生態系。

And the villages around there have a rather unique lifestyle.

周邊村落的生活方式也相當獨特。

The hyacinths create so much waste 文法

布袋蓮製造出大量廢棄物，

that they're harming stocks of staple foods, 用詞

正傷害當地的主要食物資源，

and they make it harder to get around. 講解

也讓人們更難通行。

Many times we got stuck for a few hours in the middle 片語搭配

我們有好幾次被困在湖中央，一困就是好幾個小時，

of the water hyacinth lake.

四周全是布袋蓮。

Hor Sounsrors runs Rokhak,

Hor Sounsrors經營Rokhak，

a company that hires women to remove the weeds by hand

這家公司僱用女性徒手清除雜草，

and then weave the stems into baskets, 片語搭配

再把莖編織成籃子、

rugs,

地毯

and other handicrafts.

和其他手工藝品。

She says she wanted to help local women earn a living 片語搭配

她說，她希望幫助當地女性謀生，

while dealing with the plant that makes their way of life more difficult. 片語動詞

同時對付這種讓她們生活更加艱難的植物。

Many women they still live in the circle of grown up

許多女性依然困在這樣的循環中：長大成人，

and get married in the young age. 文法

然後年紀輕輕就結婚。

I want them to be employed and to get some training.

我希望她們能有工作，也能接受一些訓練。

Today,

現在，

four weavers work for Rokhak.

Rokhak有四名編織工。

They can bundle as many as 200 hyacinth stalks at a time. 文法

她們一次最多能捆起200根布袋蓮莖。

They bring them back onto shore

她們把這些莖帶回岸上，

to dry in the sun for up to 2 weeks. 片語搭配

放在陽光下曬乾，最長要兩週。

Then,

接著，

they wash them.

她們會把莖洗乾淨。

The women lay the stems out on top of this wooden platform 片語動詞

這些女性把莖鋪在這個木製平台上，

and steam the plants over charcoal

再用木炭火蒸這些莖，

to kill bacteria and get the right color.

來殺菌並讓它們呈現理想的色澤。

After the steaming,

蒸過之後，

our weavers would select the size of water hyacinth stem.

我們的編織工會按照尺寸挑選布袋蓮莖。

They use small stems for coasters

她們用細莖製作杯墊，

and medium ones for bags and baskets. 文法

中等粗細的莖則用來製作包包和籃子。

The largest stems will become rugs.

最粗的莖會變成地毯。

Our weaving is based on our traditional weaving. 片語搭配

我們的編織方式源自傳統編織技法。

You can see from our weaving style

從我們的編織風格

and also the fabric that we use.

以及使用的布料中，都能看出這一點。

This one we made for one of the apartments in Siem Reap.

這一件是我們為暹粒的一間公寓製作的。

One rug can take three women over a month to weave. 文法

一張地毯需要三名女性花一個多月才能織完。

But at Rokhak,

但在Rokhak，

women can make up to $300 for a finished product, 用詞

女性製作一件成品最多能賺到300美元，

more than what the average Cambodian earns in a month.

比柬埔寨人的平均月收入還高。

There are millions of people around the world struggling with water hyacinths,

全球有數百萬人正飽受布袋蓮之苦，

and they've found all kinds of solutions.

他們也找到了各式各樣的解決辦法。

In Bangladesh,

在孟加拉，

locals farm on top of mats made from the invasive plant. 文化背景

當地居民在這種入侵植物做成的墊子上耕種。

Mechanical harvesters on Lake Victoria in Kenya keep the plants in check,

在肯亞的維多利亞湖，機械收割機能控制布袋蓮，

but they're expensive to operate.

但操作成本很高。

Local entrepreneurs there have found success 片語搭配

當地創業者也成功找到一條出路，

helping the weeds break down into biogas for cooking 片語動詞

將這些雜草分解，轉化成煮飯用的沼氣

and compost for growing crops.

和種植作物用的堆肥。

In Nigeria,

在奈及利亞，

a startup similar to Rokhak also employs women to make handicrafts.

一家和Rokhak類似的新創公司也僱用女性製作手工藝品。

One thing we have to remember about all of these uses 表達脈絡

對於所有這些用途，我們必須記住一點：

is they're probably not sustainable, 用詞

它們很可能都無法永續，

so they're only short-term solutions to the problem of this invasive species.

所以只能算是處理這種入侵物種問題的短期方案。

Because if we create an industry using this species, 文法

因為如果我們利用這個物種建立起一個產業，

then we're going to create a demand for this species. 片語搭配

就會創造出對這個物種的需求。

Rokhak's weavers say they're making an impact on the environment, 片語搭配

Rokhak的編織工表示，她們正為環境帶來正面影響，

despite their small workforce. 文法

儘管團隊人手不多。

But the hyacinths reproduce far faster 文法

但布袋蓮的繁殖速度

than the company's four employees can harvest them.

遠比公司四名員工的採收速度快。

Still,

儘管如此，

Hor Sounsrors has succeeded in one part of her mission,

Hor Sounsrors還是成功達成了部分使命：

to give the women of Tonle Sap an opportunity 片語搭配

為洞里薩湖的女性提供一個機會，

to support their families.

讓她們能夠養家。

I used to question myself 文法

我以前常常問自己，

how to be independent like when I grown up.

長大後要怎麼樣才能獨立。

This is what I would like to see 語氣意圖

我也希望看到

in the other women.

其他女性能夠獨立起來。