Having cooled down a bit after my latest rant about Cash for clunkers I am happy to see that there are other responses to this folly. Unconsumption reported yesterday about a bike shop in Portland who have taken the matter into their own hands with a Cash for clunkers bike version programme. Only, they upcycle the usable parts of the clunker bikes, instead of throwing them away. What an idea, huh?
Author Archive
Cash for clunkers, Portland version
Wednesday, August 12, 2009Can you see the trash?
Tuesday, August 11, 2009Swedish Public Radio programme P3 Kultur today broadcasted an interview with me about garblogging, introducing me as a person “living a contemporary Mad Men-life as advocate and zeitgeist surfer in the capital of the World”. In other words, garbloggers are the it thing. We are still waiting to be invited to those rooftop pools though…
Our brief discussion centered around garblogging in general, and the differences in trash culture in the US and West Europe. I would say the most obvious thing is visibility of trash. Back home, our trash is well hidden in facilities that are always in close proximity (if not within) residential buildings. Over here, trash bags are all over the street every night (at this time of year, quite smelly, yes?).
Having lived in both places, I have to say that neither approach seems to make people more or less aware of the problems with our trash, which I must say is a rather intriguing insight. My conclusion is still that while public opinion and individual responsibility matters, legislation and regulation is the way to go. This comes, of course, from a belief that markets and our planet alike will do better while being under certain legislative restraints. In more blunt words, the invisible hand does not recycle. Would love other opinions on this, do comment!
(Also, apologizing for mishearing the program host, I accidentally replied ‘yes’ to the question ‘if I was living in Manhattan?’, I thought she asked were I was at the time. I, of course, live in Brooklyn.)
Is this recyclable?
Monday, August 10, 2009From August 19th to September 26th, gallery Under Minerva in Park Slope (656 5th Avenue) open their gates for the exhibition Is This Recyclable? Ad text reads
Artists in various media utilize found objects, recycled materials, ready-made objects and non-traditional materials for the creation of their artwork.
I say it sounds like fun! (Via The Indypendent.)
What will happen to 750,000 clunker$?
Friday, August 7, 2009About a week ago, it looked like Cash for Clunkers (or as its actually called, the Car Allowance Rebate System; CARS), i.e. the US government program through which car-owners rich enough to buy a new car if promising not to sell the old one but rather have it demolished, was up for a lot more funding. This has now come to pass.
According to washingtonpost.com, a quarter of a million new cars have been sold through this program to date. The program has been running since early July, so I’d say that a lot. Another half a million “environmentally friendly” cars are expected to hit the roads by Labor* Day. I’m still wondering who the fat cats in the sudden demoli$hing of 750,000 old cars are, and what they are doing to take care of the lead, sulphuric acid and mercury.
[*Linguistic bonus treat of the week: I really do want to spell this “Labour”, but since its actually the name of a holiday, I’ll make an exception.]
European Union to take responsibility for their big ship trash?
Tuesday, August 4, 2009Remember we posted earlier this year about big ship tra$h? Apparently, the European Union (currently under the ever so Swedish-holier-than-thou presidency) are concerned with the fact that in the dockyards in South Asia hundreds of workers die each year, while dismantling EU ships.
It turns out that internal EU negotiations on how to prevent this have been going on for a year or so (hurrah!), and are to reach climax in September/October. Lets hope that lead negotiator Ulf Björnholm Ottosson has more to say by then than this powerful statement:
The EU has a special duty to try and improve the situation.
Duty indeed. However, we must confess that the situation is indeed complicated, and that EU countries are finding it difficult to agree on legislation (or rather, more legislation, the issues are already covered in conventions) they want to see from the European Commission. Everyone are not so holy. I suspect it to be EU Member States with a lot of tonnage at their harbours. You do the math.
Reposting trashy art from PingMag
Sunday, August 2, 2009PingMag, a sleeping Tokyo-based magazine about design, posted a long and very interesting piece about the art of Leo Fitzmaurice in April 2007. I was enlightened by a friend only this weekend, and feel that even though it’s dated, you have to check out the trashy relational art of plastic garbage bags, conference flyers and french fries boxes! Examples shown below, but check out the post!
Trash bunnies from Liverpool
French fries CCTV
US car tra$h program to be boosted?
Friday, July 31, 2009The US government Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS), or as its been nicknamed, Cars for Clunkers, has just lifted off, but it looks like it will be running for a lot shorter period than the posted November 1st deadline. The purpose of CARS is to “energize the economy, boost auto sales and put safer, cleaner and more fuel-efficient vehicles on the nation’s roadways,” through giving auto dealers the possibility to offer up to $4,500 discounts to people trading in an old car (which must be demolished) when buying a new one. NPR (along with other news outlets) reports today that the program is running out of money. $1 billion is apparently small potatoes when everyone wants a hybrid. House Democrats now hope to add another $2 billion to keep this tra$hy car campaign up and running.
In Sweden, a program with similar ambitions existed up until recently, through which a $1,350 voucher was made available to those buying an “eco-car”, i.e. one of those supposedly less environmentally damaging ones. At the moment, it seems that instead of extending the program, buyers of eco-cars will be have their auto tax waived for the first five years.
Of course, the idea of eco-friendly cars is still more or less humbug. Further, scraping used cars produces a lot of metal trash (or rather, tra$h), along with lead, sulphuric acid and mercury, that needs to be taken care of. Whether this is included in the plans to energize the economy and boost the auto industry, I don’t know. Regardless, I’d rather see another $2 billion invested in public transportation (starting with the horribly malfunctioning US railroad system).
Trash night = sex night?
Wednesday, July 29, 2009Blogger Therese J. Borchard published an intruiging post today (also on Huffington Post) about how trash nights equals sex nights in her household (that’s Monday and Thursday). The post could also be seen as a story of how a dinner party gets swamped by discussions on different local policies on when trash is picked up. All in all its a bit weird, but one just have to love passages such as
A year or so ago, I got fed up with my mate’s constant begging for sex, so one night I asked him point blank, “What is the minimal number of times a week that you need sex in order to be satisfied?”
“Twice. Absolute minimum.”
“Fine,” I said. “You get Monday and Thursday. If you don’t beg any other night.”
It then occurred to me that Monday and Thursday evenings were trash night. We drag out all of our rubbish and recyclables from the last few days and leave the stuff on the curb … to be picked up at 5 a.m. the next day, when the trash truck compressors will try to wake up our slumbering kids.
Yes, trash night is sex night in our household. Clearly a “Seinfeld” episode in the making.
This concept … of a scheduled sex session … was so intriguing to the other birthday guests that trash talk dominated the entire conversation for the rest of the evening.
“What about bulk pick up?” one asked.
“And what if you miss a day?” asked another.
“Eric’s lucky,” said the guy crossing his legs. “Our trash is only picked up once a month.”
More plastic in waters
Monday, July 27, 2009Swedish Public Radio reports today that with the use of a new filter and new methods (such as taking surface water – plastic floats), a research team has found large amounts of plastic fibres in watercourses in Sweden. With previous findings being between 1 and 20 fibres per cubic meter (approx. 35 cubic feet), the preliminary results of 10,000 fibres per cubic meter are alarming, to say the least.
The research team is currently working on a theory which explains the existence of such high quantities with rubber tyres and synthetic clothes, giving off the fibers. Regarding natural clothes (cotton etc.), they too come steeped in plastic fibres these days, says Fredrik Norén, part of the research team. (Which incidentally is why I wash new clothes before I wear them, letting the big machines at the local laundromat worry about the problem…)
The clothes theory gives a troubling insight into exactly how much plastic we use these days, and for what. It also pushes us to ask “why though?” Any takers on that, feel free to post comments. When the research project is finished, I hope to follow this up.
[As a side note for the linguists out there, can you tell where in this post you find UK English? I had fun writing this up.]
The future, captured
Monday, July 27, 2009Remember Dustbot, the cute little robots that are being developed to slave for humans who want their trash taken care of? They are now being demonstrated to the public in the Swedish city of Örebro. Swedish fabulous blogger Helena Bergman, originally from Örebro, has captured this for all to see. This is the future everyone (and as the New York Times wrote yesterday, some say this isn’t all fantastic)!
For Dustbot, cobblestone is a piece of cake
Kids watch in amazement as Dustbot makes a pick-up
Dustbot makes a drop-off, back in his tent
Upcycled sky tracks
Wednesday, July 22, 2009The real it thing in lower Manhattan this summer seems to be the High Line. What was commercial traffic for meat packers et al. between 1934-1980, nothing between 1980 and last year, is now a hip, weed-ridden concrete-heavy park, with a view, stretching from Washington & Gansevoort to 10th & 20th. On top of this, more park is currently being developed.
Having visited said park Sunday night, I must confess I’m sold. You have to be impressed by such clever upcycling and the courage to plant weeds and not orchids. And of course, the echo of history is something else for a train nerd such as myself.
The development from 1934 to present day can be studied through these excellent image galleries. Admission is free, but if one wants member benefits (and to support the development of the park), there are alternatives ranging from $40 to $10,000. At $350, you get a key-ring.
Norwegian dumpster diving
Wednesday, July 22, 2009There are indeed dumpster divers everywhere. The Norwegian Brodcasting Corporation (NRK, who provide both public radio and TV in Norway) last weekend ran a piece on freegan Børge Roum, who brought viewers to take part in his dumpster diving late at night. Roum is ten years in the business of protesting against excessive consumption, and takes home more or less everything, even though he’s careful about dairy products.
The piece also provided facts on thrown away food in Norway, which stand at 100 kilos (220 pounds) per person per year, making it a nationwide total of 50,000 tonnes per year.
How cool is everydaytrash.com?
Tuesday, July 21, 2009Reading this lovely New York Times piece on secret dumpster pool parties in Brooklyn, I wonder why everydaytrash.com didn’t merit an invitation (yet)? We’re locals dammit!
Bitterness aside, here we have yet another example of how something goes from trashy to trashtastic. Makes me think of how “the future” will be, with thoughts wandering to Mad Max. In a desolate and post-apocalyptic Brooklyn, we’ll be sitting there in our pool dumpsters, growing tomatoes in oil barrels and spend a lot of time walking. That is, if everthing goes wrong. Let’s hope not.
The Beauty and Terror of our Waste
Tuesday, July 14, 2009Trash is terrible, really. Sometimes though, there are ways of finding beauty in it. Or it might just be me being very post-apocalyptic-aesthetics-loving. Anyhow, check out these five pix from South Africa, and see if you agree.
South African trash removal lorries
Pix come from “the Green Campus Initative”, whom I can’t find online (or rather, thousands of initiatives with that name can be found).
Swedish freegan makes headline news
Friday, July 10, 2009Sweden’s second to largest TV news program, Aktuellt, tonight interviewed a Swedish freegan, who invited a team into his home, claiming everything he and his accomplice eat comes from dumpsters. For tonight, for the grand effect, they brought all the bread they would’ve been able to eat, should they want to. Check about nine minutes into this 30 minute episode of Aktuellt. For those who understand Swedish (or are very interested), a full ten minutes of on-site segments and studio discussions await.
everydaytrash 