Category Archives: slip ups

October 6, 2008 · 12:48 pm

Day 98: Interactions in Waste

At a popular dine-in establishment.

“Can I ask you a favour? Can I get my meal on a plate instead of in a plastic basket. And can I get it with no foil liner?”

“They usually come in a basket.”

“I know, but I’m doing a project this year. Can I get it with no paper, no plastic, just the food?”

“Oh, you’re trying to reduce garbage?”

“Ya, that’s it. So, no paper, no plastic. Is that ok?”

“Ok. No problem.”

After which I receive a meal dutifully placed on a plate garnished with a little cup of dipping sauce made out of, you guessed it, un-numbered plastic.

I’m not sure what else to say.

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Filed under food, interactions, slip ups

September 12, 2008 · 5:02 am

Day 73: Broken Dreams

Maybe the title of this post is a tad melodramatic, but my dreams of an empty bin have been shattered lately by a force that I can only can extreme clumsiness.

Over the course of four weeks, we have managed to break a grand total of 6 dishes! I have dropped or knocked three separate dishes (sometimes in comically slow motion); Grant has smashed one; Rhyannon shattered one; and the cat from next door snuck in and kicked a bowl off the counter when we weren’t looking (we know because we saw him high-tailing it out the cat door).

We have produced more broken dish garbage in the past month than in the past year! So my question is this: how do you recycle broken crockery and drinking glasses? Is it possible?

I have read that you can reuse them in fish bowls and flower pots, but at this rate, my flower pots will be all filled up by December!

And so, the bin grows ever heavier. I keep meaning to do an official check in. . . . I promise one coming soon, so you too can see how our respective waste bins are doing.

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September 10, 2008 · 7:56 pm

Day 72: Big Spender

Grant has two identities: Work Grant and Real Grant.

You see, Grant works from home. This means that all of his business associated waste stays in our household, and all of his business related purchases have to be done by him personally. You would think this would be an advantage to the clean bin competition project because he has complete control over what he does or does not purchase. However, it’s not true.

Work Grant makes music and films which are, inevitably, burned onto CDs and DVDs. This requires a bunch of stuff including printer ink and discs not to mention hardrive space. “Your employer buys all your work supplies for you,” he says, ” so you don’t have to worry about office purchases or office garbage.” It’s true, it doesn’t really create a a fair playing field.

So, we reached a compromise. Continue reading →

Day 67: Surprise Gifts

We had originally thought that we wouldn’t have to tackle the issue of gifts until our birthdays which are in October. We were wrong.

To be fair, Rhyannon did already have her birthday, and she managed to come through with mainly loads of compostable flowers. Grant and I have been dropping hints to our families, encouraging them not to buy material goods for us. So far so good. My brother returned from Europe with candies (consumable) in a little tin (recyclable and reusable). But apparently it’s not our families that we have to worry about, it’s those surprise gifts.

Continue reading →

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August 17, 2008 · 3:41 am

Day 47: Shambala

We’ve been away for yet another week-long trip that challenged our clean bins. This time to the Kootenays of BC (an 8 hour drive East of Vancouver) to the fabulous Shambala music festival.

Grant’s alter ego, Phontaine, was playing a dj set at the festival, so we decided to make a vacation of it, packed the car full of camping gear, turntables, and tupperwares, and headed out. Continue reading →

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Filed under no waste on the road, recycling, slip ups

July 22, 2008 · 2:52 am

Day 21: The Opposite of Green is Red

Yesterday I partook in a blatantly un-green activity. I took Grant’s sister-in-law and niece out for their birthdays for that most feminine of pampering rituals, and I participated.

I had a pedicure.

(and yes, those are my toes, and no, I don’t only have 8 of them – the little ones just didn’t make the photo.)