On Saturday, June 6, Laura Pritchett attended the last book signing for her new book, "Going Green: True Tales from Gleaners, Scavengers, and Dumpster Divers" at the Barnes and Noble at 4045 S. College Ave.
The book, a collection of personal essays about from over 20 writers nationwide, including several Colorado writers, who focus on the way "being green" changed their lives.
Along with Pritchett, two of the local writers, Libby James and Paul Miller, attended the event and read excerpts from their essays.
Pritchett began the event by explaining that everything she was wearing was from a dumpster, except her shoes, which a friend gave her before they were thrown out. She explained that "dumpster diving" began as a way to occupy her kids that was "free and gave them something to do."
But as Pritchett and her kids continued dumpster diving, she said she noticed that while the free things in the dumpster were in good condition, often folded and smelling of laundry detergent was problematic. Soon dumpster diving became an ethical situation for Pritchett as she examined the ideologies in our society that made people throw usable items away.
Then she came on the word "gleaning" and that became her mission: to normalize gleaning.
Pritchett read an excerpt from her essay "It Keeps the Heart Happy" that detailed her experiences diving. She read: "Dive, Dive, Dive ... we're socially weird, but we don't care ... If only the Earth didn't have to give so much..."
Next, Miller read from his essay "Wood Blues," which was his experience with salvaging wood from his old house and also of blue-stained wood. Blue stain is a complex fungi produced by Mountain Pine Beetles when they successfully attack a pine tree, which has caused severe destruction to the western slope and soon the eastern slope of Colorado.
Then James read from her story "Of Bags and Rags." In her essay, she spoke about how she has had the same red windbreaker (she brought it for the audience to see) for 57 years. Her essay detailed her windbreaker as her "grand old rag that always stuck with me."
James said she also has another way she reuses -- she makes art out of old tea bags. And she said that moldy tea bags are great because they add a lot of color to her art. Her art, jacket and other items she reuses challenge her to see just how long an item can be reused.
The book, a collection of personal essays about from over 20 writers nationwide, including several Colorado writers, who focus on the way "being green" changed their lives.
Along with Pritchett, two of the local writers, Libby James and Paul Miller, attended the event and read excerpts from their essays.
Pritchett began the event by explaining that everything she was wearing was from a dumpster, except her shoes, which a friend gave her before they were thrown out. She explained that "dumpster diving" began as a way to occupy her kids that was "free and gave them something to do."
But as Pritchett and her kids continued dumpster diving, she said she noticed that while the free things in the dumpster were in good condition, often folded and smelling of laundry detergent was problematic. Soon dumpster diving became an ethical situation for Pritchett as she examined the ideologies in our society that made people throw usable items away.
Then she came on the word "gleaning" and that became her mission: to normalize gleaning.
Pritchett read an excerpt from her essay "It Keeps the Heart Happy" that detailed her experiences diving. She read: "Dive, Dive, Dive ... we're socially weird, but we don't care ... If only the Earth didn't have to give so much..."
Next, Miller read from his essay "Wood Blues," which was his experience with salvaging wood from his old house and also of blue-stained wood. Blue stain is a complex fungi produced by Mountain Pine Beetles when they successfully attack a pine tree, which has caused severe destruction to the western slope and soon the eastern slope of Colorado.
Then James read from her story "Of Bags and Rags." In her essay, she spoke about how she has had the same red windbreaker (she brought it for the audience to see) for 57 years. Her essay detailed her windbreaker as her "grand old rag that always stuck with me."
James said she also has another way she reuses -- she makes art out of old tea bags. And she said that moldy tea bags are great because they add a lot of color to her art. Her art, jacket and other items she reuses challenge her to see just how long an item can be reused.
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what a fantastic aim,to Normalize gleaning. We're lucky here and can give lots of our old stuff to charity shops, and buy ourselves 'new' stuff from the same places, but my kids just will not wear second hand and it drives me crazy!
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