Maiya's 7th Bday Mottainai Party

We celebrated Maiya's 7th Bday Party again at the park by our house.  Seems like every year gets bigger, this year about 75 people came, having invited the basketball team, friends from school, old preschool friends, and extensions of family.  I'm thinking that this might be the last year of a party of this size.  Big as it was, we still managed to do a fairly green low-waste party.  Plastic utensils and reusable party chopsticks go in the bucket, Grandpa Larry's coffee mugs, no single-use drink containers, cloth tablecloths, recycled paper plates, hot pots for tea and coffee.  I'm always amazed at how little trash is in the trash can at the end of the day.  The main thing we take home to recycle is the 1/2 gallon juice and 2 liter bottle sodas.

 During arts and crafts time, the kids made Tenegui towels... which they later needed for learning the Mottainai dance from Auntie Nobuko, who came and did a little obon dance workshop, teaching the kids the dance.  It was a lot of fun to watch the kids and parents joining in.

 Then afterwards, we went back home and celebrated Grandpa's birthday at our house.  The kids always bring out the yogurt cups every time they come over.  We just can't get rid of them.

Until next bday, peace out!

(Posted on: 10/25/12)

Mottainai Video Shoot Day 1

By now, I hope you have seen the "Mottainai" music video produced by Great Leap, written and performed by Nobuko Miyamoto, and directed by Dan Kwong. If you haven't, what are you waiting for?  Click above.  Our 2nd environmental video is up to 25,000+ YouTube views in the last 4 months.  I had the privilege of being one of the production assistants, helping with fundraising, marketing, production, craft services, collecting of props (clean recycle trash), stage mom/auntie, donor, and board member.

Here are some behind-the-scenes photos of the first day of the 2-day video shoot, which was shot in April of this year.  We shot all of the storyline vignettes on the first day.  The basic idea of the video is showing the younger generation not taking care of Mother Earth's precious resources, and the wise elders, teaching them about not wasting water, eating all their food, reusing, thinking before throwing things away, and about consuming less.  

 Lots of waiting around for crew.  Here's what we do to stay out of the way.

This was the first shot of the day.

 This is Estela, one of 3 wise Grandmas (Anthony Quinn's sister)

 This is Little Mamie.  Isn't she cute?

 Mrs. Matsuda, sharing how to make a crocheted 

water bottle holder out of grocery store plastic bags.

Multi-generational photo shoot, we had 6 year olds and 86 year olds.

Hanging out in the "green room." 

 Craft services outside on a very hot day.

 Phenomenal director Dan Kwong working with sqiurmy girls, Maiya and my niece Kaylee.

 This is a funny moment in the video.

 Maiya, shy while the camera is rolling, mugs when the camera goes off.

 Upcycled utensil art by Howard Swerdloff.

 Why yes, those are plastic spoon earrings.

End of a 10 hour day, but that was the shorter than the Sunday shoot.

 Stay tuned for photos of Day 2 coming soon.

NaBloPoMo#12.  Peace. No waste. Out.