Almost Mrs Average seeks Zero Heroes and Slim Jims

Help! Help!

Arthur are you there? Hilda, can you hear me? Henry? What about you?

Please come forward because in the words of Bonnie Tyler, I NEED A HERO, lots of heroes in fact but unlike my Welsh sister, for this mission I am happy to hold out longer than the end of the night.

To celebrate National Zero Waste Week I am on the lookout for the unsung heroes of the UK and I am officially starting my search for our fellow countrymen and women who almost never need to use their bin because they create so little waste, people like Tony Sanders from Leicestershire who was featured in his local paper earlier this year.

The idea of zero waste or indeed minimal waste living can often sound daunting, but there are so many people like Mr Sanders who have been living like this for years as well as folk who have only just started. They're probably the type who don't normally shout about it, who don't think they're doing anything special, but in truth they are, because by living almost waste-free, they are minimising the contribution their rubbish makes to their carbon emissions.

I've been lucky to meet people who have already made significant steps to reduce their rubbish footprint who are active on the old Interweb and are spreading the word in everything they do.

However, I'd also like to find out about the folk who are hardly present on the internet, including people who wouldn't naturally describe themselves as local heroes but who indeed are. I'd like to talk to them, in confidence, and find out more about what they think about our country's waste and see if we can create a national picture our Zero Heroes. If you have links to anyone special, please get in touch through the usual process, email me at karen[at]therubbishdiet[dot]co[dot]uk, or via my Twitter profile at www.twitter.com\therubbishdiet.

But don't rush off yet. As well as celebrating National Zero Waste Week, I have some other exciting news.

Yesterday I signed up to 10:10, a national challenge created by the team behind Age of Stupid, encouraging individuals, government leaders and organisations to cut their emissions by 10% by the end of 2010. I would encourage you to join too because the challenge of tackling climate change looks like it needs you even more than ever. To find out more visit www.1010uk.org for details.

As the pressure hots up for our country to reduce its carbon footprint, taking effort to reduce our waste is most definitely up there in the list of eco-strategies along with wasting less energy, reducing car use and saving water. At the end of the day whatever we put in our bins, whether it's for landfill or recycling, it's a reflection of not just our personal consumption to satisfy our needs and wants but also reflects the energy used to create and transport those goods to meet our demands.

So, I'd like to put waste minimisation on the map!

Literally!

Whether you're an accomplished bin slimmer or whether you are just starting out, I would love you to join me by adding your details to the map at the side of the blog. As it grows it will give a wonderful picture of all folk who are working hard towards slimming their bins and I hope it will inspire others who want to join in too. Visually, it will help us get in touch with those who are in our local communities as well as discover who are the Zero Heroes and Slim Jims around the rest of the world.

Joining is so simple, you just click on the pin, where you will be asked to add your location. This can be your city or the first part of your postcode. Then enter your name or nickname and select whether you're a "Zero Hero", a "Slim Jim" or "Slimming Down". You can even add a comment or your photo if you like. It only takes a few minutes. I've just added my own details and as I throw out about a carrier bag's worth of rubbish per month, I see myself as a Slim Jim unlike Mr Sanders mentioned above who is most definitely a Zero Hero.

I may have created the map, but it's not mine to call my own. I would be happiest if it could be shared as widely as possible. So if you have a blog, it would be great if you could add it to your sidebar, so that your readers can join the map too.

I'm quite excited about who we will find out there in the big wide world and would like to thank you for your help in making it happen.

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