Sweet Links

Sweet Land, I mean. I borrowed this from the library and watched it over the weekend. I don't remember whatever compelled me to request it a few weeks back, but I thought it was adorable. Maybe that isn't the word they were going for, but I really, really liked it. The film won an award of which you can read in the first line of the 'synopsis' under the 'about' heading after clicking on the link above. It's one of those movies where it takes you back in time, then back to the present, and backwards again. I'm pretty sure there's a word for that. I love movies like that. They (the people on the commentated version of the movie) were distinguishing it from a period piece because the movie takes place in the memory of a character or characters, and not in 'real time' of whatever time period it's covering. I learned that difference by listening to the commentated version of the movie. I love learning stuff like that. I'm a movie buff of some sort, not in that I know all movies and all the trivia, but I really enjoy watching every single bit of bonus footage on DVD's and hearing about different interpretations, as well as all the artistic stuff behind the film. Everything basically. That's something that I think most people would find surprising to learn about me.

Anyway, the finished product of the film was awesome, as well as the commentating, although I could hardly stand to listen to Elizabeth Reaser talking. Maybe she was just having a moron day? I'm glad I watched the actual movie first because it might have ruined it for me to listen to her give her meager thoughts on the film. But what really got me is that at some point in the commentating, someone started talking about how Sweet Land was the first carbon-neutral American movie. How cool! It was filmed in Minnesota, out in farm country, so many of the things they had to do where conducive to 'treading lightly on the Earth' anyway. And then I guess when they are done filming, they factor in the carbon cost, change this over to dollars, and pay that much to effect some change which thereby neutralizes the carbon footprint. Carbon offsetting. Sounds simple. I've known 'about' it for a long time, but I'm embarrassed by how little I know about the actual process. I'll make it my next big research effort and post when I've learned something worthwhile.

In other Earth-friendly news, we got a new washer and dryer. It was my first Energy Star major appliance purchase, and from here on out I will only buy Energy Star. I'm still figuring them out because after using a hand-me-down, older-than-me washer and dryer, these things are like something out of Back to the Future to me.The 'Razor Saver' is on its way to us via UPS. I can't wait to try this thing.

And I've finally ordered our new water bottles. Zach got this boring one, Jacob picked out this ugly one, and the one I'd been patiently waiting to order (until the other members of the household chose theirs), decided to be sold out - on my birthday. My next 10 choices decided to be sold out as well, so I took myself on over to here and ordered one of these because that's the one I originally saw months ago when I first got on this kick - and now finally the biter ones aren't sold out like they were for so long.

The garbage and recycling went out tonight. There was hardly anything in the garbage can, but the compost pile is growing at a rapid pace and the recycling bins were overflowing. Within the plastic/glass/metal bin are our Nalgene bottles. Goodbye dear friends. I also got rid of all the old baby bottles (not that I used them very much) after translating what I learned about the water bottles and flipping over the baby bottles to see the big fat #7 on the bottom. Next baby will just have to be exclusively breastfed. Shouldn't be a problem, not like I ever even left Jacob til he was over two.

Here's a really comprehensive article I came across that describes the whole plastics issue. It's not terribly long, and is easy to skip around and pick out relevant information.