I love music, my main collection is in the form of the Compact Disc. CD's are a format that I have grown up with and that suits my needs. I love the feeling of purchasing a new CD and opening it, playing the music, and experiencing the artwork and sometimes lyrics inside that comes with my purchase.
My first ever CD purchase was from the video store in Picton, I was browsing their small collection and saw an album I would likely never see again: 'Primary' by 'Rubicon'. A band from Auckland that found a small amount of popularity in the early 00's due to a song called 'Bruce'. I had to have it, even just to say that I was one of the few people in the country/world to have it.
Some of my collection is from compiling full discographies of an artist as I have done with Shihad, The Datsuns, and Alice In Chains. My CD collection is mostly of Kiwi and Rock music, with a few exceptions, sometimes when browsing a CD store I will see something different that I buy purely out of curiosity, and that purchase sometimes becomes a favourite, like Chirs Jasper's 'Superbad' album.
Iron Cactus shaped CD rack
Flimsy CD rack
My organization of the physical CD's has always been done using CD racks, the CD rack has been my chosen piece of display furniture as it enables many CDs to be stored in one place and is easy to access. Sometimes however, CD's fall from the rack, and make a mess, and it turns out they aren't they most space efficient. The two CD racks above are no longer in use as they are not very practical.
It was time to reorganize.
I decided to build a simple shelving unit specifically for the purpose of storing my CD's. I had some pieces of timber perfect for building such a shelf so I got to it. I measured the two side pieces and the back piece so they were the correct height, I then measured six shelves to be the same length as the width of the back piece. I screwed the sides to the back piece and then measured out the correct spacing between each shelf before screwing them together.
My new shelving unit made of recycled timber.
Now I could display more of my CD's in a smaller area (150 approx). Also this purpose built shelf allowed space for the CD's which were not standard size. e.g. the box for Korn's 'horrific little mutations'* album and the Supergroove box set of EP's.
Five empty shelves
I am very happy with this CD shelf. It suits its purpose extremely well and fits the look of my bedroom which is full of other handmade wooden furniture.
When it comes time for me to leave the flat that I am in, this shelf will be easy to move without having to remove the CD's, another convenience that will save time and energy.
The finished and full CD shelf next to my other CD rack.
I might need to make another of these shelves soon enough.
*The Korn album I am referring too is better known as 'untitled', named this way so that the listener could name it as they see fit.
Korn 'Untitled' or 'Horrific Little Mutations' or anything you want to call it.
It's easy. It's simple. It's plain reckless not to do it. Taking your own re-useable bags to your local countdown, new world, pak n' save or wherever else you buy groceries. I'd like to say this has become the norm. It hasn't. The majority of people still turn up to the supermarket once a week without their own bags and in turn put another 20 plastic bags into our local landfill weekly.
The energy to create a re-usable bag is estimated to be equivalent to the energy to create 28 plastic bags. Therefore to have any environmental impact you need to use your re-usable bag 28 times, is that right? Wrong. If you can use your own old fabric to create shopping bags out of, then each time you use your bag you are stopping another plastic bag from being used. Fantastic. Making you own bags is easy. Use some old fabric, sew a couple of seams up, and voila you have a bag that you can use and use and use again.
Wine in a homemade bag, made from an old couch throw.
A lot of people seem to think that bringing their own bag is a hassle and not worth the effort. The reality is, If everyone used their own bags instead of plastic we would be producing far less waste than we currently do. Leave your bags in the car, and use them again each time you shop.
If I just sound like a random blogger whining about plastic bags, watch the video below and then see if you are swayed.
As Tim Minchin says "Do something drastic to rid the world of plastic". On a side note, I'd also like to discourage the purchase of fruit and veg that is wrapped in styro-foam and plastic. Is there anything more unnatural that we could do to disguise the things we consume?
I know that sometimes it is hard to refuse a plastic bag, and sometimes your things are bagged before you have a chance to refuse; in situations like these, it isn't worth the hassle to make a scene and draw unwanted attention to yourself. Instead, take the bag, but use it. Make sure its life is one of use.
Don't just bin it, there are heaps of things plastic bags can be used for, it can store your loose belongings, like jigsaw pieces, or lego. It can be used to store fruit, or used as a means of battering your potatoes and other veg in tasty herbs and spices. And of course, it can house other pieces of rubbish, I admit it, I still bin things, what else do I do with all of that belly-button fluff? An old plastic bag can still do good if it contains other objects that are inevitably headed toward the landfill.
Plastic bag as a rubbish liner, to contain all other waste.
If you have read my manifesto you'll know that I am an advocate for buying good stuff. Believe it or not plastic can be good stuff. Using lunchbox quality plastics can be more beneficial to the environment than using cheap plastics that will crack, shatter, and be thrown away.
At chinese fast-food outlets the plastic that your chow mein comes in is rubbish. One use and it is bust; but lunchbox plastics bought at any supermarket could last more than a decade with the right care.
Good re-useable lunchbox, containing porridge for breakfast.
I have recently been suggested the idea that instead of using plastics from a chinese fast food store, or even the plastic at supermarket pick n mix, I should instead take my own containers and keep on re-using those.
A decent plastic container can be used for many things. I use them to hold my lunch, to store foods, and objects around the house, and recently for even more sustainable food shopping. Of course they are only a great tool so long as they do not break; a lot of love must go into all items, even plastics to ensure that they survive a long time.
As my birthday is approaching in less than a month I have naturally thought of a few gift ideas. One of the items on my wish list is a guitar pick cutter which cuts old credit-cards into guitar picks. Brilliant way to give a piece of plastic some new life. Especially seeing as I am always losing picks. This nifty item will save on pick costs, enable some creative license when deciding on my pick colouring, and breathe new life into the many expired credit cards which nowadays people chow through.
http://www.pickmaster.co.uk/
Lastly this week I am to talk about something somewhat disappointing to a Wellingtonian like myself. The Wellington Hurricanes were favourites to beat the Otago Highlanders in the Rugby Super 15 final. As I am not the gambling man the extent of my wager was that the winning team decided the beer that would fill my next crate. The bottles that make up a crate are a brilliant example of re-use that is not only environmentally sustainable, but also economically friendly. The first time you buy a crate of beer you pay an extra 5 dollars for your crate and bottles, every other time after that you are saving money by swapping the bottles in. These bottles in turn just get sterilized and then refilled with beer. As my team lost my next refill will be a southerners drink. Speights.
