#lavurn

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Lavurn - Baby it Cold Outside

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Lavurn - Playback

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Listen to: Song 1 by Lavurn

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LAVURN’s LAVURN

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CASSIUS SELECT - HE AIN'T WORTH - OFFICIAL VIDEO - UNKNOWN TO THE UNKNOWN

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Workplace

So I've been struggling with this notion of extension. Where can I extend my green practices to? And my immediate thought was how much the cafe I worked at wasted food. This should come as no surprise to anyone who works in the restaurant/hospitality industry, it's just the way things happen. Half-finished meals, whole meals, tissues, straws, tea leaves all goes to waste. It's very much an industry that is built upon the disposable and the convenient. So I decided to salvage what I could from the place, despite the strange looks and general public disapproval...and here's what I got:

Collected amounts of discarded sugar

'Stale' ginger cookies

Leftover tea leaves

Leftover grounded coffee

'Expired' museli

There was so much more to be claimed....

Now I couldn't exactly make my bosses reconsider the way they run their entire business, I didn't have the authority or the knowledge needed, but I tried to do my part. Is that enough? 

lavurn

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Local Alternatives

How far can we extended this environmentally aware consciousness? What fields can this process be applied to? And how will it change industry? These are some questions I've been juggling around in my head for the past few weeks while doing this zero waste project. On a personal level I think of my practice as an artist. I study Fine Arts at COFA and major in Drawing/Painting. As a painter, we go through a large amount of paint, brushes and solvents. Many of these materials contain large amounts of toxic chemicals that can cause harm to not only our natural environment but to ourselves as well. Things like brushes that use animal fur, paints that contain xylene and toulene, solvents may also contain mould inhibitors. Generally it is considered that water-based paints (acrylic, eumsion, or latex paint) are safer because contain fewer petroleum derivatives. There are many alternative eco options available for artists, on a local level I think of two shops that provide safe alternatives:

1. Reverse Garbage (reversegarbage.org.au)

Reverse Garbage is located on Addison Rd. right near Stanmore train station. It provides a variety of discarded industrial materials and houses it all in it's Marrickville warehouse. Essentially, it is a reuse centre, determined to help the environment by diverting industrial discard and reusing them in classrooms and studios. They have a very diverse selection of knick knacks as well as a numerous amount of furniture, craft materials and stage props. I personally bought around 30 large cardboard tubes at $50 for my final installation project. Explore and you'll be surprised at what you can find!

2. The Natural Paint Place (www.thenaturalpaintplace.com.au)

The Natural Paint Place is located on King St in Newtown and provides green alternatives for painters and artists. Natural Paints are free from harmful toxins and are instead made from plant-based ingredients that meet the Australian Standard AS1580. Natural plant-based paints are not poisonous, totally free of solvents like glycol and ether derivatives and are low allergy. Plus they're really not that much more expensive than oil-based paints!!

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Zero Waste Inspiration

I had stumbled upon this film about 3 years ago and thought of it immediately when we started this project. The premise: try and go a year without creating any carbon footprints. But its not that simple, Colin Beavan (the man who undertakes this project) has a wife and a daughter and the added stress of living in the most urbanized city in the world, New York city. Indeed here the disadvantages are heightened and becomes much more difficult than living in Bondi with four other guys in a share house. I think we can all draw alot of helpful tips from this film in practical terms. Here's an interesting piece about the film:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgLzKDKOCEw

You can follow Colin at noimpactman.typepad.com