The Trash Collector

I just found this on newsreview.com, and it takes recycling to a whole new level:

Emmy Winning Los Angeles cameraman Dave Chameides (or "Sustainable Dave", as he's deemed himself) decided last year to reduce his environmental footprint by keeping his garbage for a year... in his basement! Dave's goal, in his own words: "

"I came to the realization that if we were all accountable for our waste, if we couldn’t simply make it disappear, we’d have to deal with some pretty ugly truths about the way we live. And in so doing, it would cause us to start making better decisions about what we buy, where we buy, and what’s left over."

It's a very simple, but powerful idea, literally putting yourself face-to-face with your own waste and impact on the planet. And while Dave's may seem a radical statement or lifestyle, imagine if everyone in the world were forced to be fully responsible for their own waste. How would the visual and tactile realities of our own self-landfills, change the way we interact with our world? I know just looking at my overflowing plastic bin is tremendous personal motivation to both get off my lazy bum and recycle, as well as to reuse or reduce my waste.

So way to go Dave, raising sustainabilty awareness by boldly going where few other humans (or even eco-activists), dare to go!

And check out his blog: 365daysoftrash for great ideas and solutions for how to lower your own waste footprint. Dave started Dec 31st, 2007 and is currently on Day 274 (for the record, that's not Dave in the picture)

Plastic's Fantastic: Delivery Bike-Mods!

Hello All,

As we've previously posted, plastic is a great thing. When it's used well, that is.

All around town you'll see that bicycle delivery cats are modding up their bike with plastic accoutrements, so as to make them more functional and convenient. And the plastic components will last and last and last, and if they break, well, there's certainly not going to be any shortage of available plastic in the near future.

Check it:


Here we see two bikes, each modded with plastic bag/seat covers and corrugated plastic box/rear tire mud guards.



A strip of plastic box attached to the rear basket rest keeps mud and water from leaving a big, brown stripe up your back. Smart.

Here you see the Push Extreme clip on rear mud guard, with a list price of £17.98 (approximately $35.77 US) And that's before shipping and handling.

Here you see the Chunk of Plastic Taped to the Back of My Bike, with a list price of .30¢ which includes shipping and handling, plus labor.

Both products keep mud off of your back. One is 119 times more expensive than the other.
Savings!





Here's a guy who rode past us, but we managed a quick snap. The photo doesn't really show it, but he had used a slice of bucket as his rear mud guard. You could still faintly read the print of whatever the bucket had contained.

There are great examples of "plasti-engineering" all over town, and we resolve to document them and bring them to your attention. 'Cause they're rad and ingenious.

Necessity truly is the mother of invention.

Love to all,

Team SuperForest