I watch so many great films on Netflix. I always joke that Netflix has changed my life! I can laugh about it, but it's so true. It allows me to watch things that I would have never had the chance to without it. There are so many things I want to share with you. The first one being a documentary about plastic bags and plastic in general.
Did you know that plastic is made from crude oil? I didn't. Not to mention all kinds of chemicals that if you knew what they were, you would probably never even touch plastic again. I learned so much from watching the film BAG IT.
It was eye opening for me. I realized that recycling isn't enough for me and that I need to also cut down the amount of plastic I buy. I urge you to watch this film. If you don't have Netflix I am sure you can find great clips of the film online. The guy in the movie is really funny also!
Bag It Intro from Suzan Beraza on Vimeo.
Have you heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? I hadn't! I love the ocean and all the creatures in it, so this was heartbreaking news for me. It's a place in the ocean where all the trash ends up that doesn't make it to the landfills, litter etc.. Of course it's killing our marine life. They eat it or get straggled by it.
“In the United States alone, an estimated 12 million barrels of oil is used annually to make the plastic bags that Americans consume. The United States International Trade Commission reported that 102 billion plastic bags were used in the U.S. in 2009. These bags often wind up in waterways or on the landscape, becoming eyesores and degrading water and soil as they break down into toxic bits. Their manufacture, transportation and disposal use large quantities of non-renewable resources and release equally large amounts of global-warming gases. Ecologically, hundreds of thousands of marine animals die every year when they eat plastic bags mistaken for food.” – Bag It website
I already use reusable grocery bags, but not for other shopping.
That changes TODAY!
I don't need a bag for one tiny little item, my hands work fine. Thanks.
The other thing I loved about this film is it's all such common sense stuff. Like, why does Starbucks and other places give me "to go" cups that I use for about 10 minutes, but takes 100 years to bio-degrade??? Does that make any sense? Also, none of these places have recycling bins! I am going to see if I can buy a "Starbucks" travel mug for them to put my coffee in from now on. I am over it.
When I met Peter Hammarstedt last month, he said that everyone can make a difference. You just have to use whatever your "talent is" or whatever you are good at. I have this blog. I have a voice and I want it to be heard. :)
Thanks for bringing this film and issue to light. I just recently heard about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and it just breaks my heart. I try my hardest not to accept the bazillion plastic bags they give me at the supermarket, but I know that's not enough! This post has really got me thinking... (I also wanted to let you know that I nominated you for a Versatile Blogger Award. (You can read about it here: http://teatreevintage.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-versatile-blogger-award.html ) You may have done this before, and you are certainly not obligated to do it - but I sure hope you do. Have a great weekend!
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♥ Emily
teatreevintage.blogspot.com
It's very unfortunate how much plastic we use. One big problem is how cheap bottled water is and how that adds up if it's not recycled. I try to use an aluminum re-usable water bottle whenever I can.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, we were at Target yesterday and the cashier went to put my items in a bag and I like yelled at him, "NO BAG!" LOL I just thought of the movie and I am challenging myself to not get bags anymore!!! :) Yes, bottled water is a huge problem. There's a whole movie about that also called TAPPED.
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