Screw Light bulbs
Donna Green and Liz Minchin
ISBN 9781742580685
AUD$32.95

Attempting to navigate through the myriad of facts and figures pertaining to what is causing and what can be done about climate change is a business fraught with confusion, pitfalls and frustration.

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Energy to burn

JOANNE BROOKFIELD

Some of you may know that besides my work at Green Renters, I have my own small craft business where I make items from vintage and reclaimed materials. So I was excited to recieve a copy of Big Green Book of Recycled Crafts ( Leisure Arts #4802) (Perfect Paperback).

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Thanks to all of you who came and made our screening such a success!

In the days leading up to the event we started getting a lot of great press and became inundated with enquires and bookings, but you can still never be quite sure how things will go… In the end we almost had too many people and moved into a larger room at Donkey Wheel house, finally squeezing around 120 people into the room and utilising just about every chair in the building! The old dining hall for Melbourne’s tram drivers created a marvellous atmosphere and many thanks to Deano (Good Brew) and Lisa for such a sterling job dishing out food and drinks which both sold out.

Bar a couple of technical hitches,  the screening passed smoothly and seemed well received with several cries of disbelief and moments of laughter.

Chris’ review:

Personally I was hoping for something a little more controversial and confronting, the film and the challenge (which is a big challenge) seemed too easy and any family conflicts were fairly easily resolved. Additionally there were occasions in the film which seemed a little contradictory or almost hypocritical, whether these were left in for the more initiated to notice and question or were genuinely overlooked who knows. Of course, this could be more down to editing, as reducing a year of footage to 90 minutes is quite a challenge and I’m well aware that movies such as ‘No Impact Man’ are designed to speak to the un-converted and have mainstream appeal, in this regard the movie is spot on and will hopefully be successful in making many people around the globe think about and change their lifestyles.

Cate’s review:

 I think it’s hard to encapsulate a year long adventure into 90 mins, and this was definitely reflected in the documentary as many real life dilemmas were skipped over in preference for ‘shiny happy’ scenarios of sunshine and gardening. I enjoyed the creativity of innovativeness of the Beavens but would have liked more ‘real life’ scenarios- How do you cope with no electricty in the middle of winter when you have the flu? Or a screaming child? How do you wash your rags used in lieu of toilet paper with no hot water or electricity (I’m sure we’d all agree the human body can produce some tough stains!). Sometimes you really do need to buy a new bra…But that said, I think in any many ways the film gave a message of gaining and abundance rather than deprivation due to the lifestyle changes Colin and Michelle made. The Beavens were clearly very media savy to their advantage and I was somewhat surprised at the level of hostility they experienced by both non-greenies and green groups, both groups lambasting them for their perceived extremism…I was pleased to read recently that the book of No Impact Man has been assigned compulsory reading for all first year university students across  America which is a great way of getting the green message out there beyond the converted…

Here are some photos from the event, more can be found at www.flickr.com/photos/chrischinchilla

As you’re no doubt aware by now, we’re celebrating tomorrow’s annual Earth Day by holding our screening of the documentary No Impact Man.  I saw these awesome cards and just had to share them with you

This is a fantastic ‘fly on the wall’ type doco where a  group of British fashion victims see what it’s like to live and work in an Indian clothes factory. Blood, Sweat and T-Shirts takes a group of high-street fashion victims—with closets full to the brim with cheap, chic brands—and make them live the life of the Indian factory workers they unknowingly rely on!

You can view it on ABC iview here

He bikes 12 1/2 miles to and from his job at a software company outside Santa Barbara, Calif. He recycles as much as possible and takes reusable bags to the grocery store.

Still, his girlfriend, Shelly Cobb, feels he has not gone far enough.

Ms. Cobb chides him for running the water too long while he shaves or showers. And she finds it “depressing,” she tells him, that he continues to buy a steady stream of items online when her aim is for them to lead a less materialistic life.

Mr. Fleming, who says he became committed to Ms. Cobb “before her high-priestess phase,” describes their conflicts as good-natured — mostly.

But he refuses to go out to eat sushi with her anymore, he said, because he cannot stand to hear her quiz the waiters.

“None of it is sustainable or local,” he said, “and I am not eating cod or rockfish.”

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