The Clean Bin Project - Part 1

When I look back at the causes and contributors towards my attitude and enthusiasm about doing my part to help the environment, there are many events that stand out in my mind.  I expect that quite a few of them will come up in my postings on this blog, because the nature of this blog is very much driven by what my own experiences have been and sharing them with others in the hope that maybe others can make use of them somehow.

One of the biggest contributors to my desire to start a blog and share in this particular manner arose upon hearing about The Clean Bin Project.  The Clean Bin Project is a movie and related blog, which follow the lives of three Vancouverites as they spend a year not consuming (and trying to produce zero landfill waste).  I've watched the trailer that is available on their website and it gave me a lot of ideas for things that I could do better (that's where the idea of using Ziplock containers when buying food came from).  The reason that I am posting about this now is that there are going to be upcoming screenings of the movie in the Lower Mainland (I am assuming that they will be free but I can't say for certain), this week and in the coming months (check out the schedule here), and also in Squamish, Bellingham, WA, and Edmonton, between now and the official release sometime in the summer.  The website and blog are a terrific resource, if you are unable to attend a screening but want to know more.

If any of you manage to go to the screenings, please let me know in the Comments what you thought.  I will be going on Friday night to the Maple Ridge screening and will most likely do a follow up post about it.

Consumerism.

For those of you that are interested, I thought I would explain my opinion on consumerism, as I'm sure in time those that read this blog will come to find that my consistency on this issue is questionable.  I find two areas of my life to be in direct opposition, which in many ways has given rise to this blog: my "things" (i.e. products that I have purchased) and the environment.  I, as with most people, am willing to tolerate a certain amount of negative impact in the name of convenience, enjoyment and practicality.  Two years ago I would have scoffed at the idea of making (mostly) my own food.  I think it would be very difficult indeed to have absolutely no negative impact, no matter how hard you try.  I also think that some of the "difficulty" and "inconvenience" that we believe exists in doing certain things is a matter of perception only.  An interesting development for me is that what I used to percieve as inconvenient is now becoming more enjoyable. 

For instance, as I mentioned in a previous post, I love my breadmaker.  I promise not to post about breadmakers so regularly in the future, but it is a kind of first step when you start making a lot of your own food.  Any breadmaker would probably be equally as adored in my eyes because all I really care about is the end product.  I am still a consumer because I bought the breadmaker, but hopefully less so.  It has been quite some time since Tim or I have bought any bread and I imagine whatever my mother paid for the machine many years ago at the time of its purchase, has long since been offset.  I've gotten to the point now where I don't see making bread as an inconvenience.