Where does trash go?

Ari Derfel leads a trashy life. He just wants to remind everyone else that they do, too. The 35-year-old Berkeley, Calif., caterer said he saved every piece of trash he has generated over the past year to see how much garbage one person creates. In his case, it was about 96 cubic feet. The experiment began as a way to examine his own consumption habits, Derfel said, but grew into a statement about consumerism and the environment. "When we throw something away, what does 'away' mean?" Derfel said. "There's no such thing as 'away.' " The refuse — including every tissue, receipt, food wrapper and plastic bottle — lies in bins in the kitchen and living room of Derfel's apartment. He composts his food scraps. Derfel said he eventually hopes to donate his accumulated waste to a sculptor.

People

Nicole, Keith expecting

Nicole Kidman is pregnant, according to the Daily Mail. The actress, 40, told friends and family over the Christmas holiday that she and her husband, Keith Urban, 40, are expecting, the British newspaper reported. Kidman and the country singer have been married since June 2006. There are no details on when the baby is due. She has two adopted children with ex-husband Tom Cruise — Isabella, 15, and Connor, 12 — but their relationship is strained. "They call me Mom," Cruise's wife, Katie Holmes, said recently.

State proud of Jenny

Actress Jennifer Garner has been honored as the 2007 West Virginian of the Year by her hometown newspaper. The Charleston Sunday Gazette-Mail says it chose Garner for her dedication, hard work and service as an ambassador and role model for West Virginia. Garner is balancing the raising of her 2-year-old daughter, Violet, her marriage with fellow actor Ben Affleck and a career that includes a starring role in "Cyrano de Bergerac" on Broadway, the new film "Juno," and two more films yet to shoot. Garner is actually a Texas transplant, but moved to the Mountain State as a 4-year-old and considers West Virginia home.

Critters

Orangutan mourned

A 55-year-old Sumatran orangutan, believed to be the world's oldest, has died at the Miami zoo. Nonja, who was born on the Indonesian island of Sumatra and lived in Miami since 1983, was found dead Saturday morning. "Everybody's very sad, especially with an animal like an orangutan," said Ron Magill, spokesman for the Miami Metro Zoo. "You see a lot of yourself in these animals. The great apes are our closest relatives." A typical life span for Sumatran orangutans is 40 to 50 years.

Passages

Shawn Wang, age unknown, chief financial officer of leading Chinese search engine Baidu.com, died Thursday in an accident during a holiday vacation in China, the company said on its Web site.

Today in History

1879: Thomas Edison first publicly demonstrated his electric incandescent light in Menlo Park, N.J.

1974: Private U.S. citizens were allowed to buy and own gold for the first time in more than 40 years.

1985: Singer Rick Nelson, 45, and six other people were killed when fire broke out aboard a DC-3 that was taking the group to a New Year's Eve performance in Dallas.

1997: Michael Kennedy, the 39-year-old son of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, was killed in a skiing accident on Aspen Mountain in Colorado.

Today's Birthdays

Actor Sir Anthony Hopkins, 70. Actor Ben Kingsley, 64. Producer-director Taylor Hackford, 63. Actor Tim Matheson, 60. Singer Donna Summer, 59. Rock musician Tom Hamilton (Aerosmith), 56. Actress Bebe Neuwirth, 49. Actor Val Kilmer, 48. Actor Don Diamont, 45. Pop singer Joe McIntyre, 35.

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