Art comes into action. Christian Falsnaes. Performance and solo-show „FORCE“. Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, Krefeld. Until June 24, 2018
1. June 2018
No cat picture. Also no video.
20. June 2018
There are attitudes to life that have already been established for a long time. They are already recognized as very wise and reasonable (common sense, so to speak). But only with a crisp internationally pronounceable term it becomes a „lifestyle”, to stay in the jargon. „Zero waste“ is such a magic term. My grandmother, for example, was definitely a true “Zero Waster”. She did not call it that name, but just did it. (Almost) zero waste, but also almost zero abundance. Not a thousand things, but selected range of good things. Not a hundred “outfits”, but a cleverly composed concentrated, well-kept wardrobe “for every occasion”. Cooking? Prepared fresh every day, according to the season, and preferably with products from “next door”. Wrapping paper? Smoothed and put away “just in case“ you need some. Avoiding waste, quite simply, right? Hm, sometimes it is not that easy. But again, every contribution counts.
Zero Waste means trying not to produce waste. 5 principles
At least theoretically. But we have to admit that it is not that easy in real life. „Zero waste“ is about 5 principles, also called the “Five R’s”, with which „waste“ of any kind should be avoided, or at least reduced as far as possible.
1. Refuse
„Refuse“ is about the deliberate rejection of garbage. For example, all the wrapping papers and packaging, all the bags …. that you receive and accumulate with every purchase. In general, it is about consumption with no sense in general. How many promotional pens, that do not write properly, are there in your drawers at home? How many flyers do you find in your daily newspaper, or receive in your mailbox? And how many do actually read before just throwing away? The more consciously we consume (and consequently, we also consciously reject!), the less is to be produced and later disposed of. Our company, for example, simply does without the classic printed hotel brochure and other “flyers”, which quite quickly “fly” in the garbage. And our correspondence with our guests, from offer to invoice, is digital, as far as we can do.
2. Reduce
In general, a very special “garbage trap” in the hotel business is portion packaging. It is convenient, hygienic – without question, but definitely it generates packaging waste in tremendous quantities. Certainly, all foods are initially packaged in some way, but not every single serving has to come in a specially prepared sachet. Butter and margarine? We buy our spreads “in one piece” and slice it in portions. Jam? Our jams are homemade, according to the season, and served in the iconic, preserving WECK jar. Homemade yogurts? Fresh prepared on a daily base. They are delicious, and they look delicious, served in little WECK jars. Our honey? Fair Trade, out of the big family size pack, and ready to be portioned individually, in a very cleverly constructed dispenser. For full enjoyment without sticky fingers. And the all-time favorite, Nutella chocolate spread? Admittedly, the change from single portion packs to (large size!) family glass, was kind of a hurdle. But we have also found a good solution here as well: we portion it. That means: no sticky chocolate fingers for you! And yes, we’re pretty proud of that. Of course we’re not completely „waste-free” with these measures, because our food is always sort of packed when we buy it, but we clearly notice in direct comparison that a total switch from portion pack to regular (big) size means considerably less waste.
Blog Article AVOID! – PLASTIC! – RUBBISH! – NOW!
3. Reuse
How many garments do we have that we never wear? How many books do we read more than once? To be honest: Who would read a thriller twice? Would you? And these are just two small examples. We can bring good and useful things, that we just do not need, to other people who need them. 1 – 2 – 3. Yours! We can resell them in a garage sale, or just give them to somebody else.
In recent years, our „throw-away“ society has repeatedly climbed to new, previously unthinkable peaks. There are smart reusable alternatives, and products that can be reused, but we still need more of those! By the way, the furniture in our house is „(re)used“ for the most part. And when we renovate or re-decorate our rooms, we furnish them with old furniture as well. A very important question, not only for (re)use: Can a product be repaired, if necessary? You would not want to throw away your car or your washing machine would if they break. Because the purchase was too expensive. But what about all those less expensive things like a kettle, a T-shirt with a small hole, or the shoes whose sole is “through”. Much of it does not have to be on the trash, but is just a candidate for repair. If you can not do that by yourself, you might get expert help from a specialist, or you can go for a coffee in the Repair Cafe. Incidentally, the closest is also found on the internet. And the nice thing with this very special „coffee break is that you can learn a lot yourself. www.garage-lab.de
4. Recycle
Our Napkins
Anything that is left over despite these first three „R’s”, and can not be repaired, should definitely be included in the recycling cycle, because that also saves resources. Waste management is organized very differently in different regions. There is the “yellow bin“ for plastic waste and other recyclable materials (i.e. everything with the “green dot“ symbol), the “blue bin” for waste paper, the “brown bin” for garden waste. Recycling depots and public recycling containers for paper and glass as well as textiles, are available in most communities. Our recycled napkins, for example, show that recycled products can look good. They are not only recyclable themselves, but of course they are already made from 100% recycled materials. 100%, and no less.
5. Rot
Organic kitchen waste can be turned into high quality fertilizer. You can also participate in this transformation process, even if you do not have a garden or balcony of your own, and simply do not need your own compost heap. Just bring your kitchen waste, gardening waste, autumn leaves into a „brown bin“, and your annual Christmas tree will definitely be collected by your local waste management provider.
