More than 100 Quest University students and interested observers spent their Friday night with garbage thanks to Grant Baldwin and Jen Rustemeyer.
The duo brought The Clean Bin Project, their critically acclaimed documentary, to Quest on Friday (Jan. 28). The project follows the couple as they compete to see who can produce less waste in one year’s time.
Rustemeyer explained the rules to those in attendance before the screening of the movie.
“There’s no burying stuff, no producing garbage and we have to be responsible for our own waste,” she said.
“Personally, I think it was an idea by Jen to make me stop spending money,” joked Baldwin.
The movie starts off in the summer of 2008 and what follows is a revealing look at how different life could be if we reduced our waste. During a humorous montage involving several different supermarkets and cafés, it showcases just how difficult it is to turn down a plastic shopping bag or any type of wrapping.
The audience is kept in suspense as to who wins the competition and the couple faces a new challenge to reduce waste in every scene. You'll have to check out the movie to see who "wins" but the low amount of waste that both participants managed to produce in one year was truly impressive.
After the movie, the filmmakers took questions from the audience but asked those in attendance to sum up their feelings on the film in one word.
“Wasteful,” “depressed,” “sad” and “confident” were a few of the responses. Rustemeyer also admitted that going through the year-long project has changed their lives.
“We definitely buy things again, but we make more ethical decisions,” she said. “I think we only throw out one small bag a month and what we throw out is way down compared to how we were before.”
Baldwin said he got the idea from the film after a cycling trip down the Pacific Coast where he realized how hard it is to recycle outside of the Lower Mainland and also how much easier it is to live without so much weighing you down.
Ana Santos of the Squamish Climate Action Network (CAN) also took some time to praise the film and let everyone in attendance know what significant changes in recycling policy have occurred in Squamish in the past few years.
She pointed out that there are now places to recycle batteries, electronics, books, light bulbs and food waste in Squamish.
“There is no waste until it is wasted,” she said. “Change is happening and we have a lot to look forward to.”
Rustemeyer said a great first step is composting food scraps and not using plastic bags. She said every small step counts and that every little positive change makes a difference.
The Clean Bin Project will continue touring British Columbia for the next few months, with a planned screening in New Westminster on Saturday (Feb. 5). Rustemeyer said the filmmakers plan to release the movie on DVD on Earth Day 2011 (April 22).
For more information on the film, visit www.cleanbinproject.com.
