For a Year, They Bought Nothing and Threw Away Zilch Now Vancouver Filmmakers are Cycling Canada & 'Talking Trash' with Their Documentary The Clean Bin Project
What started as a personal challenge - a household competition to see who could produce the least amount of garbage - has now become a feature documentary that will be coming to Sault Ste. Marie for a single showing on Saturday, July 31st. Filmmakers Grant Baldwin and Jenny Rustemeyer are currently on the road, bicycling across Canada, showing their film The Clean Bin Project and having engaging discussions on waste reduction in communities across the country. The Clean Bin Project is a feature documentary film about a regular couple and their quest to answer the question "is it possible to live completely waste free?" Partners Jen and Grant go head to head in a battle to see who can swear off consumerism and produce the least landfill garbage in an entire year. Their light-hearted competition to refuse, reduce and recycle their way to the smallest garbage bin is set against a darker examination of the large-scale environmental impacts of our “throw-away society”.
"We had watched a lot of environmental films that were really informative, but we always felt so overwhelmed and deflated at the end of them," explains Grant, who directed and edited the film, "we wanted to make a movie that showed how choosing to do just one thing, like reducing your trash, can be not only manageable, but really empowering and fun." The pair has already been garnering accolades for their project and were recently awarded the 2010 MOBI award for journalism and media from the Recycling Council of British Columbia. "We just started as a personal challenge, but it turns out that people are really intrigued by how we managed to produce so little garbage," says Jenny. "The response has been great; people say they have been really inspired to make changes in their own lives."
The Clean Bin Project cycle tour will be at Loplops Lounge & Gallery at 651 Queen Street East in Sault Ste. Marie on Saturday, July 31st at 7pm. Admission is by donation to the Clean Bin Project. This screening is sponsored by Clean North and all ages are welcome.
For more info about the screening, call Clean North at 945-1573. Learn more about the Clean Bin Project and watch the trailer at www.cleanbinmovie.com.
Posted by: Kathie Brosemer (kathie) on August 19, 2008 at 10:22:17
from the mulch-and-trees-and-trees-and-mulch dept.
This Saturday, the 23rd of August, Clean North's tree-expert volunteers will be available to help you get started planting trees! Come and buy potted trees of locally-adapted species and seed sources, get some Christmas Tree mulch (by donation, bring your own container), and have all your tree-planting questions answered.
"The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is right now."
From 9 am to noon at Lemieux Composting.
Tree species available this year include Norway Spruce, Red Oak, Bur Oak, White Cedar, and Red Pine.
We'll also have bat houses, rainbarrels, and coir fibre blocks for purchase. Coir fibre is the environmentally friendly alternative to peat moss, sustainably produced and not mined.
Posted by: Kathie Brosemer (kathie) on September 11, 2007 at 15:22:30
from the get-real-or-get-lost dept.
This notice is your invitation to participate in an exciting dialogue on sustainability on September 20th in Sault Ste. Marie. Mike Nickerson of Ottawa, author of "Life, Money, and Illusion" and a leading thinker in the area of what makes a community and economy sustainable, will be here for a dialogue and book-signing.
Further information can be found at this website. Bring your friends and neighbours!
Posted by: Kathie Brosemer (kathie) on September 11, 2007 at 11:02:45
from the front-end dept.
We're a go for fall, against the odds. Our Bring Out Your Dead e-waste reuse and recycling event will be held on the 29th of September, 10 am to 4 pm, at the PUC building on Second Line.
A different location than the usual, at the very front of the building, with no room for parking when you're dropping off. We'll have a drive through drop off instead. We'll have a $2 per car fee, to help cover our expenses. The city is taking care of the costs for the recycling company to accept our stuff, but we have costs for publicity, packaging, and care and feeding of volunteers.
Parking will be available along the west wall of the building to access the sale area, through a different set of doors. Note that we usually have quite a selection of tested, excellent electronics for sale at garage sale prices.
Wishlists are also being accepted from local charities, for free computer equipment. Click here, for the wishlist form.
Businesses and institutions, be aware that we will only be accepting a maximum of one pickup truck load, and then only by appointment on the Friday before the event. Please send in this form by fax in advance.
Volunteers are always needed - please email volunteer@cleannorth.org for more information. This is a great way to get high school community service hours!
Posted by: Kathie Brosemer (kathie) on March 18, 2007 at 09:41:50
from the cheap-as-dirt dept.
Clean North has received a stack of rather nice surplus computers from a local institution, in advance of our recycling program. These shouldn't be recycled, but rather reused. To that end, our favourite technical specialist volunteers have sorted through the best of the lot and made it available to you. Right now there are nineteen systems, Pentium IIIs mostly, with processors up to 933 MHz. Prices range between $40 and $120 depending on goodies - the top one has a 10 GB hard drive and a CD burner. If interested, email computers and I'll send you the list. Local only, thanks.
Posted by: Kathie Brosemer (kathie) on September 06, 2005 at 18:38:35
from the dead computers dept.
We'll be recycling electronic waste again this fall! At the PUC building on Second Line (thanks PUC!), from 10 am to 4 pm on Saturday, October first. Businesses wanting to schedule a drop off, click here for the form we need by fax. Charities with wishlists for your office or for a client, click here. Volunteers wanting to help, please email volunteer@cleannorth.org
Volunteer orientation meeting will be Sunday, Sept 25, at 7:00 pm at the Clean North office, 736-A Queen Street East, Sault Ste. Marie.
Posted by: Kathie Brosemer (kathie) on March 09, 2005 at 21:49:10
from the nine-lives? dept.
We're ever so pleased to announce we'll be recycling electronic waste again this spring! And a big reuse garage sale of working stuff, too. At the PUC building on Second Line (thanks PUC!), from 10 am to 4 pm on Saturday, April 23rd. Businesses wanting to schedule a drop off, click here for the form we need by fax. Charities with wishlists for your office or for a client, click here. Volunteers wanting to help, please email volunteer@cleannorth.org.
Please don't delay! After the transport leaves on the 23rd (thanks TransProvincial!) we won't be able to accept more e-waste (or fill more wishlists) until the fall.
Posted by: Kathie Brosemer (kathie) on December 09, 2004 at 20:05:35
from the tree-cycling dept.
Planning is underway for the 2005 version of the official end of the holiday season in Sault Ste. Marie. Yes, while for most of us the season's just beginning, the hardy souls who volunteer for your favourite environmental group are figuring out what you can do with your tree come January.
This year Tree Chipping will take place a day earlier than usual, on Saturday January 8th instead of Sunday. Make sure to get your tree to the Cambrian Mall in time for the chipping operation, 6 pm on Saturday the eighth. You can pick up tree chip mulch (bring your own containers) on the Sunday.
Please be careful to remove the ornaments, wire, and nails from your tree. And if you're missing your Baby's First Christmas ornament when you decorate the tree this year, call us! We just might have it from last year's tree!
Posted by: Kathie Brosemer (kathie) on September 04, 2004 at 08:00:00
from the got-dead-computers? dept.
Clean North's immensely popular (or why would everybody be calling us?) Computer Recycling Event and Garage Sale is now in planning, for Saturday, October 2nd. We'll be accepting your junk from 10 am to 4 pm, at 550 Second Line, the PUC building next door to the city police station. All computer equipment accepted, including computers, monitors, printers, cables, modems, and other peripherals. Also toner and ink cartridges and phones of all kinds. No TV’s or Microwaves, thanks, there is no recycling market for these items yet. Admission $1 whether dropping off or shopping.
Businesses wanting to drop off materials on the Friday before the event, please see this link for the form we'll need by fax. Charities wanting to make a wishlist request, on their own behalf or on behalf of a client, will find the form here. And, if you'd like to volunteer (we need a lot of energetic youth for this one!) please email volunteer@cleannorth.org, and be prepared to come to the volunteers orientation and screening night on Sunday September 26th, 7 pm at the Clean North office.
Posted by: Kathie Brosemer (kathie) on July 15, 2004 at 12:45:51
from the got-nasal-congestion?-make-your-nose-bigger dept.
In response to the recent news that the city is looking at extending Willow and/or Pine streets north, to ease "congestion" on Great Northern Road, urban sprawl activist Andre Riopel had this to say. Read his comments below.
