November 10, 2010 - 6:26am
Could you go a day without producing any garbage? No packaging, no tags, no boxes….
How about a year?
Vancouver Island University’s Office of Sustainability and the Regional District of Nanaimo invite you to the Vancouver Island premiere of the award-winning film The Clean Bin Project at 7 pm on Monday, Nov. 15 in the Malaspina Theatre at VIU’s Nanaimo campus.
The film documents director Grant Baldwin and his partner Jen Rustemeyer’s year-long effort to live waste free.
As a kid growing up in Nanaimo, Baldwin hated taking out the garbage. Twenty years later, he decided to do something about it.
In 2008, Baldwin and his partner Jen held a friendly competition to see who could produce the least amount of waste in an entire year. They managed to produce just a single grocery bag
of garbage in 12 months, and documented their effort in a refreshingly comedic environmental documentary.
"We had watched a lot of environmental documentaries that ended up making us feel overwhelmed by the scale of our current problems," explained Baldwin, who directed the movie. "We wanted to make a film that would be entertaining and leave people feeling inspired to change something in their own lives."
By all accounts, The Clean Bin Project is a great success. It won an award for
excellence in media and journalism, and played to rave reviews in community screenings across Canada this summer.
Baldwin and Rustemeyer are quick to point out that their zero-waste competition actually improved their lifestyle.
“We gave up packaged food,” Rustemeyer said. “We supported our local farmers markets, and learned to make things like toothpaste from scratch. It was actually kind of fun.”
In the film, the couple’s comedic competition is juxtaposed with sobering interviews such as marine pollution expert Captain Charles Moore describing the pacific garbage patch, an island of plastic twice the size of Texas currently floating in the Pacific Ocean.
Seattle-based artist Chris Jordan shares shocking images that portray the large-scale impacts of our 'throw away' society. The result is a beautifully shot film that speaks to audiences of all ages, inspiring action without being preachy, and providing solid ideas for reducing garbage at home.
The Clean Bin Project will be screening at 7 pm on Monday, Nov 15 in the Malaspina Theatre (Building 310) at Vancouver Island University’s Nanaimo campus. Baldwin will be in attendance for a question and answer session after the film.
A reception will follow the screening. Tickets, $5 for VIU staff and students and $10 for the general public, are available at the door or online at www.cleanbinmovie.com.
Tags: In the Community
