I went to Track 16 Gallery in Santa Monica to see the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef exhibition that Ellen blogged about and to attend a workshop on how to crochet with plastic grocery bags. The sisters Wertheim were interesting to listen to but as a workshop I have to say it was a bust. Although we did learn how to turn the plastic bags into "yarn," much time was spent teaching newbies how to crochet the basics and we never got to the hyperbolic part. Ellen was there along with a few familiar faces, but I didn't get to talk to them much. It wasn't bad though; I spread the love by teaching two ladies (Jade and Mary) how to crochet and let them leave with two of my hooks with the promise that they not give up and keep practicing.
Afterward, I checked out the Harriet Zeitlin exhibit, notable for a creeptastic sail made from latex gloves, as well as a small collection of garbage from Kamilo Beach, Hawaii, by Captain Charles Moore, who was also speaking about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and our polluted oceans and beaches. Kamilo Beach is labeled "the dirtiest beach in the world." The collection included bottle caps, toothbrushes, plastic hangers, umbrella handles (what? I know!), and of course, plastic bottles, some of which had shark bites out of them. There was also an albatross carcass that had died due to ingesting trash, but I didn't look too closely at it.
Check out this shop on Etsy, where I purchased reusable produce bags 
and tea bags. 
I gave two tea bags to my friend, Terry, who declared them "the best gift ever." I used my produce bags this weekend, and while the clerk was a little confused, I assured him he could just weigh them the same way he would the plastic produce bags and everything would be fine. This shop also sells a reusable organic cotton coffee filter, which if I still had a coffee pot, I'd totally buy.
So, all in all, this day has led me to a renewed effort to reduce my plastic use significantly, to recycle more diligently, and to spread the word so that everyone else can try to do the same.
and tea bags. 
I gave two tea bags to my friend, Terry, who declared them "the best gift ever." I used my produce bags this weekend, and while the clerk was a little confused, I assured him he could just weigh them the same way he would the plastic produce bags and everything would be fine. This shop also sells a reusable organic cotton coffee filter, which if I still had a coffee pot, I'd totally buy.So, all in all, this day has led me to a renewed effort to reduce my plastic use significantly, to recycle more diligently, and to spread the word so that everyone else can try to do the same.
3 comments:
Good seeing you too yesterday, Laurie Ann. I totally agree about the workshop...bust. However, it was fun to see ALL of those people ripping up plastic bags! The exhibit was really awe-inspiring!
I've never seen those reusable tea bags....must try them!
Gotta get me some of the produce bags! A few months ago we switched over to vegetable based garbage bags from trellisearth.com--totally compostable (if we had a place to compost). But at least they will break down naturally in the landfill. At first I was worried they would start to decompose in the trash can but so far that hasn't happened...:) We bought a HUGE case (500) so I can give you some to try out, if you like.
{{snicker}} You said "tea bags". SNORT!
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