Thanks Marni! Songkran is such a fun experience, I would never want to give it up — especially when a few tweaks really make it a much more sustainable experience for everyone!

Thank you so much! Always looking for recommendations!

On that note, I just finished a design book I think you’d find fascinating. It’s by these 2 eco-design gurus who’ve worked with everyone from Ford to G-Star Denim & one of their core principles that they consider with every project alongside things like toxicity of materials & effect on the surrounding ecosystem is joy & delight! As in, in order for something to be truly sustainable, embraced by the masses, it has to be fun! “Cradle to Cradle” is the book if you’re curious x

Thanks Becky! Yeah I think that if we hit people with like, “CHANGE EVERYTHING ABOUT YOUR LIFE RIGHT NOW YOU HAVE TO OR THE PLANET WILLL DIIEEEEEEEE!!!!” they are going to be like, um no thanks I’d rather just live in ignorant bliss!” If you can make it fun and approachable, you have a better chance of *actually* impacting people’s behavior.

Fascinating about Koh Tao’s history Alex! I’d like a post about THAT.

I read this awhile ago but something you articulated beautifully has stuck with me & I try to invoke it when I’m feeling judge-y about others’ environmentally reckless behaviour or gloomy about the future….”We have to remember how full of joy this planet can be, if we’re going to find the motivation to keep fighting to protect it.”

SO WELL SAID.

Thanks Riley! I hope it MAKES A SPLASH. Sorry, can’t help myself, ha.

Hey Kat, I’m not sure when Songkran morphed from its historic roots (which I’ve blogged about in a previous Songkran post) to it’s current iteration, but I am very confident that it happened long before any of the people in this post set their sights on Thailand. I’m not even sure tourists were the cause. The Thai residents in Koh Tao celebrate the modern version VERY enthusiastically, and I’ve heard similar reports from my friends who have spend it in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. I have always been curious about more rural areas!

It sounds like you had an incredible, immersive experience in Thailand. I lived on Koh Tao for many years, as did the people in these photos. Koh Tao has a unique history — it was all but uninhabited until the 1980’s when the reefs were discovered and huge populations of foreigners moved there to build the islands dive industry.

The initial five Thai families that lived on the island at that time are still there, own most of the land and are very politically powerful. But there was not a long-standing, deeply rooted community there to disrupt.

And I can’t say that I think anyone on Koh Tao exploits Songkran for money. Sure, bookings go up as it is a very popular time to visit Thailand, but I don’t know if I see any exploitation happening here.