Has anyone heard of this blog? It's called Trash Talk and was started in May by a woman named Ashley Menger. Her concept is to live for two weeks without a garbage can and to carry all the waste she generates on her person or within 5 feet of herself at all times. She's documented her experience on this blog. The idea behind this project is that at the end of the two weeks, someone else will take on the garbage challenge and document their experience of doing so on the blog. She lays out the following ground rules:
Rules of the exercise:
- Participants must remove all garbage cans from your house/ desk (see exceptions below).
o If the participant has roommates, they do not have to participate in this exercise (but may!)
o If the participant has a partner and/or children, they do not have to participate in this exercise (but may!)
- Participants may not use public garbage cans/ or anyone else’s garbage can.
- Participants cannot give garbage to someone and ask them to throw it away for you.
- Participants may recycle.
- Participants may compost.
- When participants eat in a restaurant, unless it states that it composts, they must finish everything on their plate or take it to a compost facility.
- Participants may flush your toilet.
- Participants may incinerate items.
- Participants may donate objects to Goodwill or other charity organizations.
- Any garbage created, the participant must live with. It must stay on him/her (in a purse, bag etc.) or within five feet at all times.
It looks like the name of the current blogger appears under the name of the blog, as of now it is someone named James Whittaker.
What are your thoughts on this? Do you think this can be effective, even if only to draw attention to excessive waste generation? Or is this just an extreme means of attention-getting . . . I'm not sure if I've decided but I'd be interested to know what you think.
http://www.frogdesign.com/frogblog/trash-talk-introduction.html
Comments (3)
Heya Kelly,
Actually it was brought to my attention by a friend who did a summer study abroad program with a woman who was actually "doing" the blog. My friend was unimpressed as it seemed ridiculous to her that this woman would choose to do this while traveling. I thought it sounded a little silly too but I was curious about it, especially in light of what we've been studying. I think I tend to agree with you: the value in this project seems to be in awareness rather than any real environmental impact. The people who participate in this project will end up throwing out their garbage anyway but I suppose it is enlightening to exactly how much waste you generate.
Posted by Maya | September 29, 2007 3:28 PM
Posted on September 29, 2007 15:28
I think this is the same as the trash challenge on PBS - this would be a good project for someone's contemporary ethnography assignment!
Jackie? Jackie?
Posted by Haidy Geismar | September 28, 2007 8:21 AM
Posted on September 28, 2007 08:21
Wow, that's a very interesting blog....how did you come across it, Maya? I think the idea is good in the sense that you become self aware of HOW much waste you can produce not just in two weeks, but within days even! However, I didn't really see any purpose in it all, because once the two weeks are over, don't you just have to throw away all the trash that you've accumulated anyways? Or did I miss something there?
Posted by Kelly Rangel | September 27, 2007 10:48 PM
Posted on September 27, 2007 22:48