Week 23
I had several exciting developments last week in Green Garbage Land. First, and most exciting, I got to speak in Salem after a screening of Garbage! The Revolution Starts at Home. This is an independent movie produced by a Canadian man who, like Adam and I, got sick and tired of seeing the environment trashed in order to power our consumer culture. In order to raise awareness about this problem, he asked a family he is friends with to save their trash for three months. Saving both landfill-bound garbage and recycling for only three months entirely filled this family’s garage. But the filmmaker didn’t stop there. He traced garbage from its source inside the home to far-reaching places around both Canada and the United States. It reminded me of the book Garbageland (an excellent read, by the way), a book about where our trash goes once it leaves the curb. Additionally, the film addresses other environmental issues the average U.S. or Canadian family contributes to – water pollution and road runoff, excessive energy use, and so on. The tagline of the film is as follows: “Garbage! The Revolution Starts at Home is a feature documentary about how the family household has become one of the most ferocious environmental predators of our time.” I think that description of the family household as a ferocious, albiet unaware, enivronmental predator is one of the most apt I’ve yet to run across. This film is a great reminder that our smallest actions have far-reaching consequences. If you want to know more, go to this site.
Anyway, about 200 people showed up for the movie, and I got to speak afterward, along with my Master Recycler course instructor. This is one of the first times I’ve gotten to speak to such a large audience about our project, and I have a marvelous time doing it. Thank you to everyone who came out and saw the film, supporting the Salem Progressive Film Society.
A reader also sent me a link to a super-cool upcycling project that I just have to post pictures of. It took me awhile to get around to this email, but once I did, wow! All I can say is thanks for sending in the link! If you’re like me and looking for a way to recycle/reuse old lightbulbs, check out this link. I haven’t tried this yet, but it’s now added to the list.
Has anyone tried any crafts with lightbulbs? I’ll post about how this turns out as soon as I try it. Take care!
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The lightbulbs are sooo cool, we’ll have to give those a try!
gorgeous upcycling idea…but I’m assuming you are using CFLs now and not incandescents?
Metro – Find a Recycler: http://www.oregonmetro.gov/index.cfm/go/by.web/id=1383
Really awesome.
Well…this may not be a popular suggestion, but there’s nothing like an old fashioned light bulb when darning socks. It’s just the right shape to hold the shape of the sock as you weave the darning threads into the hole. It’s a little fragile, but it works. And you can extend the life of a pair of socks while you’re at it.