The Clean Bin Project - screening details

We are very excited to host a screening of the Clean Bin Project to wrap up this years Sustaining Our World event on Oct 27th!
And even more exciting is that we will have Jen and Grant, the film makers here for a Q&A session after the film. :D

Here's the synopsis for the film:

Grant and Jen go head to head in a comedic competition to live zero waste for an entire year. This multiple award winning, festival favourite shares moments of humour, struggle, and hope in the cinematic and creatively executed story of a couple who ask the question “What can an individual do?” Described as a combination of An Inconvenient Truth and Super Size Me, The Clean Bin Project features laugh out loud moments, stop motion animations, and captivating interviews with TED lecturers Chris Jordan and Captain Charles Moore. A fun and inspiring call to environmental action that speaks to crowds of all ages.

And here's the trailer to give you a taste of what you'll get to see:



This eco challenge, which features many places in East Van, will provide plenty of inspiration and information for all of us who want to reduce our footprints and produce the least amount of waste we can.

Visit their site for more details on the film, and some info on their next documentary coming out in the spring of 2014 called "Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story" follows their challenge to eat only food that would normally be thrown out while exploring the truth behind 'best before' dates and other strange things about our relationship to food! www.cleanbinmovie.com
The film screening is by donation, and will be held in the Britannia Secondary School Auditorium from 7-9pm.

The grass is greener when you're green :)

Someone left an article in our staff room recently with the sad news that the earth is warming faster than we knew..."read it and weep"

It is so darn easy to get down when the world is so messed up!

But becoming overwhelmed and sitting around doing nothing doesn't make us feel any better, and it doesn't fix the problem. If everyone says "there's nothing we can do!" then we are absolutely right.

So green keeners like me find even the smallest things we can do to try and make a difference. And guess what? This is actually good for you!

Here are 10 reasons why green people are happier. Maybe one or 2 of these can help if you are feeling blue about how red hot things are getting :D

www.ecohustler.co.uk/green-happy


Also don't forget that there are sooooo many people around the world and close to home that are working on solutions to a better world, and if young folks like Boyan Slat keeping building on their ideas, there is hope for us yet - so don't give up!! We may get those oceans cleaned up one day!

Check out this site for your break time viewing boyanslat.com and see what I mean. Do you think his plan will work?

Story of Solutions

I have been a big fan of the Story of Stuff Project from the very first video they produced! Today they launched another great one - The Story of Solutions. Enjoy :D
Story of Solutions



Cheers to changing the game and working towards something better! We can do it people!!

Have more time to watch good stuff? Please visit the Story of Stuff web site to check out more of their great videos, such as the Story of Bottled Water, The Story of Make up, and the Story of Change.
www.storyofstuff.org

The Garbage Patch

Do you know where a bunch of plastic garbage ends up? Floating in the Pacific Ocean!

Here's a quick video that summarizes where it is, how it gets there, and why this is a very big problem.

Great Pacific Garbage Patch from Project GreenBag on Vimeo.

Visit www.greatgarbagepatch.org to learn more.

A world of good

Feeling like the world just can't be saved? Tired of all the bad news that has you believing humans don't care about the earth any more?

Then here is your break time viewing for the day - a dose of inspiration from Paul Hawken, author of many books including "Blessed Unrest". The revolution to build a better world has been under way for a long time, and in this video you will see "how the largest movement in the world came into being...and why no one saw it coming". Enjoy!

Recycle a bottle, flash mob style

Here's a way to make everyone feel good about putting garbage & recycling in its place - imagine a crowd cheering you on!



People who pick up after others deserve applause daily :)

Sustaining Our World - The Sustainability Fair

This weekend is fast approaching and it's time to share some more details on the Sustaining Our World event to be held on Sunday Oct 21st.

A family fun Bike Parade will begin at Grandview Park with a decorating station set up with Kickstand for those who want to get festive with their bikes. The parade will end at the Britannia Secondary School Cafeteria.

Between 12:00 - 5:00 pm the cafeteria will be home to our Sustainability Fair which will feature a few green groups willing to share inspiration on ways we can save power, consume less and reduce our waste.

We will have a viewing area for people who are interested in watching short clips on sustainability issues, and an area for creative people to have fun making art with an array of recycled materials.


Please come on down and support the Environmental Club from Britannia Secondary by bringing along your refundable bottles & cans for their Bottle Drive with Return It!





The students will also be collecting used cell phones for the Recycle My Cell Challenge, and another drive for Ipods and mp3 players. Don't let those small unused techno gadgets clutter your drawers anymore!


Our event will also be solar powered with thanks to a portable power pack from the Vancouver Renewable Energy Cooperative!

A space for fun, learning, supporting students from your community and getting rid of your stuff - who could ask for more?

Well, the Sustaining Our World event does have another way to participate for those who are really green keeners - the Britannia Race to Zero Waste! Details on the race and what registered teams need to know are coming up next.

Vibrant Green Inspiration from the Bronx

The vision, passion and energy of this teacher is truly inspiring! All of you will feel full of hope and enthusiasm after watching this TED talk given by Stephen Ritz, a teacher who empowered children and youth by connecting them to the beauty of seeds and growing food. Their efforts have evolved into the Green Box Machine and his story on the efforts of his kids is a thrill to watch!

The Clean Bin Project

The easiest way to manage waste is simply not to create any, right? Well, the Clean Bin Project began as a competition between a couple and their roommate to see who could produce the least amount of trash in a year, and their movie highlights how difficult this actually is. Here's the trailer for your break time viewing pleasure.



You won't be surprised to find out these green keeners are Vancouverites, and their web site has lots of great resources on waste reduction for all of us. cleanbinproject.com

One of my favourite posts was the response Jen writes to a question she hears all the time when presenting to students in schools: "What can I Do? I'm only a kid!"

This post has a list of great ideas everyone can do and great ideas some Britannia youth may want to try out. The Green Team is here to help! : )

I have found #6 on the list, which is to do one new thing until it becomes habit (and then another and another...), has been our family key to success in the steady reduction of our waste each year. Plastic reduction became a particular obsession when we did a family walk around our neighbourhood one day (a few years back) to pick up all the plastic garbage we found. After 4 blocks we had 2 full bags of random plastic bits! We try to bring as little packaging into our home as possible, and also to make sure what packaging we do obtain is recyclable. Maybe one day I'll even be able to get my family to do a clean bin project too! How about your household?

What are your favourite tips and tricks for reducing waste at home?

Creative views on plastic for you to view

Here are a few video treats to enjoy on your next coffee break.

One Plastic Beach highlights the creative life journey of one couple who make art from the tons of plastic they collect from a 1 km stretch of beach near their home which they have enjoyed since their first date. This clip provides a lot of wisdom and inspiration in under 8 minutes, and might even help you see some beauty in plastic bits washing up on our shores. If only every kilometer of beach had artists lovingly searching for trash they can turn into treasures!


One Plastic Beach from High Beam Media on Vimeo

The Majestic Plastic Bag is a 4 min satirical mockumentary which examines the life of "one of the most clever and illustrious of creatures: the plastic bag".



Then finish off with a very quick Plastic Seduction before you get back to work. ;)