Monthly Archives: November 2008

November 30, 2008 · 11:14 am

Day 153: Sandwiches and Plastic Chandeliers

Last weekend I had a double dose of culture. First I went to the Eastside Culture Crawl, an annual event here in Vancouver where artists open the doors to their homes and studios and let you tromp about and admire their artwork. Then I went to the One of a Kind art show, a huge indoor original art fair. I saw literally hundreds of artists (and yes, I managed to restrain myself and not buy anything).

Being of the ever vigilant waste-free mindset, a couple of artists caught my eye. Continue reading →

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Filed under Around the house, reusable containers

November 28, 2008 · 1:07 pm

Day 151: We’re on the Rubbish Diet

Almost Mrs Average over at The Rubbish Diet is featuring us on her blog today, so click here to read our story about how we came to do the Clean Bin Project in the first place. And don’t forget to take part in International Buy Nothing Day on Nov 29 (tomorrow), or, if you’re in North America and need to stand out from the rest of the world, do North American Buy Nothing Day on Nov 28 (today)!

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November 27, 2008 · 9:11 pm

Day 150: CleanBin on the Boob Toob

We’re famous! Ok, maybe not really, but a couple weeks ago we got interviewed by BCIT Magazine, a student news program here in Vancouver. Rhyannon was at physio, but Grant and I got our 2 minutes of fame:

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Filed under Around the house, interactions

November 25, 2008 · 10:12 pm

Day 148: Crazy Old Recycling Diva

It’s funny, when I talk to adults about the Clean Bin Project, I sometimes sound quite righteous and almost snobby, but when I talk to kids, I get a little embarrassed.

By kids, I mean teenagers. And the most judgemental of those: 13 year olds. Most years I coach a high school sports team which, this year, gave me access to 14 adolescent minds with which to test the “ultimate coolness” of the Clean Bin Project.

I started off by casually talking about recycling. (They were on board). I mentioned I take all my waste home with me. (A few weird looks). I say I haven’t taken my garbage out in 4 months. (Stares of disbelief). Someone asks about feminine hygiene, and it’s all over. Continue reading →

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Filed under interactions

November 24, 2008 · 8:03 am

Day 147: Bright Ideas

So, we aren’t buying stuff, and that includes household goods. Like light bulbs for instance.

Did we stock up? No.

Are we going to give in and buy some? No.

Is it silly to not buy these modern essentials and then make up for it later by buying a bunch of them to replace the ones that died during the year? Probably.

First off, I thought it wouldn’t be a problem because these new energy efficient light bulbs are supposed to last 7 years or so. Figuring we’ve only lived here for 5, I calculate that we have about two more years worth of bulb left in those guys. I say this in jest of course because I can tell you that more than one of my $7 energy efficient bulbs have died before their time. Continue reading →

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Filed under Around the house, recycling

November 22, 2008 · 4:00 pm

Day 145: Accidental Bloomin’ Gift Garbage

So I haven’t told everyone in my life about the Clean Bin Project. But the problem with that is, when an opportunity for gift giving comes around, they don’t know “the rules“, and we end up with more garbage.

This week I was generously given a lovely bouquet of roses which, by the way, I very much appreciate. And I should say that I in no way want to undermine the sentiment of gift giving, especially of flowers. After all, they are biodegradable aren’t they? Ah ha, but I forgot about the packaging. Continue reading →

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