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(easy instrumental music)

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- [Lea Voiceover] French
Polynesia has always been

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at the top of my wishlist,

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my ideal of the big blue,

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postcard pictures of crystal clear lagoons

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and abundant nature.

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Here, I can find what I'm looking for,

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a simple and sustainable way of life.

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My name is Lea Brassy.

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I'm an ocean adventurer
and environmental advocate.

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Due to my passion for surfing and diving,

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I can see these paradises
slowly vanishing.

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Since 2015, I've been
spending a lot of time here,

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and try to live a simple life,

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both over and under the water.

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Like many others,

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I wonder how my modern life
can still be sustainable?

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Spending every day at sea also means

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being very aware of your
environment and its changes.

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The biggest challenge
for me lies in finding

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a balance between us humans and nature.

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I started surfing in
Normandy when I was a kid,

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and then I orientated all
my life choices around.

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I became a nurse to work half-time,

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and to travel the rest of the year,

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to stay very close to my passion.

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What I love about surfing is that moment

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when time doesn't exist anymore.

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Those seconds are just gonna

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make the memory that's timeless.

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When I'm after a wave,

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there is that moment when everything

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works out really great

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and I get the best time of my life.

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And there is that other moment,

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maybe another day or that same day,

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that is gonna give me a hard time,

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and remind me that I'm out
there, but I'm not in control.

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It's empowering me.

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And at the same time, it keeps me humble.

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For me, being a lot on the move,

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it's sometimes hard to do everything

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accordingly to what I believe in.

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And I think right now

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with all of my encounters and troubles,

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I'm sharpening my expectations
of my own lifetime.

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I'm kind of sharpening my pencil,

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then I'll start writing.

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I love to share my passion

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with like-minded people like Lily Kumbaca.

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She works as a diving
instructor here in Tahiti.

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Today, we want to improve
our apnea technique,

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and experience the
spiritual journey together

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that this way of diving offers us.

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So we are at the marina in Pirae.

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I am learning more about
free diving with Lily.

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I've noticed that I find

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a mindset that I had never met before,

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where it's calming me down a lot.

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And for some reason I think that mindset

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is kind of a key to happiness.

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Lily warns me not to expect too much

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from the world underwater.

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The biodiversity around
the reefs of Tahiti

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has dramatically decreased
in the past few years.

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The ecosystem is under pressure.

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Intact reefs can only be found
on the more remote atolls.

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We head about one nautical
mile out to the sea,

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where the water is several
hundred meters deep.

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(splashing)

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I prefer to free dive, meaning
without an oxygen bottle,

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and rather rely on a
full deep breath of air.

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It takes a lot of training
and deep relaxation

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to abandon your respiratory reflex.

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I have to focus completely on the moment.

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(soft piano music)

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But then it feels incredibly freeing.

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The silent world around me

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helps me to let go without losing control.

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So the idea of,

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of the apnea is to hold your
breath as much as you can.

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And depending on what you're looking for,

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it can be go as deep as possible,

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or stay without breathing
for as long as possible.

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I'm kind of more attracted to the depth.

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(soft orchestral music)

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Rising up from a depth of
45 meters can be critical.

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Close to the water's surface,

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when the oxygen level in the blood sinks,

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a blackout can't be ruled out.

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Therefore, it's incredibly important

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to be with a trusted diving partner,

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and take responsibility for each other.

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- Why do I love it so much?

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Because being in touch with
nature and life underwater

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gives me peace and quietness.

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That is the main reason
why I do apnea diving,

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the wildlife and the
search for real silence.

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All life forms on earth
come from the ocean.

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Our planet's lungs are the ocean.

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The ocean is everything.

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Without life in the ocean
there would be no life at all.

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- [Lea] It's important for me to be

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in contact with the
natural process of things,

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because I think it's so easy

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to lose that relationship
with something wild.

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I can't really explain why,

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but it's a link I don't want to lose,

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because I think it's the essence of life.

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- For three years I've
been living on Tahiti.

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But I started to come here
regularly 20 years ago.

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(speaking in foreign language)

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I've witnessed many changes
in this small paradise,

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in the environment, but
also in the lagoons.

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The state of the corals

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around Tahiti and Morea is devastating.

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Seeing them makes me cry.

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In some areas, the
coral's completely dead.

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Overfishing, and the
increase in sea temperatures

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contribute to coral bleaching.

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I see less and less fish species.

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- It's something, it's inside me

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that's the most violent to me.

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I mean, I witness it, I see it.

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And I don't have enough
words to describe it.

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It's what happens, the
worst is inside my belly.

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It just, it feels so wrong.

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And I'm just so ashamed of
being part of that humanity

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that created that.

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The trip back leads me through Papeete,

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Tahiti's capital city.

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Just as in western countries,

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you can find all goods
of mass consumption here.

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Most of it is imported.

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It dawns on me how challenging it is

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to live a modern life,

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all while maintaining one's
culture and traditions.

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But I could well imagine

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that a life in harmony with nature

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is still possible on some islands.

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The people in French Polynesia

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even have a principle of restriction.

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It's called the (foreign word),

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with which the community limits itself

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to a cautious use of natural resources.

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I want to find people who still live

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by this traditional approach.

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I love to travel, but
it obviously comes along

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with a high CO2 footprint.

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On the other hand,

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I try to live a simple
life whenever possible.

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I try to consume less and eat
sustainably and ecologically.

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(soft harp music)

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In France, as well as in Tahiti,

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I only eat locally grown produce.

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Organic is great,

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but the regional aspect
is just as important.

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For the last 12 years
I've kept coming back

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to this farmer's market on the
French South Atlantic coast.

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Many of the vendors here
have become my friends.

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We share our enthusiasm for
eating quality ingredients,

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and are all worried about
the future of our planet.

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(bright instrumental music)

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(muffled speaking)

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On the edge of our Ardeche Nature Reserve,

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I meet up with someone

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whom I've always wanted to get to know.

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Pierre (foreign name) is a writer,

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farmer and environmentalist,

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as well as one of Europe's most
important critics of growth.

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- [Pierre] I'm a gardener.

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I put seed in the ground
and I see life sprouting.

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That's the explosion of life.

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It explodes all the time.

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- My father's parents
had cows, produced milk,

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and grew the food for their animals.

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It was a small family business.

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Everything they ate grew in their garden.

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My parents belonged to a generation

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who left the countryside

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to live in the city
with all its amenities.

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They wanted to give us kids
the best chances in life.

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- The city is an abnormality

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that has nothing to do
with our human nature.

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Originally humans live in
clans, and small social groups,

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in which everyone knows one another.

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- [Lea] I understood that something

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about this life was not right,

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and I wanted to see how it is elsewhere.

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I was pretty young when I
left home, just fourteen.

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I grabbed my surfboard and set off.

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- You have preserved your
sensibility for nature.

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- [Lea] Exactly, and I was
looking for something inside me,

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but I didn't know what.

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- At this moment you feel free,

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because your world is
microscopically small

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and you are independent.

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You're the master of this small world.

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You can take decisions and initiatives

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that are necessary for
your self-fulfillment.

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That way you can give meaning
to your role in this world.

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(surf pounding)

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(acoustic guitar music)

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- Here on the Atlantic coast,

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I learned how to surf when I was 11.

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In the cold water, I feel at home.

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Not only me, but many of my friends

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from the surfer community

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come back here during the summer season.

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Since my youth, the environment
here has also changed.

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Our surfing community has a
duty to protect its playgrounds.

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This is why I campaign for sustainability,

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and help out in a repair shop,

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because many of the things that break

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can be fixed and reused.

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You should be able to keep a good wetsuit

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for to at least two seasons, maybe three.

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I mean, it's easy to get a fin
cut or something like that,

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and then the water comes in,

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and often you can't really use it anymore.

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So we fix it for free.

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And also we can explain
to you how it works.

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(uptempo music)
(lyrics muffled)

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(bees buzzing)

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(speaking in foreign language)

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Sometimes it is hard for me
to keep thinking positive.

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Especially when I reflect
about the situation

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that we are currently
in on a larger scale.

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It really gets to me and depresses me.

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Like it makes my belly flip.

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All this waste of resources,
it is hard to bear.

00:17:13.250 --> 00:17:15.433
Why do we have to consume so much?

00:17:19.690 --> 00:17:21.410
- I think that our modern world

00:17:21.410 --> 00:17:24.150
is based on a totalitarian ideology,

00:17:24.150 --> 00:17:26.920
which assumes that we are
living in the greatest era,

00:17:26.920 --> 00:17:28.030
and that our ancestors

00:17:28.030 --> 00:17:30.513
who were working as farmers were outdated.

00:17:34.680 --> 00:17:35.770
The West thinks they have

00:17:35.770 --> 00:17:38.440
the most powerful society on the planet,

00:17:38.440 --> 00:17:40.140
though they have the most fragile.

00:17:41.210 --> 00:17:44.100
Electricity, telephone, fuel,

00:17:44.100 --> 00:17:46.750
if you take that away, it
would result in a collapse.

00:17:55.570 --> 00:17:56.810
- [Lea] We are at a point in time

00:17:56.810 --> 00:17:58.470
where we can still rediscover

00:17:58.470 --> 00:18:00.740
the knowledge of our ancestors,

00:18:00.740 --> 00:18:02.820
but it has to happen soon,

00:18:02.820 --> 00:18:04.703
otherwise all will be forgotten.

00:18:06.140 --> 00:18:08.690
- Oh yes, the knowledge
disappears with the people.

00:18:09.740 --> 00:18:11.530
We have experienced it here,

00:18:11.530 --> 00:18:13.590
the old farmers speaking dialect,

00:18:13.590 --> 00:18:16.970
but hardly any French,
disappeared already.

00:18:16.970 --> 00:18:20.430
As soon as the elders are
dead there is no continuation.

00:18:20.430 --> 00:18:22.833
A gap emerges and at some point it's over.

00:18:31.340 --> 00:18:34.100
- I have the impression we
reject our ancestors' knowledge

00:18:34.100 --> 00:18:35.863
even though it made more sense.

00:18:37.970 --> 00:18:40.793
They adjusted their consumption
to their necessities.

00:18:44.660 --> 00:18:47.810
And they took better
care of their belongings,

00:18:47.810 --> 00:18:49.723
in order to make them more durable.

00:18:50.940 --> 00:18:53.363
They repaired and reused their things.

00:18:59.810 --> 00:19:01.110
- [Pierre] It is the small initiatives

00:19:01.110 --> 00:19:03.210
that can lead to change, that is for sure.

00:19:07.150 --> 00:19:10.683
Mankind has an extraordinary
energy, that is love.

00:19:12.060 --> 00:19:14.770
If we understand love as
something overarching,

00:19:14.770 --> 00:19:17.030
the love for life, for the stars,

00:19:17.030 --> 00:19:18.423
the trees and the birds,

00:19:19.940 --> 00:19:20.790
that would be it.

00:19:28.278 --> 00:19:30.778
(eerie music)

00:19:43.560 --> 00:19:45.480
- My encounter with Pierre stays with me

00:19:45.480 --> 00:19:47.563
all the way back to French Polynesia.

00:19:48.610 --> 00:19:51.200
At the end of the summer,
I travel to Tikihao,

00:19:51.200 --> 00:19:52.940
one of the most remote atolls

00:19:52.940 --> 00:19:55.023
of which not all islands are inhabited.

00:19:56.310 --> 00:19:57.960
Here I look for people who are living

00:19:57.960 --> 00:20:00.293
their love of nature
in their everyday life.

00:20:01.380 --> 00:20:03.750
The fishermen here have
a sense for the sea,

00:20:03.750 --> 00:20:06.290
and live by the (foreign word) principles.

00:20:06.290 --> 00:20:07.300
Their fishing methods

00:20:07.300 --> 00:20:09.823
are passed on from
generation to generation.

00:20:13.247 --> 00:20:16.164
(light jazz music)

00:20:34.910 --> 00:20:36.583
It's like a funnel.

00:20:37.790 --> 00:20:40.920
It's like a funnel,
and the fish comes into

00:20:40.920 --> 00:20:44.160
the park with the
current, but can't go out.

00:20:44.160 --> 00:20:46.293
So that's how it gets trapped.

00:20:57.410 --> 00:20:59.670
It's a smart way to get your fish.

00:20:59.670 --> 00:21:03.160
It's less effort and less gear,

00:21:03.160 --> 00:21:04.303
and it's always there.

00:21:05.300 --> 00:21:10.070
Without that, you rely on
the uncertainty of fishing,

00:21:10.070 --> 00:21:11.900
where like fish parks are like

00:21:11.900 --> 00:21:14.830
a breach of a fish, basically.

00:21:14.830 --> 00:21:16.140
And even if it's a really small one,

00:21:16.140 --> 00:21:18.640
you always have enough to
feed yourself, at least.

00:21:42.998 --> 00:21:45.170
I would say it's a very interesting thing.

00:21:45.170 --> 00:21:47.160
It's been done here forever.

00:21:47.160 --> 00:21:49.640
And, and that's how populations

00:21:49.640 --> 00:21:51.723
have gone through tough times.

00:21:53.000 --> 00:21:55.410
You see the people here are like

00:21:55.410 --> 00:21:57.413
strong people and really tough.

00:22:27.520 --> 00:22:30.130
One of the reasons I love
this way of living so much

00:22:30.130 --> 00:22:32.003
is my passion for spear fishing.

00:22:33.450 --> 00:22:34.990
On the lookout for a diving partner

00:22:34.990 --> 00:22:39.180
who knows the local reefs,
I meet Oliver and Salem.

00:22:39.180 --> 00:22:40.900
He comes from a family of fishermen,

00:22:40.900 --> 00:22:43.723
and earns his living by
spear fishing with harpoons.

00:22:48.800 --> 00:22:51.683
- I'm a fishermen, more
or less professionally.

00:22:52.690 --> 00:22:54.690
Since five years, I make a living of it.

00:22:56.120 --> 00:22:57.723
This is a very peaceful place.

00:22:59.300 --> 00:23:00.350
As soon as you get here,

00:23:00.350 --> 00:23:02.830
you are far away from
all the technologies,

00:23:02.830 --> 00:23:04.780
far away from the crowds and pollution.

00:23:06.380 --> 00:23:09.303
It is an incredible gift to
enjoy the islands this way.

00:23:15.240 --> 00:23:17.410
When I dive, I see a
big change in the amount

00:23:17.410 --> 00:23:19.483
of fish and the condition of the corals.

00:23:28.170 --> 00:23:29.940
Around Tahiti, for example,

00:23:29.940 --> 00:23:32.370
we see far less fish than here in Tuamotu.

00:23:34.900 --> 00:23:37.160
It's normal, since Tahiti is the capital,

00:23:37.160 --> 00:23:38.660
where most of the people live.

00:23:42.160 --> 00:23:44.870
People surf and fish
there on a daily basis.

00:23:44.870 --> 00:23:46.873
They love the ocean, that's how it is.

00:23:49.160 --> 00:23:51.713
But I notice in some parts,
there is not much left.

00:23:55.750 --> 00:23:58.313
That's why I adopted this
other way of fishing.

00:23:59.560 --> 00:24:02.543
I dive deeper, and only
catch one species at a time.

00:24:03.520 --> 00:24:08.090
Only the fish I want, only a
certain size, and not smaller.

00:24:08.090 --> 00:24:09.840
It is certainly a strict selection.

00:24:10.840 --> 00:24:13.740
We need to commit to a much
more selective fishing method.

00:24:16.361 --> 00:24:19.444
(solemn piano music)

00:24:22.390 --> 00:24:24.130
- [Lea] Spear fishing is one of humanity's

00:24:24.130 --> 00:24:26.080
oldest hunting methods.

00:24:26.080 --> 00:24:27.090
You need a long breath,

00:24:27.090 --> 00:24:29.513
and a good sense of
orientation underwater.

00:24:30.950 --> 00:24:32.570
This fishing method makes me aware

00:24:32.570 --> 00:24:35.523
of what it means to secure
your food in a simple way.

00:24:37.110 --> 00:24:40.840
I do not hunt for fun, and I
only hunt as much as I need.

00:24:40.840 --> 00:24:43.553
And, I always share my catch with others.

00:25:09.530 --> 00:25:10.750
- I come to Tikihao to see

00:25:10.750 --> 00:25:12.980
many different species of fish,

00:25:12.980 --> 00:25:14.730
and to catch from a wide selection.

00:25:17.190 --> 00:25:19.090
It is easier to catch beautiful fish here,

00:25:19.090 --> 00:25:21.823
compared to Tahiti, where
there are so many people.

00:25:25.540 --> 00:25:27.330
- The idea is to hold the breath

00:25:27.330 --> 00:25:31.683
and dive underwater, to catch a fish.

00:25:32.670 --> 00:25:34.180
We kind of go to the bottom

00:25:34.180 --> 00:25:36.520
and try to hide as much as we can,

00:25:36.520 --> 00:25:39.680
make little noises that bring the fish in.

00:25:39.680 --> 00:25:44.500
And then we wait for them to
be close enough to spear them.

00:25:44.500 --> 00:25:45.690
It's quite a lot of (indistinct),

00:25:45.690 --> 00:25:47.010
depending on how deep it is,

00:25:47.010 --> 00:25:49.760
and how long you need to
stay until the fish come.

00:25:49.760 --> 00:25:54.053
It's the committing way to
get your own fish, for sure.

00:26:02.400 --> 00:26:04.070
- [Narrator] Oliver
also finds it important

00:26:04.070 --> 00:26:05.270
to preserve the environment

00:26:05.270 --> 00:26:07.070
through this type of fishing.

00:26:07.070 --> 00:26:08.730
It doesn't result in bad catches,

00:26:08.730 --> 00:26:11.693
or damages of the reefs
with nets and fishing lines.

00:26:43.470 --> 00:26:45.953
- [Oliver] I started fishing
when I was eight years old.

00:26:47.800 --> 00:26:50.250
My mother taught me to
fish with a single thread.

00:26:51.650 --> 00:26:53.943
Later on, I tried to fish with a harpoon.

00:26:55.340 --> 00:26:57.390
Since then, I'm completely hooked myself.

00:27:03.462 --> 00:27:06.962
(eerie electronic music)

00:27:57.560 --> 00:28:00.000
- [Lea] What I love,
especially about spear fishing

00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:03.133
is that it brings back a very strong,

00:28:04.070 --> 00:28:07.573
I feel very old instinct
about bringing back food.

00:28:08.910 --> 00:28:11.870
It wakes up my hunting instinct.

00:28:11.870 --> 00:28:15.450
And for some reason, that
instinct is very powerful,

00:28:15.450 --> 00:28:18.323
and it just, it makes sense,
I'm part of the food chain.

00:28:25.447 --> 00:28:28.920
Basically the idea is
to try to shock kill it.

00:28:28.920 --> 00:28:32.130
Ideally you want to be shooting,

00:28:32.130 --> 00:28:33.440
goes through the brain,

00:28:33.440 --> 00:28:35.120
so it doesn't suffer,

00:28:35.120 --> 00:28:37.963
but also it doesn't bring the sharks in.

00:28:41.240 --> 00:28:44.657
(eerie electronic music)

00:28:52.602 --> 00:28:56.352
(dramatic orchestral music)

00:29:42.780 --> 00:29:44.390
What's really important to me

00:29:44.390 --> 00:29:48.540
is the relationship with
the diver you dive with,

00:29:48.540 --> 00:29:50.570
how we take care of each other,

00:29:50.570 --> 00:29:53.940
how we get so excited about our catch.

00:29:53.940 --> 00:29:54.950
And there is a bond,

00:29:54.950 --> 00:29:58.430
that there is a bond
that just appears in it.

00:30:00.380 --> 00:30:01.360
It's just beautiful.

00:30:01.360 --> 00:30:04.063
And it's a gift.

00:30:07.020 --> 00:30:09.290
I think the ocean and nature

00:30:10.560 --> 00:30:12.160
teach me to be humble.

00:30:12.160 --> 00:30:15.010
And, but also to realize that I'm part

00:30:15.010 --> 00:30:19.580
of something a lot bigger,
and that is very balanced.

00:30:19.580 --> 00:30:23.193
And that's the humankind
starts messing with it.

00:30:50.410 --> 00:30:52.210
A third of the world's fish stocks

00:30:52.210 --> 00:30:53.660
are over-fished,

00:30:53.660 --> 00:30:55.760
and less than 7% of the oceans

00:30:55.760 --> 00:30:58.723
are in a healthy condition,
like here around Tikihoa.

00:30:59.560 --> 00:31:01.630
But even though it still looks pristine,

00:31:01.630 --> 00:31:04.143
there are changes happening
in the ecosystem here.

00:31:17.160 --> 00:31:18.700
- Fishing for a living,

00:31:18.700 --> 00:31:21.210
to free dive and to
spearfish at the same time,

00:31:21.210 --> 00:31:22.803
is physically very challenging.

00:31:26.380 --> 00:31:27.500
- [Oliver] Yes, you need to be fit,

00:31:27.500 --> 00:31:29.300
and constantly work on your stamina.

00:31:32.530 --> 00:31:35.280
- After all your body
is your working tool.

00:31:35.280 --> 00:31:38.603
- [Oliver] Exactly, you always
need to listen to your body.

00:31:39.940 --> 00:31:42.260
If you don't feel well,
you need to take a rest,

00:31:42.260 --> 00:31:43.560
eat better and drink more.

00:31:47.876 --> 00:31:51.040
(gulls cawing)

00:31:51.040 --> 00:31:54.457
(acoustic guitar music)

00:31:57.380 --> 00:32:00.393
I wish for my son to grow up
in an undamaged environment,

00:32:01.450 --> 00:32:03.440
so that he can still see
all the beautiful fish

00:32:03.440 --> 00:32:04.290
that I have seen.

00:32:09.780 --> 00:32:12.173
I can show him how to
fish, and how to dive,

00:32:15.640 --> 00:32:17.560
but there are many people
who don't get the chance

00:32:17.560 --> 00:32:19.510
to show these skills to their children.

00:32:21.520 --> 00:32:23.130
Our children will not be able to see

00:32:23.130 --> 00:32:25.113
all the fish if it continues like this.

00:32:39.900 --> 00:32:41.450
- [Lea] This one has huge eyes.

00:32:43.460 --> 00:32:45.720
- [Oliver] These fish are
active at night when they hunt.

00:32:45.720 --> 00:32:47.793
- [Lea] It looks as if
they were out clubbing.

00:32:51.800 --> 00:32:52.633
- [Oliver] When they are cooked,

00:32:52.633 --> 00:32:55.090
you just peel off the skin
and serve them on a plate.

00:32:55.090 --> 00:32:55.923
That's it.

00:33:00.377 --> 00:33:03.736
(soft jazz music)

00:33:03.736 --> 00:33:07.736
- A fish with its own
packaging, very practical.

00:33:11.970 --> 00:33:14.203
- To have fresh fish is actually a luxury.

00:33:18.130 --> 00:33:19.440
People tend to forget that,

00:33:19.440 --> 00:33:21.967
when they make no difference
between freshly caught fish

00:33:21.967 --> 00:33:23.713
and a steak from the supermarket.

00:33:28.830 --> 00:33:30.870
What I try to do is make people more aware

00:33:30.870 --> 00:33:31.963
of that difference.

00:33:35.300 --> 00:33:36.773
- [Lea] Let's share a coconut?

00:34:13.650 --> 00:34:15.353
- [Oliver] Did you make the plates?

00:34:17.360 --> 00:34:19.383
- [Lea] I tried to make
them the way you did.

00:34:20.960 --> 00:34:21.793
It smells good.

00:35:02.850 --> 00:35:05.550
Within the atoll I sail to the L'île Eden,

00:35:05.550 --> 00:35:07.410
the Island Eden.

00:35:07.410 --> 00:35:08.900
There is a village community here

00:35:08.900 --> 00:35:10.360
that still manages to live

00:35:10.360 --> 00:35:13.420
an almost fully self-sustained lifestyle.

00:35:13.420 --> 00:35:14.370
Everything they need

00:35:14.370 --> 00:35:17.010
comes from the Island
or the surrounding sea.

00:35:17.010 --> 00:35:18.343
And it's even organic.

00:35:26.530 --> 00:35:29.960
80% of French Polynesia's
food is imported,

00:35:29.960 --> 00:35:32.250
but here too, the number
of people is growing

00:35:32.250 --> 00:35:34.933
who want to live a more
sustainable way of life.

00:35:39.410 --> 00:35:43.260
I visit the farmers couple
Sheila and Sun Yung Pol.

00:35:43.260 --> 00:35:44.590
Together with other families,

00:35:44.590 --> 00:35:46.903
they live off of what L'île Eden provides.

00:35:49.424 --> 00:35:53.091
(light instrumental music)

00:36:16.030 --> 00:36:19.340
The island farmer's
sustainable life has its price.

00:36:19.340 --> 00:36:22.020
The sandy soil and the
aggressive brackish water

00:36:22.020 --> 00:36:23.303
damage the fields.

00:36:24.330 --> 00:36:28.130
But by using earthworms and
microbes, the soil's fertility,

00:36:28.130 --> 00:36:30.703
and the plant's immune
systems are strengthened.

00:36:34.180 --> 00:36:36.280
How many people live on this Island?

00:36:36.280 --> 00:36:37.440
- About three families.

00:36:37.440 --> 00:36:38.630
- [Lea] Okay.

00:36:38.630 --> 00:36:40.580
And how many are you?

00:36:40.580 --> 00:36:42.713
- We have six adults plus our children.

00:36:45.960 --> 00:36:47.910
- Yesterday, I saw the
men going off fishing.

00:36:47.910 --> 00:36:49.460
Did they make a good catch?

00:36:49.460 --> 00:36:51.270
- [Sheila] Yes, the catch wasn't bad.

00:36:51.270 --> 00:36:53.770
They went spear fishing
and caught some good ones.

00:36:59.880 --> 00:37:02.040
- And you can live off
what the Island gives you?

00:37:02.040 --> 00:37:03.330
- [Sheila] Yes, for the most part.

00:37:03.330 --> 00:37:05.320
We grow vegetables, raise animals,

00:37:05.320 --> 00:37:07.947
make our own sea salt,
honey, and coconut oil.

00:37:18.480 --> 00:37:20.920
This is Acerola, a cherry
from Western India,

00:37:20.920 --> 00:37:22.383
and rich in vitamin C.

00:37:25.280 --> 00:37:26.113
- This one?

00:37:42.670 --> 00:37:44.470
- We have just renovated this place.

00:37:50.150 --> 00:37:52.200
- [Lea] I've never tasted salt like this.

00:37:54.033 --> 00:37:57.700
(light instrumental music)

00:38:10.700 --> 00:38:12.400
- These are our chickens.

00:38:12.400 --> 00:38:13.400
All beautiful.

00:38:13.400 --> 00:38:15.770
During the day they roam freely.

00:38:15.770 --> 00:38:18.633
We only feed them with coconut
and herbs, very natural.

00:38:22.310 --> 00:38:24.020
- [Lea] In the end, it all fits together.

00:38:24.020 --> 00:38:25.173
- Yes, it's a cycle.

00:38:27.850 --> 00:38:29.860
- And over there, I see a hen breeding.

00:38:29.860 --> 00:38:33.180
- Yes, she breeds her eggs,
and soon the chicks will hatch.

00:38:33.180 --> 00:38:34.580
We let her have her own way.

00:38:46.322 --> 00:38:49.322
- [Lea] They want to eat my fingers.

00:39:10.780 --> 00:39:12.520
That is great, thank you.

00:39:12.520 --> 00:39:14.170
I just put it directly in my bag.

00:39:17.250 --> 00:39:18.163
Yes, please.

00:39:20.340 --> 00:39:21.990
- [Man] Just a quick wash is enough.

00:39:21.990 --> 00:39:23.420
Then you can eat it directly,

00:39:23.420 --> 00:39:25.770
since we don't use any
pesticides or chemicals.

00:39:29.105 --> 00:39:29.938
- [Lea] Okay.

00:39:29.938 --> 00:39:33.293
Okay, perfect, that's
what I was looking for.

00:39:35.330 --> 00:39:37.473
So you don't have problems with bugs?

00:39:40.950 --> 00:39:43.460
- We work with the traditional methods.

00:39:43.460 --> 00:39:45.093
Mostly we use the chickens.

00:39:48.400 --> 00:39:49.620
Many people think the chickens

00:39:49.620 --> 00:39:51.420
will eat all their vegetables,

00:39:51.420 --> 00:39:52.750
but that is not true.

00:39:52.750 --> 00:39:53.993
They only eat the bugs.

00:40:07.841 --> 00:40:11.591
(bright instrumental music)

00:40:22.010 --> 00:40:23.530
- [Lea] Not everyone
can live like the people

00:40:23.530 --> 00:40:25.713
on the Island of Eden, that's for sure.

00:40:26.750 --> 00:40:28.350
But their example has shown me

00:40:28.350 --> 00:40:30.930
that living a simpler life is possible,

00:40:30.930 --> 00:40:33.360
one in harmony with nature.

00:40:33.360 --> 00:40:35.200
The people here are conscious of the fact

00:40:35.200 --> 00:40:38.630
that we are at a turning point
in times of climate change.

00:40:38.630 --> 00:40:40.340
It is therefore all the more important

00:40:40.340 --> 00:40:43.623
to preserve and use their
knowledge and rich experience.

00:40:45.430 --> 00:40:47.440
There are more than enough solutions,

00:40:47.440 --> 00:40:49.623
we just have to be open to them,

00:40:50.870 --> 00:40:53.510
and there will always be contradictions,

00:40:53.510 --> 00:40:56.343
but doing nothing is not an option for me.

00:41:04.910 --> 00:41:09.910
So my work as a surfer, for instance,

00:41:10.290 --> 00:41:12.680
is very related to the industry as well,

00:41:12.680 --> 00:41:16.400
and to the world of consumerism, for sure.

00:41:16.400 --> 00:41:19.760
To be realistic it's
impossible to live without

00:41:19.760 --> 00:41:22.550
any of those goods, whether
it's clothes, backpacks.

00:41:22.550 --> 00:41:25.370
We won't go back to a civilization

00:41:25.370 --> 00:41:28.166
when we all are naked in the forest,

00:41:28.166 --> 00:41:31.970
it's just not happening,
but we can consume better.

00:41:31.970 --> 00:41:35.750
And just to go in the right direction.

00:41:35.750 --> 00:41:38.520
I mean, it could sound
like a contradiction,

00:41:38.520 --> 00:41:40.323
but it is actually a solution.

00:41:41.580 --> 00:41:43.970
Just try to keep it as simple as possible

00:41:43.970 --> 00:41:48.140
and put meaning into
every one of my actions,

00:41:48.140 --> 00:41:52.340
rather than just being blind,

00:41:52.340 --> 00:41:56.680
because that's the only way
I could find personally.

00:41:56.680 --> 00:41:59.860
And I am, I believe it makes a difference.

00:42:01.824 --> 00:42:04.907
(solemn piano music)

00:42:32.186 --> 00:42:35.936
(dramatic orchestral music)