Joseph Cleans!

Joseph cleans. He demonstrates that other things are more important to him than school. Joseph is socially engaged and concerned about the environment. He has chosen the best path for himself because it is his way. Joseph’s parents take him seriously and support him on his way to a conscious, responsible life he has chosen for himself.

His parents support him to define his own life.

Joseph is a person who thinks very deeply and wants to know how everything works in real life. He has guts for himself and thus finds his way with the support of his parents.

To Joseph, life education is more important than career education.

For Joseph, schooling is an incredibly inefficient way of imparting knowledge. His parents support him on his way and teach him mathematics and English; that is all he needs because he learns from nature, by choice, and soaks up the knowledge!

Education needs freedom, freedom means uncertainty, and the parents must endure it, to keep the space of this uncertainty open for the child – only then can education emerge as an active process that starts from the child.

His mother said: “We are proud of Joseph; he is making his way. We trust in his journey now”. “A fish is good at swimming; why do we try to climb him into a tree?”

We met this intriguing boy at his re- and upcycling facility at home, let’s see what he has to say about why Joseph cleans:

How do you experience your world? What is important to you?

It’s my family, God and Karma. I believe in Karma, and what goes around comes around. Karma is when you do something good, it will happen to you in the future.

Joseph cleans and does his part to improve the world by recycling and finding rubbish.

What inspired you to do this? When did you decide to make the world a better place?

I used to collect cables with my friends. Then I saw the people riding on their bikes and picking up rubbish.  One of those guys knows my dad, and the guy has told my dad that he saw me collecting cable. He gave my father the idea that I should collect plastic waste, because it would give me money.

What are you doing with this money?

With the money that I get from that, I pay the school fee for a whole year for children my age in Denpasar.

Did you know the children before?

No. I played with them first to get to know each other better, and now we are also friends.

I visit them as often as I can. We are about the same age. Every year, it’s a challenge for families to save up for school fees in order for their children to attend school. 

What do you understand about sustainability?

Sustainability is if you have a river full of fish, and you take only as much as you need, there will be enough fish for everyone. If you take more fish than what you need, there will be no more fish in the river, and there is enough for everyone.

Why is sustainability so important?

There can be a balance in the world.

You make decisions and take responsibility. How do you see your role in today’s society?

My role in today’s society is to help people and give them jobs, to support kids to go to school. I clean up Bali, and I want to tell the kids that no matter if you are little, you can make a difference on the planet.

How do you imagine the world/your world in the next 20 years?

Everybody is recycling, and there won’t be any plastic. And if the opposite happens, and people keep littering, the whole world would be full of rubbish. In 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the sea. We must act now; if the fish die, people will also die.

What else do you do in your free time?

In my free time, I like to go fishing, climb up the mango or coconut trees, or I like to make little plastic sheets, and I make them with a panini press.

Thank you, Joseph, for the Interview.

Facts about Joseph:

10 years old and lives the life he has chosen for himself. He is inspired by recycling and making the world a better place with the support of his parents. That’s why Joseph cleans.

They teach him entrepreneurship, English and Math. Joseph collects the recycling goods every Tuesday with his dad on the truck. The people know Joseph already, they prepare the plastic, and everything must be washed.

He makes his artwork from the plastic and sells it every Sunday at LaBrisa in Canggu.

Follow Joseph Cleans on Instagram @joseph_recycling