Is your life too plastic?
That is what the new movie Bag It asks.
Meet Jeb Berrier -- a non-tree hugger – who realizes how much our lives are infiltrated with plastic in this “touching and often flat-out-funny film”. His inquiry into plastic bags leads him on a full investigation into plastic and its affect on our lives and what we can do to alter this unhealthy addiction.
Some of the issues the film looks at are:
Disposables – The luxury of single use disposable products we use all the time (water bottles, coffee cups, plastic utensils and take out containers) have a quick life span before they are tossed and start over-flowing landfills, clog rivers, and our ocean. Since they don’t biodegrade, they break down into fragments that contaminate our natural resources and leads to environmental degradation.
Bag legislation: In the United States alone, an estimated 12 million barrels of oil is used annually to make the plastic bags that we use. Since many of us view them as disposable, we start the whole clogging, littering effect again. Luckily, some cities across the country are taking note and are beginning to ban them or add fees for using them.
Waste and Recycling: Did you know that the United States has 3,091 active landfills and over 10,000 old municipal landfills? Hmmm.
Human Health: The two additives commonly used in plastic -- bisphenol A and phthalates -- are thought to be dangerous especially since they come into contact with our food, drink and personal care products.
Marine Debris and Marine Life: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is simply garbage floating for hundreds of miles across the North Pacific Ocean. Much of the plastic that we use ends up on this “trash island” which is estimated to be twice the size of Texas and gets consumed by fish, sea birds and other marine mammals.
The film will surely make us think differently about the plastics we use daily and how we can make a change.
Tread Lighter with less plastic,
-Phyllis, Green Expert
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