Hey Metro Vancouver!

I'm Alison Richards and for 30 days, starting on April 1st, 2011 I'll be monitoring and documenting my actions and activities while striving to live with the least amount of impact and creating zero waste. This interactive web site is meant to serve as a portal for your participation. Chat with me during my daily 5PM web cast or post your tips and suggestions on the Facebook page. I hope to create a ripple of change through awareness and focusing on making one small change each day.

Day Twenty Four - April 24th, 2011

Although this is the last week of my 30 day challenge, I will NOT be stopping my zero waste, zero impact activities. I've learned an incredible amount over the past 3 weeks and it would be stupid for me to go back to the dark side. Truthfully, it hasn't been that difficult and I feel good about the changes that I've made in my routine.

I've noticed with some of my friends, family and crew (even a few strangers) that they're thinking along greener lines now too. That's the whole point of what I'm trying to do, so... It's working! Our entire production has been adhering to strict protocol for travel, food, water and all aspects of media management and communications.

Today I was reviewing footage with the editor and I kept thinking that I sounded like a complete dork. Not that being a dork is such a bad thing, it's just not quite as fashionable as being a nerd or geek. I hope that we can find interesting ways to add humor to our final edited version. I can't face the notion of people tuning-out due to dorkiness. Probably the biggest lesson I have learned so far this month is that it's not as hard as you'd imagine to start creating positive change in your lifestyle.

Riding the bus has actually proven to be a blessing for me. It's my 'quiet-time' and where I sort my thoughts and plan my next move. Public Transit barely takes much longer than driving and I can focus on anything else besides the traffic around me.

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Live @ 5 Each Day at 5PM for a recap of Alison's progress

Dear Cousin,

We're away on a work weekend and I'm now in my snug little hotel room. We're in Machida which is in the western part of Tokyo, and would normally have gone home after today's shows, but because they thought the rolling blackouts would be in effect, we have a very early start tomorrow, hence the sleepover. The hall we will be performing in was supposed to have no power for four hours in the afternoon, but because everyone PITCHED IN and SWITCHED OFF, there won't be a power outage. Unfortunately, it was too late to change the schedule so we do three shows in the morning and then two much later in the afternoon. Going to be a looooong day, but I'm not complaining because all our shows were cancelled in March because of the quake.

We always use the same hotel chain around the country, and they have a couple of good things going on for the benefit of Mother Earth. I'm sure you have the same things in Canada, but I haven't been back for sixteen years so am not sure! This hotel group no longer provides individual bottles of shampoo, rinse or soap. There's a dispenser in all the bathrooms to reduce plastic waste. Other amenities are available, but you have to get them at the front desk. You're less likely to use them and create more waste than if they were readily available in your room. They also have two waste baskets which are clearly labelled so that your garbage is properly separated. VOILA!

We're on the THIRTEENTH floor (!!!), and the superstitious Russian half of my DNA is giving me pause. I sure as hell don't want to be up this high if we have a big quake! We actually had a tremor about two hours ago and at first I thought it was my heartbeat making the bed move, but then I noticed my clothes swaying gently on their hangers. Ye gods and little fishies!

Well Sweetie, that's all she wrote! Sorry there wasn't more to tell you today. Time to get my beauty sleep!

MWAAA!

Brent

Brent Fialka