During next Monday's (Feb. 16) Melting Pot - a free climate change film series at the Adventure Centre - the documentary Garbage Warrior takes a look at renegade environmentalist Michael Reynolds.
There are some green elements out there with pretty extreme attitudes. Is this a path we should all be willing to follow? Or, does the trick lie in leaving our lives basically unchanged, but living them more efficiently? With experiments in sustainable living, Garbage Warrior allows us to explore both sides of the spectrum.
Garbage Warrior follows architect Reynolds who uses beer cans, car tires and water bottles as tools of choice for producing thermal mass and energy-independent housing.
For 30 years New Mexico-based Reynolds and his green disciples have devoted their time to advancing the art of "Earthship Biotecture" by building what they call "self-sufficient, off-the-grid communities where design and function converge in eco-harmony."
However, these experimental structures that defy state standards create conflict between Reynolds and the authorities, who are suspected of being backed by big business. Frustrated by antiquated legislation, Reynolds lobbies for the right to create a sustainable living test site.
As Mother Nature strikes, leaving communities devastated by tsunamis and hurricanes, Reynolds and his crew seize the opportunity to lend their pioneering skills to those who need it most. Shot over three years and in four countries, Garbage Warrior is a timely portrait of a determined visionary of the 21st century.
