The Adlington Post

Last December I was invited to help present a workshop on the power of art to effect social change at "Artshift" a sub-activity of the international Youth Climate Change Summit (known as Power Shift : New Zealand- Pacific where well-over 600 young people signed up ) at Auckland University.  “The Power Shift NZ-Pacific 2012 Youth Climate Summit will create a powerful movement that will push New Zealand to raise its ambition in tackling climate change, and challenge our leaders to make meaningful change to climate policy.”  (From PowerShift.org.nz )   watch the video of the workshop HERE

Another three minutes of fame!! The skilled folks from Whitebait TV made a short doco on my dumpster diving and upcycling activities which screened on June 8 2012. Watch by clicking on the image:

Today I had great fun doing a show and tell with my recycled artworks for an attentive audience from PHAB Assn. Inc. (PHysically Disabled and Able-bodied) who came over from Takapuna. Many thanks to Sarah and the support crew, as well as to the young folks themselves. "PHAB is a ‘constructive support network’ not a service organization. We mentor and foster leadership among all our members. We have people, disabled and non-disabled, working together at every level of the organization. Building Dreams...Building Hopes...Building Lives...Building Futures...Building Friendships...Building Me..." www.phab.org.nz

"The motto is reduce, reuse and recycle but nobody's reducing" - martin adlington "Members of a fringe group known as dumpster divers are enjoying fancy meals – for free. On an average evening they can be found knee-deep in supermarket skips collecting food, despite most being able to pay for it off the shelves. Former rubbish truck driver and self-proclaimed professor of garbology Martin Adlington says people like him are dumpster divers out of principle. "On the Shore what is thrown out by supermarkets, veggie shops and restaurants you can live off very well. I've found stuff where the expiry date isn't for another month." One of his most successful yields includes bacon, salami, yoghurt, cream cheese dip and blue vein cheese barely past the use-by date and still cold from the chiller. "If you know the right times and places to go you do pretty well." see the rest of the article, plus some intern...

Last week a reporter from our local North Shore Times came to my home to interview me on matters regarding freganing & dumpster diving. Between 30-40% of the food produced in NZ is wasted at some point on the food chain. The reporter asked me if a family of four could live from the food disposed of in local dumpsters - "easily" I replied - they would probably even thrive on all the fruit & vegetables disposed of because of a slight blemish or (horror!) odd shape.

The week before Xmas a very professional team from Whitebait TV spent the best part of a day with me - doing an interview & filming for a documentary on environmental artists in New Zealand - to be screened on TV sometime early this year. We had fun in the dumpster & on the beach. Hopefully I was able to get my message across: the motto is "reduce, reuse, recycle" - but no-one talks about reducing! I guess the likes of the Warehouse, Harvey Norman etc won't like that message. Too bad. The problem with the current recycling fad is that it to me it makes buying crap OK - as long as you recycle it when you're done. Sorry, but no, it doesn't work that way: Just don't buy crap in the first place. The core of the problem is that most people can't differentiate between their needs & their wants - more on this later. In the meantime, may I suggest viewers read "To Have or to Be" by Erich Fromm - a seminal text on the topic.

On Sat 14th August I had a stall at the 2010 Auckland Zine Festival in St Kevin's Arcade in Karangahape Road. Attendance was steady thruout the day, & I met some nice people as well as selling some of my altered books. See some of my collages on www.culture-jams.blogspot.com

LtoR - Mitch Santell, Dana Stewart, Mr News [standing], Tim Lynch, Prof. Garbology - Martin Adlington On May 20 I was a panel guest speaker on radio GreenplanetFM 104.6 in "mobilising consciousness with Tim Lynch", discussing "Democracy, Governance & Sovereignty at Risk in NZ" along with Dana Stewart & Mr News. Find the podcast HERE From Tim : "As the pace of life gets faster and faster and days appear to rapidly recede behind us, NZers appear to be like possums at night time staggering in the middle of the road mesmerized and caught in the glare of headlights of a fast coming vehicle, not knowing what is happening and therefore not appearing to take any action.

 Will the possums wake up in time and do the correct thing by taking action to control their own future, ... or ...?

 Plus, what is the table talk at cafes, restaurants, bars and lunch times around NZ? Is the populace happy and even ecstatic with how we the people are governing ourselv...

Last Thursday I was invited to have a stall with my recycled artwork at the inaugural "First Thursday" art event in St Kevin's Arcade in K Rd, AK. With free cider & loud music the crowd had a good time. Sales were slow - hopefully better next time. See more of my trashion pieces as well as recycled, upcycled and environmental works at www.martinadlington.webs.com

Yesterday I had a stall at the annual Grey Lynn Festival. I was invited into the new "Eco Space" with other stalls of an environmental nature: Grey Lynn Farmers Market, Grey Lynn Waste Away, Grey Lynn 2030, 350, Oooby, as well as urban gardens. See more of my  recycled, upcycled and environmental works at www.martinadlington.webs.com

The children [& teachers] from the local Browns Bay Pre School have invited me to assist them construct a sculpture for the playground which the children have designed. Here is the "sculpture group" with their tentative layout for the work - comprised of pieces of pumice from Lake Taupo, & steel rods from an old fence.

I made this nikau palm from plastic drink bottles. On Saturday 24th September I will have a stall at the 350 environmental event at Mt Eden- where I will be demonstrating craft projects for recycling plastic drink bottles, as well as selling my recycled artworks & trashion pieces. 350 Maunga Action * 3:30-4:50pm Join in with other Aucklanders on the Real Icons of Auckland to call out for change for 350. Bring your voice and instruments - tell every music group you know! Maungawhau | Mt Eden http:// www.350.org/node/5747 fb: http:// www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=113834797830 3:30pm for karakia, ends 4:50 so you can amble along to: 350 Festival * 5pm-7pm The key-stone in Auckland's combined action: Gather with the whole 350 community to celebrate the day http://www. 350.org/node/8755 fb: http:// www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=165945354531 Tahaki Reserve, at the base of Mt. Eden 5pm till sun-down around 7pm

Here is my dumpster-diving buddie Laurie with her daughter Hannah with the bags we made for the Textile Art Show at the Depot Art Gallery

Here are the two major prize-winners from the Junk2Funk recycled art show held on Waiheke Island last weekend. Sue Hunter's '50's-style flounced dress, bag & hat made from Vogel's bread wrappers & other plastic bags won Senior "Local Heros" as well as "Best Overall". Kerry Appleton's dress made from old entry tickets to past Junk2Funk shows won Intermediate "Local Heroes" as well as the "Supreme Sustainability" award.

I have been invited to be a judge at this year's "Junk to Funk" : "After a year’s break, Waiheke’s recycling fashion show is set to capture the imagination of the island’s environmentally aware, as Gill Alcock finds out...All the fun of the island’s very own recycling extravaganza returns in spring after a year off.Waiheke Waste Resource Trust’s Junk to Funk, the fashion show with a difference, captures the imagination of budding fashionistas and adds a green edge, making it one of the most popular events on Waiheke’s calendar. As always, this year’s show, on 2 and 3 October, will be an opportunity for everyone to get creative while showing off their commitment to recycling, sustainability and environmental awareness.And while many enter the event from an altruistic bent, participants will be in to win cash prizes from a pool of $5,000, donated by local businesses.This year there are five entry categories under the titles of Junk to Funktional, ...

Where I belong...in a dumpster!: expounding Post Modern Trash Theory to people from AK Uni - audio & video of the interview following shortly on mywebsite & Youtube channel... On Thursday 13th August I will be talking with environmental guru Tim Lynch on GreenPlanet FM 104.6: "How Joe Six-Pack Can Help Save the World"...available later on podcast from www.greenplanetfm.com

Follow this link to see the feature on my recycled art on TV1 Breakfast earlier in May: www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWRcfeLfeNg

Yesterday I attended a spontaneous happening in Ponsonby @ "The Soho Hole" - a large derelict building site in the heart of the city. Inner city Auckland residents lack a beach, so they improvised. The graffiti reads "I wish this was a swimming pool" - someone's wish came true!

On Sunday March 8 I attended an Eco Day at the Sustainable Living Centre in New Lynn, Auckland with my recycled artworks. There were 50 other stalls all with an environmental theme. The event was a great success for all concerned & I look forward to attending again next year. See my recycled art for sale at: www.martinadli www.martinadlington.webs.com ngton.webs.com

On Sat March 7 I held a workshop at the Lakehouse Arts Centre in Takapuna: “Using a Jeweller’s Piercing Saw”. Six people attended & after I had demonstrated the technique the class had great fun applying their new skills to cutting shapes from copper & aluminum sheet, LP’s, CD’s, plastic, coins, MDF, & paua shell.