Screening of "The Clean Bin Project" a Success

Nearly every seat was occupied at the screening of The Clean Bin Project last night in the auditorium of The Peterborough Public Library. People sat attentive as they watched the journey of Jen and Grant over the 365 days of their project.

Laughter was heard throughout as the duo brought a great deal of wit and humour to their adventure as they worked through new and innovative ways to do the most simplest day-to-day tasks in a more environmentally, garbage-free approach. Shock was also seen on the faces of many as statistics on garbage and waste poured onto the screen that were just too heartbreaking to believe.

After the screening, the couple welcomed questions, comments and feedback from the audience. I would like to thank Jen and Grant for choosing Peterborough as one of their stops along their cycling journey across the country to get the word out, opening our eyes and reminding us of all the little things we could change in our day to day lives to make a little bit of a difference in the well-being and future of our planet.

For more information on the project, go to The Clean Bin Project Blog. And for local resources and advice, visit Peterborough Green-Up.  —Julie Morris, PtboCanada contributor 

[Related: Must Watch: Peterborough Green-Up Presents "The Clean Bin Project"; The Clean Bin Project; Peterborough Green-Up]

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160th Anniversary of Little Lake Cemetery

Despite the rain, it wasn't enough to keep the ghosts away at the 160th Anniversary of Little Lake Cemetery on the weekend. The well attended celebration, put on by the Trent Valley Archives and the Little Lake Cemetery Company, had actors portraying famous citizens at their own grave sites. Each "ghost" had a story to share of the life and times of those buried at the various sites.

At the chapel, there was also a ceremony to commemorate the occasion with speeches from the likes of Mayor Paul Ayotte (playing Peterborough's first Mayor, Thomas Benson).

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Winners of Galway-Cavendish Forest Rally Are...

Congratulations to Chris Martin and Phil Narini for winning the Galway-Cavendish Forest Rally. This is the 9th year that the Peterborough Motor Sports Club has hosted the rally and it was a close finish. There was only 19 seconds separating the winners in their 1993 Subaru Impreza E85 and the 2nd place team of Peter Thomson and Rod Hendricksen in their 2006 Mitsibushi Lancer Evolution IX.

The Galway-Cavendish Forest Rally is part of the Ontario Performance Rally Championship and brought more than 20 teams from Canada and the U.S. to compete.

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Peterborough Riverview Park & Zoo Holding Gala Celebration for its 75th Anniversary (And They Need Your Support!)

Our fantastic zoo is holding a Gala celebration for its 75th Anniversary on the evening of Saturday, August 14th, which will include the opening of a new Butterfly Garden, a delicious selection of finger foods and refreshments, music and entertainment, and a silent auction featuring amazing artwork done by the zoo's own animals! Tickets for the Gala can be purchased at the Riverview Park & Zoo office and at the Zoo Snackbar.

The Gala will also be the kickoff for a fundraising Campaign to raise money for the construction of a Zoo Animal Healthcare Centre, which will provide a greatly needed facility for the treatment of sick or injured zoo animals. Proceeds from the Gala will help provide the necessary funds.

Our zoo is free of charge for the enjoyment of all, and contributes so much to the Peterborough and area community—and now the zoo needs the community's help and support. The Campaign Committee is hoping for a generous response from the public to help build this essential Zoo Animal Healthcare Centre.

For those who have questions about the Gala and/or wish to support the fundraising campaign, further information is available at the Park & Zoo office (705-748-9300).

[Riverview Park & Zoo; Riverview Park & Zoo 75th Anniversary Gala]

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Local Author Julie Kirkpatrick at Chapters for Book Signing of "The Camino Letters"

Julie Kirkpatrick was at Chapters Friday night in Peterborough to autograph copies of her new book, The Camino Letters: 26 Tasks on the Way to Finisterre.

Julie is a local lawyer, practicing in Millbrook. In need of a break from law, she scheduled time off work while trying to make the best use of her daughter's unexpected spare time while in France. They decided to spend a month walking an old historic pilgrimage route through Spain called the Camino de Santiago. To satisfy Julie's thirst for knowledge, she decided to liven up the walk by mailing 26 of her friends asking them to provide her a daily task to complete. This whole adventure impacted her far more than she ever expected.

The book is a snapshot of her life, but is relatable to all as it is based on universal themes such as life, death, love and fear. Readers have conveyed to her that despite how it being such a personal story, they were able to make strong unique connections to it.

Julie will be at Chapters again today for signings (1 p.m. to 3 p.m.), and her book launch is this evening in Millbrook. You can also read more about The Camino Letters on her blog.  —words and pictures by Evan Holt

[The Camino Letters]

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Stuff To Do In the Patch This Weekend

Looking for something to do in Peterborough this weekend?

Friday

- Put out your reusables

- Wild Rock Outfitters hosts Learn to Paddle (6:30 to 8:30 p.m. - $25/person) Beavermead Park

- The Weakerthans (9 p.m. - $25 per ticket) Historic Red Dog

- Ghost Walk (9 p.m. - $10 a person) - Corner of Hunter and Driscoll Terrace

- Mustang Drive-in (Opens at 8:15 p.m. - Ticket Prices) - what's playing

Saturday

- Wild Rock Outfitters hosts Basic Bike Clinic (10 a.m. - $10) - Wild Rock's parking lot

- Nearly Neil and the Solitary Band (Tribute to Neil Diamond) at Little Lake Musicfest (8 p.m. - Free) - Del Crary Park

- Mustang Drive-In  (Opens at 8:15 p.m. - Ticket Prices) - what's playing

Sunday

- Little Lake Cemetery--160th Anniversary (1 to 4 p.m. - Free)

- Mustang Drive-In (Opens at 8:15 p.m. - Ticket Prices) - what's playing

...and anytime, hit the beach

To submit info for "Stuff to do in the Patch this weekend", email evan@ptbocanada.com. Follow us on Twitter @Ptbo_Canada.

PtboPic: Peterborough Photo Walk Winner

The winner of the Peterborough Photo Walk portion of the Worldwide Photo Walk (which was lead by our very own Evan Holt) is... Fred Doris ... for this pic below. Congrats Fred! You can find more deets on the winning selection on Evan's photography blog.

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This is Reusable Exchange Weekend in the Patch

It's a Reusable Exchange Weekend again in Peterborough. Put out your items tonight and bring them back in on Sunday if someone hasn't snagged them (but that's not going to happen, right?).

What sorts of items do you plan to put out?

[Reusable Exchange Weekend; Waste Management]

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Must Watch: Peterborough Green-Up Presents "The Clean Bin Project"

Next Tuesday, Peterborough Green-Up is presenting a special screening of The Clean Bin Project (see trailer below) at the Peterborough Public Library Auditorium (August 10th, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.; cost is by donation).

The Clean Bin Project, which is currently on a national screening tour across Canada, is a documentary about a regular couple, Jen and Grant, and their quest to answer the question, "Is it possible to live completely waste free?"

Jen and Grant go head to head in a competition to see who can swear off consumerism and produce the least amount of garbage in an entire year.

Their light-hearted rivalry is set against a darker examination of the sobering problem of waste in North America. 

[The Clean Bin Project Trailer; The Clean Bin Project Blog; Peterborough Green-Up; Peterborough Public Library]

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Read all about it: New Location of Mark Jokinen Books Opens

Mark Jokinen has been busy the past week moving his used bookstore from 382 Water Street to the new location at 271 George Street, which just opened yesterday. Still with a long list of things to do, he wanted me to quote his wife, Karen, who had this to say: "That's the last time we're doing this."

After 22 years in business, the move was made for several reasons—namely because they're getting two times the amount of foot traffic that will be passing by the new store. But certainly the extra perks such as AC, more space and being closer to parking garages helps.

Stop in to explore the roomier store and watch for Jokinen's $1 to $4 book sale at his old location in the middle of August.

Mark Jokinen Books is open Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

 —words and pictures by Evan Holt

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