K. Nicole Kindred – Sustainability Consultant

My most recent photo project – a humorous look at our obsession with new products and technology.

I first thought of it when I didn’t have TV and started laughing at the idea of putting up an iPod instead. I thought it was funny.

The artist, Portia Munson, has found a way to turn heaps of plastic kitsch and junk into beautiful mounds of stuff that both uplift and mock our contemporary consumer culture.

Her art installations are a contemplation of and comment on our manufactured perceptions of nature. Our culture is defined by the objects we mass-produce, consume, and throw away. Portia collects these objects and assembles them into congested installations, in essence using the refuse of consumer culture that usually ends up in landfills and yard sales as her resources.

 The Pink Project:

Green Piece; Sarcophagus

The Garden

There are 28,000 42-gallon barrels in this image. This is roughly the amount the United States consumes every two minutes.

Chris Jordan uses photography to illustrates the staggering scale of human consumption. His series Running the Numbers, is a series of photographs that look at statistics in contemporary American culture.

Each image portrays a specific quantity of something: fifteen million sheets of office paper (five minutes of paper use); 106,000 aluminum cans (thirty seconds of can consumption), etc. While statistics can normally feel abstract and make it difficult to connect with and make meaning of of numbers lik 3.6 million SUV sales in one year, 2.3 million Americans in prison or 32,000 breast augmentation surgeries in the U.S. every month, Chris Jordan’s pictures provide a visual interpretation.

The picture above depicts 426,000 cell phones, equal to the number of cell phones retired in the US every day.

Greater detail:

New Scientist has selected some of these images for a slide show on their website with links to related articles for more information. It is called Gallery: Putting human consumption into perspective.

Bibi van der Zee from the Guardian has made her 2009 pledges to be more ‘green’ which has encouraged me to look at ways in which I can be more green in the upcoming new year by making small changes to my household consumption.

1.) Waste – While I currently recycle most of the household waste that I can, the City of Vancouver currently does not offer an organic waste disposal means. So for the past year I have been talking about building my own worm farm or finding a way to donate my compost waste to my local neighborhood garden. So my waste resolution for 2009 is to accomplish one or both of those. Also, I resolve to consume less in general thus producing less waste overall.

2.) Water – Last year I installed water saving taps on all my sinks and the shower in my apartment and put in a water saving pouch in the cistern of my toilet so each flush uses less water; however technology is only half the solutions. Changing my water use habits is also an important step. Therefore my water reduction resolution for 2009 is to use less water when showering, turn off the tap more frequently when doing the dishes (and make greater use of the basin water) and check more frequently for leaks in our pipes.

3.) Electricity – All of my lights have been switched to CFLs, anything that goes to standby mode (except my microwave) gets unplugged, and I make sure to turn off lights that aren’t being used (or other appliances like my computer) and use reusable batteries among other efforts. However, a couple of items in my apartment remain on when not necessary, like my modem, my wireless, and often my speakers. Therefore, my electricity resolution for 2009 is to turn off these items at night and when I’m not using them for long periods of time.

4.) Transport – I currently use the Vancouver public transport to get around to places that are too far to walk. On the weekend and when I do longer trips I use the car sharing company, Zipcar to get around. All of their vehicles are either hybrids or small, fuel efficient cars. I usually only take them out a couple of times a month. Last year I averaged about 100 kilometers a month with Zipcar. My major flying time in the past year was my trip to Australia. I took the train to get back for Christmas last month. My major transport resolution for 2009, other than to reduce travel overall, is to buy a bike. Yes, it’s true, I do not yet have a bike, but would like one to get around to more places within the city without taking public transportation.

5.)Socially – I currently volunteer weekly with Oxfam Canada. My current 2009 resolution to be socially more sustainable is to continue to volunteer regularly and encourage others in my community to take their time to contribute to the community and the environment. For events around Vancouver, including volunteer activities, please visit my calendar or follow me on Twitter.

Those are my ‘green’ resolutions for 2009. Please feel free to comment or share yours.

Happy New Year!