Clean Bin Tour Day 77 - Kingston to Ottawa

Our tour is getting busy! We had 4 bookings in 6 days including back to back screenings in Kingston and Perth. I could go on and on about each screening but I'll try to be brief.

Grant and I absolutely loved Kingston.  Anna, who had been following the blog, had contacted us a couple months back to see if we'd be coming to town.  With no prior event experience, she and her husband Roger agreed not only to set up a screening, but to have us stay at their house with their family! We are continually amazed and honoured by the people who open their homes to us along this trip.

We got there early enough to spend our morning doing a CBC interview, visiting John A Macdonald's house, discovering a fabulous bakery, touring Queen's University, and taking a  quick dip off the dock before having what turned out to be our largest screening since Vancouver! The feedback was fantstic, and many educators got really excited about showing our fillm in classrooms.

In Perth (why is every town in Ontario so darn quaint and lovely?), our screening was hosted by Canada World Youth who were spending 6 months volunteering: 3 months in Perth and 3 months in South America. We have been fortunate to connect with and learn from so many great youth programs on this trip - I wish I had taken part when I was under 25. Grant and I lent our handprints to a huge CWY banner and hosted a great audience including Grant's aunt Marion.

Onwards to Ottawa where we were 'star spotted' coming in to town on our bicycles by a super nice fellow who gave us some insider tips on where to get the best food in town (thanks Charlie!). We spent a couple days with Grant's cousin Laura, touristed around the markets and parliament buildings, had a lunch and learn with the City, and did an interview with CBC before screening to a packed house at the old firehall community centre. David Chernushenko hosted the screening and showed a clip from his new film, and Sarah from Purple Urchin donated some local soap as door prizes. After the screening we went to a local pub (Ottawa seems to have more pubs per capita than any other city) for a drink and some great conversation.

We are buzzing from so many successful shows in a row and are really happy that people seem to be spreading the word; quite a few people said they came on the recommendation of friends in other cities who had seen us! And that is the best feedback we could hope for!

Clean Bin Tour Day 72 - Farm Studies and Ontario Screenings

We met up with Jen's parents and spent some quality family time with her sister on the organic farm she is working on in Orangeville. Touring the farm and eating delicious meals literally from farm to table gave us a true appreciation for how hard farmers work and how important our local food systems really are.

We had a great screening in Erin (yet another lovely town) that was packed with farm interns and local activists, some of whom shared a community potluck us beforehand. Thanks to Kate and Liz for making it happen and to Linda for her generous contribution to our tour.

After an all too short visit, we headed out, following bakeries and farm stands along the backroads, stopping in Bethany to present to over 100 Me To We youth attending a Leadership summer camp.

That same evening, we rolled into Peterborough where Peterborough Green Up hosted our screening.  Special thanks to Matt who went out of his way to make sure we had a proper sound system at the last minute. It was great to have such knowledgable resource people around to answer local questions and point people in the right direction for composting, sustainable products, dish lending, and even a free store!

We had yet more family fun as Grant's cousin cycled 175 kms from norhtern Ontario to come visit us! The best feedback we got from the night was from one of the audience members who pledged to try her own zero waste year with her family of 4 and wrote us later to say they started on August 13th!

Clean Bin Tour Day 66 - Tobermory to Collingwood

Ontario continues to amaze us.  We took the scenic route via Manitoulin Island and the ferry to Tobermory.  If you ever get a chance to visit the Bruce Peninsula, jump on it!  It's one of the last large wilderness areas in Southern Ontario with untouched tracts of forest overlooking crystal clear waters which are host to a number of shipwrecks and reportedly amazing diving. 

We arrived in Tobermory early enough to take a dip in the waters off the lighthouse, grab a fish taco, and look around the bustling town before heading to the gorgeous Parks Canada Centre for our screening.  Despite a conflicting environmental meeting, we had a great turn out with some passionate audience members. Afterwards one of them even took us home with them! Thanks to Tom for making it all happen.

The next day we rode towards Collingwood, stopping at the amazing Harvest Moon Bakery for enticing organic baked goods.  The owners had seen our movie the night before and baked us a loaf of bread in the shape of a recycle symbol! If you are anywhere close to the Bruce Peninsula, you MUST go to this bakery (and check out their sculpture garden while you're there).

In Collingwood we shared our story with the local Eco Action Youth who are spending August learning about sustainability.  Under the guidance of Douglas, they are starting a community garden, installing clotheslines, and learning how to reduce their carbon footprint. Pretty sweet summer job for a teenager eh?

We didn't have an official screening planned for Collingwood (that will come in the fall), but our amazing host Shelby (you rock Shelby), organized a pot luck and living room screening for a few people.  We spent the evening eating and swapping garbage stories, health tips, and favorite recipes with new friends.

The next morning, we hit the farmers market where we spent way too much time cruising the stalls and picking up snacks for the road, loading our bags with a few veggies and baked goods and some soapnuts for doing laundry.

We continue to be overwhelmed by the warm welcomes in each community and by the individuals who do so much for us without asking for anything in return.