TV definitely has its redeeming moments, like this. A four-part series highlighting the crisis of solid waste and our wastefulness, Dumped is one of the best things I've seen on television, oh, ever. We devoured this program - I called my mom every few minutes to make sure she was watching and still watching. Then I dreamt about it.
BBC told these people they'd be taking part in an "Eco-challenge," but they had no idea what it would be. Some speculated they'd be whisked away to a tropical paradise like Barbados for a Survivor-like experience. Their faces were priceless when they stepped off the bus into the landfill. Love it. Their challenge was to live in the landfill for three weeks, making a fairly comfortable life for themselves from the things people have thrown away. Love it more.
Although B & I pride ourselves on the relatively small amount of waste we throw "away" each week - only one small bag - watching this program has made me want to buy an even smaller "rubbish bin" and try to cut down our waste even more.
In particular, I want to be more conscious about packaging - since most of what I throw "away" each week is simply that. I also have had many excuses for not composting at our house (we're renters and can't have an outdoor pile in the yard); but I think we're finally going to stop being such bums and get a worm bin.
These are in no way new ideas for us - I just think we've finally reached the tipping point where we care enough to spend more money (a lot more) to be more responsible consumers. It's tough living at 105 percent of the poverty line, you know. (Although I've recently been wondering if my 'income' is even close to accurate anymore - since minimum wage has gotten a serious boost in OH and our stipend hasn't budged...)
Speaking of which...when I heard Bill Clinton speak a couple weeks ago, he said that Hillary, if elected, will DOUBLE the AmCorps stipend. For real? Sounds like a good plan. I was impressed that this issue was important enough to mention on the stump. It went something like this: "get out of Iraq, universal healthcare, double the stipend, eliminate No Child Left Behind." It was one of those "one of these things is not like the other" moments in terms of this-doesn't-seem-like something-most-voters-know-or-care-anything-about.... but I loved it nonetheless.
