This post is the tenth in the series about the Level-Up Fund, a way to help an entrepreneur fund a new venture while cleaning our city – by collecting cans.  To read the introductory post, go here.

Written by Matt Burris, Filmmaker, Entrepreneur

Just thought I’d remind you that there are still good people out there.

While walking, collecting cans, out of the corner of my eye I spot a gray blur heading towards me.  It was a rather big, but old, gray dog.  He didn’t seem too happy that I was walking on his street.  It was his street after all, as surely he had peed on it.  (That’s how I think I will start claiming my property now.  If you ever sit in a wet seat and it seems like I’m pissed at you, now you will know why.)  I then heard a voice calling the dog back.  His master, a kind woman, assured me that the dog was not dangerous.  The dog obeyed and I was set to begin my walk again.  That was when the woman asked me if I was collecting cans.  I’m still a little sensitive over what I do.  The reaction I get to it can vary.  But she seemed well meaning so I told her I was, and before I could even explain the concept behind the Level-Up Fund she was offering me her and her husband’s cans.  As it turns out her husband is a big fan of Dr. Pepper.

They introduced themselves as the Keys, Jay and Karen.  After I had the cans, and after they insisted I take a cold water bottle with me, I got to explain the how the Level-Up Fund worked.  I made sure to get their names down; informing them they’d forever be linked with making something cool happen.  They said that was nice, but they didn’t really care either way.  Karen told me that she just liked doing good things for the sake of doing good things, and if I visited again before the end of the Level-Up Fund they’d have a bag saved for me.

People who do good things just to know that good has been done still exist!  There isn’t a single community that couldn’t use more of this.  I suppose it’s kind of an old fashioned way of looking at things, but I’ll be doing my best to keep this kind of attitude living into the future.

Visit the Level-Up Fund on Facebook at https://facebook.com/levelupfund

Visit Matt’s page on Facebook at https://facebook.com/signedvisuals

Written by Matt Burris, Filmmaker, Entrepreneur

545 cans.  So let’s take a look at the Founders drinking habits.

• 41 Coke Zero
• 76 Diet Coke
• 9 Cherry Coke
• 1 Diet Coke and Lime
• 59 Coke
• 97 Mt. Dew
• 2 Mt. Dew Voltage
• 2 Mt. Dew White Out
• 1 Diet Mt. Dew Code Red
• 8 Sierra Mist
• 9 Diet Sierra Mist
• 7 Mug
• 5 Monster
• 1 Sugar Free Monster
• 1 Redbull
• 63 Orange Crush
• 1 Diet Orange Crush
• 21 Sprite
• 37 7up
• 17 Dr. Pepper
• 10 Diet Dr. Pepper
• 70 Pepsi
• 7 Pepsi Max

The overall brand winner is Coke at 186 cans.  That means on average Founders goes through 744 Coke cans a year.  (Maybe Founders can use this data to try to sell Coke on a sponsorship.)  The individual drink winner would be Mt. Dew at 97 cans.  Honorable mention would be Orange Crush at 63, 64 counting the one diet.  I’m kind of getting the feeling that this is primarily due to one dedicated Orange Crush addict, or maybe I just like the mental image of that.

What I found surprising was the lack of energy drinks, thus disproving the stereotype that young entrepreneurs sustain themselves on Monster and Redbull as they type away at their laptops.  Good for you Founders type people for not being predictable.

It’s also worth noting that 27% of these cans are diet.  Just because you’re an entrepreneur that doesn’t mean you’re not concerned about your figure.

Because this has been going surprisingly well I’ve decided to push this out for one more month.  I’m finished with finals and now have more time to dedicate to this.  And seeing how I can get more than 100 cans in one walk, I’m excited to see what happens.

So consider this last call!  Get those cans in sometime is month!  Don’t forget!  Before the next Vertical Leap, get them in!  Make sure your name gets written down and you will see yourself on IMDB soon enough!

Visit the Level-Up Fund on Facebook at https://facebook.com/levelupfund

Visit Matt’s page on Facebook at https://facebook.com/signedvisuals

Editor’s Note – Matt now also has a Kickstarter up for this project – the link is at the bottom of this post.  Go there, contribute money, and share it liberally with your friends. – thanks, Steve.

Written by Matt Burris, Filmmaker, Entrepreneur

After a long run of snow and then seemingly endless rain, it’s finally starting to dry up enough outside for me to take a serious walk.  Which I did, the result of which was 149 cans now in my possession.  I may have gone a little too far.  There’s still a knot in my right calf.  My wife, a registered vet tech, says that if it doesn’t let up soon she’ll put the stuff she’d use on a horse leg on it.

Alcohol:

• 59 Bud
• 12 Keystone
• 7 Miller
• 5 Coors
• 2 Natural
• 1 Michelob
• 1 Pabst
• 1 Milwaukee’s Best
• 1 Boxer
• 1 Canada Dry

 Soft Drinks:

• 15 Mt. Dew
• 12 Coke
• 13 Pepsi
• 3 Sprite
• 2 Sam’s
• 1 Dr. Pepper
• 1 Jones
• 1 Mt. Lightning
• 1 Mt. Explosion
• 1 Barqs

 Energy Drinks:

• 4 Monster
• 2 Redbull
• 1 Rip It
• 1 Red Strike
• 1 NOS

Is your favorite on the list?  How did it rate?  One thing is for sure, Bud is the obvious favorite of the area I’m walking.

I’m pretty well used to people taking away what they will when they see me doing this.  I’d be willing to guess that most people think I’m a “hippie,” “bum,” or “dumbass.”  Maybe they think I’m all three.  When I have my camera with me I’m sure I’m a “hippie bum dumbass artist.”  Others can think what they will though.  I’m the one who sees the bigger picture.

Visit the Level-Up Fund on Facebook at https://facebook.com/levelupfund

Visit Matt’s page on Facebook at https://facebook.com/signedvisuals

Support Matt’s Kickstarter at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1527695006/the-axe-murders-on-9

Founders is free to use.  Come, grab a space at a table, snag some free wifi, and build something!

Editor’s Note – Matt now also has a Kickstarter up for this project – the link is at the bottom of this post.  Go there, contribute money, and share it liberally with your friends. – thanks, Steve.

Written by Matt Burris, Filmmaker, Entrepreneur

Visit the Level-Up Fund on Facebook at https://facebook.com/levelupfund

Visit Matt’s page on Facebook at https://facebook.com/signedvisuals

Support Matt’s Kickstarter at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1527695006/the-axe-murders-on-9

Editor’s Note – Matt now also has a Kickstarter up for this project – the link is at the bottom of this post.

Written by Matt Burris, Filmmaker, Entrepreneur

Here’s to all those who try for the big effort.

Just keep walking. People are going to let you down. Their claims of supporting the common good will fall to the side of the road right next to the discarded cans and trash. So you just keep walking. You keep picking up the cans, what’s valuable to you, applying your own effort because that’s the only effort you can control.

The talkers have talked and you’ve heard their noise. Now forget it. It’s about as valuable as that bottle of trucker’s piss you passed about a block ago. Keep walking, keep collecting. Remember the ones who lived up to their word. Keep walking, keep collecting.

Let it go, just forget the ones who couldn’t. Keep walking, keep collecting.

The good part about the big effort is that it illuminates the truth. The fire burns away the rest. Your garden weeded, you’re free to optimize the space for what really grows.

Don’t be afraid of the big effort. It may sting at times, but don’t be afraid of it. There is no failure, only the discovery of truth. The truth is iron. The truth is a weapon that you can arm yourself with. The truth is what will make the next big effort an easy victory.

Just don’t stop. Keep walking.

Visit the Level-Up Fund on Facebook at https://facebook.com/levelupfund

Visit Matt’s page on Facebook at https://facebook.com/signedvisuals

Support Matt’s Kickstarter at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1527695006/the-axe-murders-on-9

Editor’s Note – Matt now also has a Kickstarter up for this project – the link is at the bottom of this post.

Written by Matt Burris, Filmmaker, Entrepreneur

Dear IPFW:

What’s up with your bottle lovin’ ways, yo?  (That’s right, I said “yo.”)

A trip across your campus and what I come up with is a bunch of plastic bottles, a few cans, but mostly plastic bottles.  Normally I wouldn’t care as to your collective preference towards on beverage delivery system over the other, but I’m walking towards a greater cause here!

According to greenupgrader.com

• It takes 700 years for one of those bottles to decompose.
• 90% of the cost of bottled water is due to the bottle itself
• 80% of plastic bottles are not recycled
• 24 million gallons of oil are needed to produce a billion plastic bottles
• Bottling and shipping water is the least energy efficient method ever used to supply water

There’s more.  Oh yes, lots more.  But I’m not here to thump people over the head over plastic bottles.  I’m here to thump them over the head until they turn over their aluminum cans.  HA!  So yeah, lots more cans…then let me have them.

But as a community as a whole I would like to encourage people to maybe rethink the choices made when it comes to water bottles.  Otherwise you’ll make the “blatant attention getting picture puppy” sad, and no one likes a sad puppy.

Visit the Level-Up Fund on Facebook at https://facebook.com/levelupfund

Visit Matt’s page on Facebook at https://facebook.com/signedvisuals

Support Matt’s Kickstarter at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1527695006/the-axe-murders-on-9

Written by Matt Burris, Filmmaker, Entrepreneur

Walking down the street, towards a major road, I was pleased to have someone stop and ask me if I needed a ride.  I smiled and said no thank you; I was out walking to be walking.  As I went along I eventually came across something slightly hidden in the grass.  Reaching down, I discovered it was a rubber ducky.  Putting it in the bag would mean eating up enough space for two or three more cans.  But come on, it’s a rubber ducky!

It eventually occurred to me what a strange sight I must be.  No wonder someone asked if I needed a ride.  How many people do you see walking?  I mean, we live in a world where people get in their cars to back out of the driveway and check the mail.  How old fashioned to use those appendages attached to my butt in a repetitive manner to create locomotion.

Seems the two strangest things you’ll see by the side of the road are me and my rubber ducky.

PS:

Times I’ve been asked if I needed a ride so far = 3

Times I’ve been called “boss” while being asked if I needed a ride = 1

Visit the Level-Up Fund on Facebook at https://facebook.com/levelupfund

Visit Matt’s page on Facebook at https://facebook.com/signedvisuals

Support Matt’s Kickstarter at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1527695006/the-axe-murders-on-9

Written by Matt Burris, Filmmaker, Entrepreneur

Small loads, they happen.  I am glad to say that the last one happened due to my own efforts.

It was a path I like to walk, due to the access to Wi-Fi at one end.  Last few times I’ve walked it I’ve come home with my messenger back overloaded.  However, this last time turned up 12 as opposed to my regular 60+.  I’ve over used the path and it needs a few weekends to recollect.  12 is nothing to laugh at though.  In fact, I’d be happy with 4 or 5, every can counts.  In my mind right now I’m brewing a plan to take an out of the way path through a patch of woods to collect one single can I saw there once.  That’s right, one!

If you’re reading this, it means that you have the chance to get your name on something cool (yep, the film I am making).  All you’ve got to do is bring in a can.  There’s no measurement here, no bragging that you’re more of a participant than others.  That’s for you to know and be proud of on your own.  All names will be represented equally, because even the smallest effort counts.  So find a can, find many cans, or put aside a crash can for the effort and bring in a bag of cans.  Bring your cans to Founders and actually make something happen.

Visit the Level-Up Fund on Facebook at https://facebook.com/levelupfund

Visit Matt’s page on Facebook at https://facebook.com/signedvisuals

Written by Matt Burris, Filmmaker, Entrepreneur

The first step would be to start a bag to save your own household’s cans, if you don’t already.  However, you may come to be disgusted with yourself the moment you realize; A: How much you actually drink, and, B: How much money you’ve thrown out over your lifetime.

You’re actually going to be amazed by how many cans you’re going to find outside.  I was awed just today by the number I found scattered around suburbia.  This is supposed to be the place where people take pride in their homes.  But sure enough I came out of there with a couple of handfuls of those crushed aluminum cylinders.

You’re obviously going to find more where there’s more traffic.  However, you have to use your head.  Not only is it dangerous to go walking along the side of a freeway it’s also illegal!  Highways are different, but again use your head.

I find the utmost along the sides of country roads.  I think this is because this is where people feel the most comfortable drinking and driving.  So many booze cans and bottles!  They tend to gather where there are fences, trees, and underbrush.  This is because the wind likes to kick these things around.  When there’s nothing to catch them they go rolling off into the fields, which right now have nothing in them.  The ground is very moist this time of the year so venturing into the fields for a single can may not be worth losing a shoe in the mud.  Embankments along the roadways are great for catching cans as well, but how steep they usually are tend to keep me away.  When I just barely caught my footing, keeping me from falling into a rusty barbed wire fence, I made a point of thinking out if any single can is worth the effort from there on.

If I feel like cleaning up the community, as well as collecting the cans, I’m careful around plastic bottles and the cans with the screw top lids.  Truckers pee in those!  So if you dump something, please be aware of which direction the wind is blowing.

What’s awesome is when there’s a gathering.  I was talking to a friend of mine, she spent a number of years overseas, and she couldn’t believe how many people in Indiana don’t recycle their cans.  I agree.  But it plays into what I’m doing, especially at gatherings.  The people in charge are shot by the end and really don’t care where the cans are going.  So yeah, I’ll help clean up.

The last fact I’ll leave you with is a little bit of legal advice.  If you see one of those boxes or trashcans that are specifically marked for cans by the owners of the building or another company, beware taking the cans out of those!  You’re not supposed to take them out of these specifically marked containers as this is technically stealing.

Visit Level-Up on Facebook – www.facebook.com/levelupfund