Earth Day was first started in 1970 by the Earth Day Network who are a major driving force steering environmental awareness around the world. Internationally EDN connect 15,000 organizations across 174 countries, whilst in the USA their program keeps over 5,000 groups and more than 100,000 educators busy. In excess of a half billion people participate in the Earth Day every year. 2007 sees Earth Day happening on Sunday 22nd April.

Within New Zealand the Green Party have been organising a campaign for Earth Day 2007. The plan is to build a Waste Monster - representing the amount of waste the average New Zealander generates every year.

German sculptor, HA Schult, has already set the scene with his Trash People. Larger than life, these human figures are made from rubbish. They have already been exhibited around the world.

For people crazy enough to try to build a Waste Monster themselves, the Greens have provided all the information you need to figure out how much Waste to use. You can also find out lots and lots of different ideas about what you can do on Earth Day 2007 from their website.

The Green Party are building giant rubbish bins in Wellingtons Civic Square to focus attention on the Waste Minimisation Bill. Essentially the Waste Minimisation Bill seeks to use economic measures to discourage dumping in landfills, encourage recycling and reuse, and set in place extended producer responsibility so that brand owners must factor in waste generated over the life of their products. If you'd like to know what the Community Recyclers of Otago think of the Waste Minimisation Bill you can read their submissions to parliament on the Community Recycling Network website.

The moment Wanaka Wastebusters' Sue Coutts heard about the Waste Monster she knew that Wanaka Wastebusters just had to have one. Fortunately one of the guys who works in the Reuse shop, Chris Schmelz, is a fine art graduate and accomplished sculptor. Wanaka Wastebusters have such a fantastic range of resources for building the Monster that it really wasn't long before he was full of ideas and set to work.

Wanaka Wastebusters Waste Monsters Head

Our mission was to create a Monster demonstrating Rick Thorpe's, (Xtreme Waste Raglan), idea that "The only waste that really exists is within people's heads".

Grant and Chris welding the skeleton together

The monster isn't going to be quite as big as Schults' Trash People but will be slightly larger than life. Proportions of materials are based upon volume rather than weight. The metal creates the skeleton for the rest of the material to attach to. Look out for the bag of organics which make up Monsters intestines.

Wanaka Wastebusters Waste Monster meets Sue Coutts

It was a little touch and go but Waste Monster was finished in time for Earth Day 2007. The Bag the Habit campaigners were outside Wanaka New World on Earth Day 2007, educating poeple about the problem with plastic bags, and we thought what better way to help than send Waste Monster down there to lend a hand, well plastic bottle anyway.

Noel Bisson Meets Waste Monster outside Wanaka New World

The day was a roaring success, Reusable Bags were available for people without bags, Gold Star badges for shoppers coming already armed with reusable bags and a petition to sign for the truely dedicated. If you didn't manage to sign the petition on Earth Day then you can go over to the Bag Ladies of Nelson's web site and find out how to sign it electronically there.

Waste Monsters New Home - Wanaka Wastebusters

The spine points to the rubbish

Waste Only Exists Between Our Ears