TEDCity2.0
Robin Nagle: What I discovered in New York City trash
Robin Nagle: Što sam otkrila u smeću New Yorka
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Stanari New Yorka proizvode 11000 tona smeća svaki dan. Svaki dan!
Ova zapanjujuća statistika je samo jedan od razloga zašto je Robin Nagle započela istraživački projekt sa gradskim odjelom za Sanitaciju. Šetala je rutama, koristila mehaničke metle, čak i sama vozila kamion za odvoz smeća -- sve kako bi dala odgovor na složeno pitanje koje jednostavno zvuči: tko čisti iza nas?
Robin Nagle - Trash anthropologist
Robin Nagle is an anthropologist with a very particular focus... garbage. Full bio
Robin Nagle is an anthropologist with a very particular focus... garbage. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
I was about 10 years old
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Imala sam 10 godina
00:14
on a camping trip with my dad
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kada sam otišla na kampiranje s tatom
00:16
in the Adirondack Mountains, a wilderness area
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u planine Adirondack, divlje područje
00:19
in the northern part of New York State.
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u sjevernom djelu države New York.
00:22
It was a beautiful day.
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Bio je to prekrasan dan.
00:23
The forest was sparkling.
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Šuma je blistala.
00:25
The sun made the leaves glow like stained glass,
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Sunce je činilo
da lišće svijetli kao ukrašeno staklo,
da lišće svijetli kao ukrašeno staklo,
00:28
and if it weren't for the path we were following,
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i da nije bilo staze koju smo slijedlili,
00:32
we could almost pretend we were
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gotovo smo se mogli pretvarati da smo
00:33
the first human beings to ever walk that land.
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prva ljudska bića
koja su hodala tom zemljom.
koja su hodala tom zemljom.
00:37
We got to our campsite.
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Došli smo do našeg mjesta za kampiranje.
00:38
It was a lean-to on a bluff
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Bilo je to sklonište na strmini
00:40
looking over a crystal, beautiful lake,
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koja je gledala
na kristalno, prekrasno jezero,
na kristalno, prekrasno jezero,
00:43
when I discovered a horror.
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kada sam oktrila užas.
00:46
Behind the lean-to was a dump,
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Iza skloništa bilo je smetlište,
00:49
maybe 40 feet square
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veliko 40 stopa kvadratnih
00:50
with rotting apple cores
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sa trulim ogriscima jabuka
00:53
and balled-up aluminum foil,
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i zgužvanom alu folijom
00:54
and a dead sneaker.
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i mrtvom tenisicom.
00:56
And I was astonished,
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I bila sam zapanjena,
00:59
I was very angry, and I was deeply confused.
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bila sam ljuta i jako zbunjena.
01:02
The campers who were too lazy
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Izletnici su bili prelijeni
01:04
to take out what they had brought in,
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da iznesu ono što su donijeli,
01:06
who did they think would clean up after them?
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što su mislili tko će čistiti za njima?
01:09
That question stayed with me,
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To pitanje ostalo je samnom,
01:11
and it simplified a little.
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i malo se pojednostavilo.
01:13
Who cleans up after us?
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Tko čisti za nama?
01:16
However you configure
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Kako god podesite
01:17
or wherever you place the us,
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ili gdje god da stavite nas,
01:19
who cleans up after us in Istanbul?
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tko čisti za nama u Istanbulu?
01:21
Who cleans up after us in Rio
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Tko čisti za nama u Riu
01:24
or in Paris or in London?
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Parizu ili Londonu?
01:26
Here in New York,
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Ovdje u New Yorku,
01:28
the Department of Sanitation cleans up after us,
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Odjel za Čistoću čisti za nama,
01:30
to the tune of 11,000 tons of garbage
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u pjesmi 11000 tona smeća
01:33
and 2,000 tons of recyclables every day.
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i 2000 tona reciklaže svakog dana.
01:37
I wanted to get to know them as individuals.
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Htjela sam ih upoznati kao pojedince.
01:40
I wanted to understand who takes the job.
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Htjela sam razumjeti tko radi taj posao.
01:43
What's it like to wear the uniform
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Kako je nositi uniformu
01:45
and bear that burden?
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i imati taj teret?
01:47
So I started a research project with them.
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Tako da sam započela
istraživački projekt s njima.
istraživački projekt s njima.
01:50
I rode in the trucks and walked the routes
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Vozila sam se u kamionima i šetala rutama
01:52
and interviewed people in offices and facilities
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i intervjuirala ljude
u uredima i postrojenjima
u uredima i postrojenjima
01:55
all over the city,
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po cijelom gradu,
01:56
and I learned a lot,
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i puno toga naučila,
01:58
but I was still an outsider.
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ali sam još uvijek bila outsider.
02:00
I needed to go deeper.
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Morala sam otići dublje.
02:02
So I took the job as a sanitation worker.
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Tako da sam počela raditi kao čistač.
02:05
I didn't just ride in the trucks now. I drove the trucks.
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Nisam se samo vozila u
kamionima. Vozila sam kamion.
kamionima. Vozila sam kamion.
02:08
And I operated the mechanical brooms and I plowed the snow.
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I upravljala mehaničkim
metlama i čistila snijeg.
metlama i čistila snijeg.
02:11
It was a remarkable privilege
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To je bila iznimna privilegija
02:13
and an amazing education.
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i odlično obrazovanje.
02:16
Everyone asks about the smell.
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Svi pitaju za miris.
02:18
It's there, but it's not as prevalent as you think,
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Tu je, ali ne prevladava
toliko koliko mislite,
toliko koliko mislite,
02:21
and on days when it is really bad,
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i na dane kada je izrazito loš,
02:22
you get used to it rather quickly.
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brzo se naviknete.
02:25
The weight takes a long time to get used to.
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Teško se naviknuti na težinu.
02:28
I knew people who were several years on the job
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Znala sam ljude koji
su radili nekoliko godina
su radili nekoliko godina
02:30
whose bodies were still adjusting to the burden
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a tijela su im se još
prilagođavala na teret
prilagođavala na teret
02:33
of bearing on your body
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nošenja na vašem tijelu
02:35
tons of trash every week.
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tone smeća svakog tjedna.
02:38
Then there's the danger.
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Onda ovdje je opasnost.
02:40
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics,
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Prema Birou za Statistiku Rada,
02:43
sanitation work is one of the 10 most dangerous
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čišćenje je jedno je od 10 najopasnijih
02:45
occupations in the country,
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zanimanja u zemlji,
02:47
and I learned why.
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i naučila sam zašto.
02:49
You're in and out of traffic all day,
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Ulazite i izlazite iz prometa svaki dan,
02:50
and it's zooming around you.
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i zuji oko vas.
02:51
It just wants to get past you, so it's often
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Želi vas samo obići, često su to
02:53
the motorist is not paying attention.
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motoristi koji ne obraćaju pažnju.
02:55
That's really bad for the worker.
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To je strašno loše za radnike.
02:57
And then the garbage itself is full of hazards
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I samo smeće je puno opasnosti
02:59
that often fly back out of the truck
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i često izlijeće iz kamiona
03:01
and do terrible harm.
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i radi štetu.
03:03
I also learned about the relentlessness of trash.
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Također sam naučila o ustrajnosti smeća.
03:06
When you step off the curb
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Kada siđete s rubnjaka
03:07
and you see a city from behind a truck,
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i vidite grad iza kamiona,
03:10
you come to understand that trash
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poćnete shvaćati da smeće
03:12
is like a force of nature unto itself.
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je samo po sebi sila prirode.
03:14
It never stops coming.
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Nikad ne prestaje dolaziti.
03:17
It's also like a form of respiration or circulation.
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To je i forma disanja i cirkulacije.
03:20
It must always be in motion.
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Uvijek mora biti u pokretu.
03:23
And then there's the stigma.
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A tu je i stigma.
03:25
You put on the uniform, and you become invisible
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Stavite uniformu i postajete nevidljivi,
03:28
until someone is upset with you for whatever reason
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dok god netko nije ljut na
vas iz bilo kojeg razloga
vas iz bilo kojeg razloga
03:31
like you've blocked traffic with your truck,
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kao kad blokirate promet kamionom,
03:33
or you're taking a break too close to their home,
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ili ste napravili pauzu
preblizu njihova doma,
preblizu njihova doma,
03:36
or you're drinking coffee in their diner,
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ili pijete kavu u njihovoj zalogajnici,
03:39
and they will come and scorn you,
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i oni će doći i grditi vas,
03:41
and tell you that they don't want you anywhere near them.
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i reći vam da vas ne žele blizu sebe.
03:44
I find the stigma especially ironic,
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Nalazim da je stigma posebno ironična,
03:47
because I strongly believe that sanitation workers
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jer snažno vjerujem da su čistači
03:50
are the most important labor force
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najvažnija radna snaga
03:52
on the streets of the city, for three reasons.
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na ulicama grada, iz tri razloga.
03:55
They are the first guardians of public health.
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Oni su prvi čuvari javnog zdravlja.
03:58
If they're not taking away trash
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Ako ne odvoze smeće
04:00
efficiently and effectively every day,
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učinkovito i uspješno svaki dan,
04:02
it starts to spill out of its containments,
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počne ispadati iz kontejnera,
04:05
and the dangers inherent to it threaten us
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i opasnosti povezane
s tim počinju nam prijetiti
s tim počinju nam prijetiti
04:09
in very real ways.
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na stvarne načine.
04:10
Diseases we've had in check for decades and centuries
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Bolesti koje su desetljećima
i stoljećima mirovale
i stoljećima mirovale
04:13
burst forth again and start to harm us.
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pojave se ponovno i
počinju nam nanositi štetu.
počinju nam nanositi štetu.
04:16
The economy needs them.
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Ekonomija ih treba.
04:17
If we can't throw out the old stuff,
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Ako ne možemo baciti stare stvari,
04:20
we have no room for the new stuff,
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nemamo mjesta za nove stvari,
04:22
so then the engines of the economy
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tako da strojevi ekonomije
04:24
start to sputter when consumption is compromised.
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počinju zastajkivati kada
je konzumiranje ugroženo.
je konzumiranje ugroženo.
04:27
I'm not advocating capitalism, I'm just pointing out their relationship.
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Ne potičem kapitalizam,
samo ističem njihov odnos.
samo ističem njihov odnos.
04:31
And then there's what I call
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I onda imamo ono što zovem
04:33
our average, necessary quotidian velocity.
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naša prosječna, potrebna brzina kretanja.
04:37
By that I simply mean
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Time jednostavno mislim
04:39
how fast we're used to moving
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kako smo se brzo navikli kretati
04:41
in the contemporary day and age.
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u trenutnom vremenu i dobu.
04:43
We usually don't care for, repair, clean, carry around
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Obično se ne brinemo, ne
popravljamo, ne nosimo sa sobom
popravljamo, ne nosimo sa sobom
04:48
our coffee cup, our shopping bag,
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svoju šalicu za kavu,
ili vrećicu za trgovinu,
ili vrećicu za trgovinu,
04:51
our bottle of water.
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ili bocu vode.
04:52
We use them, we throw them out, we forget about them,
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Koristimo ih, bacimo ih,
zaboravimo na njih,
zaboravimo na njih,
04:55
because we know there's a workforce
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jer znamo da postoji radna snaga
04:57
on the other side that's going to take it all away.
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s druge strane koja će to sve odnijeti.
05:00
So I want to suggest today a couple of ways
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Danas želim predložiti nekoliko načina
05:02
to think about sanitation that will perhaps help
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da razmislimo o čišćenju
koji će možda pomoći
koji će možda pomoći
05:07
ameliorate the stigma
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da se ukloni stigma
05:09
and bring them into this conversation
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i da ih uključimo u ovaj razgovor
05:12
of how to craft a city that is sustainable and humane.
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o izgradnji grada koji je održiv i human.
05:17
Their work, I think, is kind of liturgical.
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Njihov rad, ja mislim,
je pomalo liturgijski.
je pomalo liturgijski.
05:21
They're on the streets every day, rhythmically.
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Svakog dana su na ulici, ritmično.
05:24
They wear a uniform in many cities.
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Nose uniforme u mnogim gradovima.
05:26
You know when to expect them.
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Znate kada ih trebate očekivati.
05:28
And their work lets us do our work.
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I njihov rad nam omogućuje naš rad.
05:32
They are almost a form of reassurance.
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Oni su forma osiguravanja.
05:34
The flow that they maintain
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Tijek koji održavaju
05:36
keeps us safe from ourselves,
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drži nas sigurnima od samih sebe,
05:38
from our own dross, our cast-offs,
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našeg smeća, naših odbačenih stvari,
05:41
and that flow must be maintained always
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i onda se tijek mora održavati stalno
05:44
no matter what.
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bez obzira na sve.
05:46
On the day after September 11 in 2001,
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Dan nakon 11. rujna 2001.,
05:49
I heard the growl of a sanitation truck on the street,
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čula sam režanje kamiona
za smeće na ulicama,
za smeće na ulicama,
05:53
and I grabbed my infant son and I ran downstairs
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i zgrabila sam svog novorođenog
sina i potrčala dolje
sina i potrčala dolje
05:55
and there was a man doing his paper recycling route
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i ondje je bio čovjek koji je radio
svoju rutu za recikliranje papira
svoju rutu za recikliranje papira
05:58
like he did every Wednesday.
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kao što je to činio svake srijede.
06:00
And I tried to thank him for doing his work
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I pokušala sam mu zahvaliti
jer je radio svoj posao
jer je radio svoj posao
06:02
on that day of all days,
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na taj dan od svih dana,
06:05
but I started to cry.
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no počela sam plakati.
06:07
And he looked at me,
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I pogledao me,
06:09
and he just nodded, and he said,
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i samo je klimnuo i rekao,
06:12
"We're going to be okay.
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"Bit ćemo dobro.
06:15
We're going to be okay."
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Bit ćemo dobro."
06:18
It was a little while later that I started
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Tek kasnije počela sam
06:19
my research with sanitation,
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istraživati čišćenje,
06:20
and I met that man again.
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i srela sam ponovno tog čovjeka.
06:22
His name is Paulie, and we worked together many times,
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Njegovo je ime Paulie,
i puno smo puta radili skupa,
i puno smo puta radili skupa,
06:25
and we became good friends.
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i postali smo dobri prijatelji.
06:27
I want to believe that Paulie was right.
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Želim vjerovati da je Paulie bio u pravu.
06:29
We are going to be okay.
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Bit ćemo dobro.
06:32
But in our effort to reconfigure
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Ali u našem trudu da podesimo
06:34
how we as a species exist on this planet,
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kako kao vrsta postojimo na planetu,
06:37
we must include and take account of
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moramo uključiti i uzeti u obzir
06:40
all the costs, including the very real human cost
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sve troškove, uključujući
i stvarni ljudski trošak
i stvarni ljudski trošak
06:44
of the labor.
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rada.
06:45
And we also would be well informed
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I bili bismo mudri
06:48
to reach out to the people who do that work
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kada bi stupili u kontakt
s ljudima koji taj posao rade
s ljudima koji taj posao rade
06:50
and get their expertise
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i stekli njihovu ekspertizu
06:52
on how do we think about,
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o tome kako razmišljamo,
06:54
how do we create systems around sustainability
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kako stvaramo sustave oko održivosti
06:57
that perhaps take us from curbside recycling,
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koji nas vode od recikliranja uz cestu,
07:01
which is a remarkable success across 40 years,
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koje je strašan uspjeh kroz 40 godina,
07:03
across the United States and countries around the world,
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kroz cijeli SAD i zemlje širom svijeta,
07:06
and lift us up to a broader horizon
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i podići nas na širi horizont
07:09
where we're looking at other forms of waste
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gdje gledamo ostale oblike otpada
07:12
that could be lessened
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koje možemo smanjiti
07:14
from manufacturing and industrial sources.
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iz proizvodnje i industrije.
07:16
Municipal waste, what we think of when we talk about garbage,
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Gradski otpad, na koji mislimo
kada pričamo o smeću,
kada pričamo o smeću,
07:20
accounts for three percent of the nation's waste stream.
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daje tri posto tijeka smeća nacije.
07:24
It's a remarkable statistic.
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To je zapanjujuća statistika.
07:27
So in the flow of your days,
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U toku vaših dana,
07:29
in the flow of your lives,
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vaših života,
07:31
next time you see someone whose job is
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kada vidite nekoga čiji je posao
07:34
to clean up after you,
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da čisti za vama,
07:37
take a moment to acknowledge them.
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uzmite trenutak da ih prepoznate.
07:39
Take a moment to say thank you.
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Uzmite tren da im zahvalite.
07:44
(Applause)
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(Pljesak)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Robin Nagle - Trash anthropologistRobin Nagle is an anthropologist with a very particular focus... garbage.
Why you should listen
Robin Nagle has been the anthropologist-in-residence at the Department of Sanitation in New York City since 2006.
Nagle's fascination with trash stems from her desire to understand the all-too-often invisible infrastructure that guides the flow of garbage through a megalopolis like New York. After all, the city produces 11,000 tons of rubbish each day... and all of that has to be dealt with somewhere and by someone. If not, damaging health problems and consequences for all. So why do sanitation workers experience such stigma, all too often scorned and berated while on the job? Nagle, who is also director of NYU's Draper Interdisciplinary Master's program in humanities and social thought, determined to find out. She got her sanitation worker license and has spent much time with workers on the job, getting an up-close view of the city's garbage and the systems in place to deal with it.
Her book, Picking Up: On the Streets and Behind the Trucks with the Sanitation Workers of New York City was published in 2013 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. See also the profile of her work -- and a photoessay of her favorite places in New York City.
Robin Nagle | Speaker | TED.com