For an entire year, New Hampshire eco-artist Tim Gaudreau photographed everything he threw away. He recycles and considers himself environmentally responsible. He doesn't buy much. So what did he learn as a result of photographing his average, daily consumption?
The photos (over 5,000 of them!) showed him that most of it was food packaging. He says, That daily coffee cup adds up.
Did it change him? You bet:
I’ve set new goals – personal commandments of sorts – to guide my choices. I will not worship false idols; I will not accept plastic bags; I will not use plastic bottles; I will use my ceramic coffee mug and rinse daily; I will not succumb to convenience. These commandments are a work in progress that forces me to reconsider my choices on a daily basis.
Read more about Gaudreau's Self Portrait as Revealed by Trash, 365 days of photographing everything I threw out here.
(Thanks, L.!)
Copyright © 2008 Apartment Therapy
I saw this exhibit at Gallery 101 in Point Reyes Station. It is phenomenally impactful.
I rinse and re-use the plastic bags I get at the store (I have a couple canvas ones, but I can't get my husband to use them).
Here's a link to my bag dryer:
http://www.reusablebags.com/store/plastic-bottle-dryer-p-187.html
view kendralis's profile
i can't get my bf to conform to my eco-standards so i stopped trying : )...but he sometimes recycles/uses less b/c he knows that i appreciate it. He's of the opinion that we already live in a small apartment, don't own a car, etc., so therefore we're already casting a smaller footprint, but i think we can always do more.
view edgertor's profile