Living Me to We. Craig Kielburger

Чтение книги онлайн.

      MORNING

      Wake Me Up

      7:45 a.m.

      Buy Some Time

      Repair What You Wear

      RIIIIIIIIIIP. WE ALL KNOW THAT GUT-WRENCHING SOUND: it’s the last dying gasp of your favourite pair of jeans. Putting aside the embarrassment of just splitting your pants (everyone’s done it, us included), what if someone told you that life is not over for those jeans of yours? Canadians trash 15 pounds of clothing every year, although the lion’s share of thrown-away threads rarely use their full lifespan. Our feisty, resourceful Grandma Mimi would have sat down and stitched up those jeans (not that Granny Mimi wore jeans), but nowadays trends change so quickly and advertising urges us to buy, buy, buy something new instead. On a global scale, we rarely preserve what we already have, junking 99 percent of the stuff we harvest, mine, transport and process within six months. And within this throwaway mindset, the clothing industry is one of the worst culprits; it’s a common quip in China that you can tell which colours will be hip next season by the colour of the dyes flowing through the rivers. This is bad news for the environment and the workers who receive very little pay.Now the good news: your beloved jeans can lead a long and happy second life, provided you give them a little TLC. The tips below, like getting acquainted with the local tailor, cobbler or drycleaner, can help extend the life of your clothing, save a little cash and avoid the environmental damage caused by crafting clothes anew. You can also make clothing repair fun, by enlisting friends with sewing skills or enrolling as a gang in sewing classes at a nearby studio. (Vancouver’s Spool and Thread sewing studio reports that 10 percent of its clientele is men, meaning there’s hope for a man behind a sewing machine becoming cool and, dare we say, even sexy?) Take these tips in stride and you’ll make granny proud.

      SHARE, REPAIR OR TAKE CAREInvest a few dollars in a cheap sewing kit and a bottle of shoe polish. You can quickly extend the life of your clothes and shoes by showing them some attention.Learn how to darn! All you’ll need is a darning needle, door knob (or something similarly pear-shaped) and wool thread and you’ll be repairing pesky toe holes in no time.Sewing studios are popping up in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. Check the resource guide to find a sewing space near you.If knitting is your thing, organize a regular knitting group or search out a knit-friendly café in your community.

      20

      Living Me To We | Morning

      MORNING

      Wake Me Up

      7:45 a.m.

      RE-USE AN OLD SHIRT

      You already know about all the chemicals and water used to make a T-shirt from scratch, so how about remaking that old sleeping shirt into a reusable shopping bag?

       GO TO PAGE 154 FOR MORE TIPS AND INFORMATION

      21

       Morning | Living Me To We

      GET TO KNOW

      USE WHAT YOU GOT

      The Buried Life

      Meet Duncan, Johnnie, Ben and Dave, the four childhood-buds-turned-superstars of MTV’s The Buried Life. Growing up in Victoria, British Columbia these boys were taught to reuse and repurpose whatever they had. Back then it wasn’t called “socially conscious living” – just life.

      THE MOMENT: “None of us were pampered growing up,” says Ben. “So, we learned to be resourceful. I was almost shocked by what my mom would do. She never threw away Christmas wrapping paper. Never. So, we’d be wrapping presents in the same paper for 10 years.” Brothers Johnnie and Duncan remember that food waste didn’t exist in their house: “Our mom made one big meal on Monday. Whatever wasn’t finished would go into a new meal on Tuesday and then whatever wasn’t finished that night went into a new meal on Wednesday. Everything was used.”THE MISSION: From B.C. to L.A., the life-time pals made a big jump when they moved south for the small screen. “Growing up on the West Coast, we all have an appreciation for the outdoors and the environment. The differences between Victoria and Los Angeles hit us the most when we saw that recycling doesn’t happen much here,” says Ben. “I was always impressed by Steve Nash, who’s from our hometown. He moved to Dallas where they don’t have a recycling program and set one up in the schools there. That’s what we want to do: lead by example when we can.”THE HABIT: Day to day, The Buried Life stars try to keep connected to their roots in Victoria. Either they’re driving across the country in a repurposed purple bus called Penelope, or skateboarding across town wearing second-hand clothing. Even the bunk bed sheets on Penelope are passed down from Dave and his brothers. It’s a nice blast from the past, as each bed is outfitted with sheets of each cast member’s childhood heroes and hobbies. (Johnnie has Hercules, Duncun has He-Man, Dave has Smurfs and Ben has planets.) “You can take the guys out of Canada, but you can’t take the Canada out of the guys” is their motto. СКАЧАТЬ