Mama Gone Green is a blog dedicated to raising happy children and reducing our impact on the Earth. My name is Taryn and I am the mother of 2 young kids and an environmental studies instructor at a community college in Portland, Oregon. Please join me as I journey through life as a mama, teacher, knitter, photographer, gardener, and environmentalist!

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Bag It!: A Review

Bag It! is a hilarious film about plastic bags (and plastics in general) that talks about the problems associated with their creation and disposal. First off, the main couple portrayed in the film (Jeb and Anne) live in Telluride, Colorado.... I town that I love dearly. And although I don't personally know the couple featured in the film, I definitely do recognize them.. I guess just from times I have spent in T-Ride.  Funny, eh?
Anyways, this film was great. It does a great job addressing the major problems with plastics, as well as some of the solutions. It talks about how plastic is made from fossil fuels, a non-renewable resource. It talks about how very little of the plastic we consume is actually recycled.. and how a whole lot of it ends up in the oceans and in the bellies of fish and birds. It talks about the dangerous chemicals used in the manufacturing of plastics. It talks about how they don't decompose in the landfill (or anywhere!).
My favorite part of the film was when Jeb (whose wife recently became pregnant) gets his chemical body burden tested, then spends 2 days drinking out of sippy cups, playing wither rubber ducks, and using soaps, shampoos and lotions formulated for babies. Then he gets his chemical body burden re-tested and find that the number of pthalates and BPA (bisphenol-A) have both increased significantly. In 2 days. By using products deemed to be safe for babies. Pthalates and BPA are endocrine disruptors and have been linked to diabetes, cancer, and fertility problems just to name a few. Yikes.
The film also addresses the plastics industry. How they have fought against regulations that ban plastic bags or put a tax on them. How they swear that they are safe for us and better than paper bags. And how they all refused to be interviewed for the film.
The film shows people who have significantly reduced the amount of plastic they use... by not buying things packaged in plastic, or re-using the plastic that they already have....and shows that it CAN be done.
The best part of the film is that is shows that we can all be part of the solution. Don't buy bottled water. Don't buy stuff you don't need. Avoid plastic packaging at all costs. Bring your own bag. Bring your own container. If we all take action to avoid plastic, then eventually the market will follow. Plastic is a wonderful material, but it has it's time and it's place. Disposable packing and bags that are created (from non-renewable material) to be used once and then thrown away (where it will never biodegrade) is just ridiculous. Safer alternative to plastics do exits. We just need to demand them.
Watch this film. It'll make you think! Pin It Now!

8 comments:

  1. Interesting, thought provoking stuff. Have an image of a full grown man in bath tub playing with rubber duckies while drinking from a sippy cup, there's a picture that will stay with me! Ha! Sounds fun and informative.

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  2. Sounds great. You always have such good recommendations, but I have to admit that on the rare occasions when we do sit in front of the TV, we usually don't have the energy for any more than a silly romantic comedy. Still, storing your recs up for some day when we have a bit more stamina. :)

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  3. I hadn't heard of this one...great review! The body burden testing scares me. I'm very curious what mine is, but I'm not sure if that's knowledge that I really want.

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  4. we liked this film too-
    I just watched the mushroom film last night-both Dr. J and I enjoyed it.
    Today at the farmers market I saw some wild porcini's that I wanted to get- I didn't see a price but it ends up they were 35 a lb- even just the two I chose that would have made a nice side dish if I added other stuff cost 13- I didn't buy them- need to stretch my buck when I'm just using cash at a farmers market- Oh well-

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  5. Had not heard of this film, adding it to the "to see" list. Thanks for the review.

    Yesterday they actually put a ban on plastic bags, as of January 2013 no more plastic bags in the city of Toronto. Not sure if it will stick, there are talks of lawsuits, but at least they are trying.

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  7. Thanks for the recommend. I will look for this movie. Sounds like it is interesting and funny with a good message.

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  8. I'm definitely going to watch that film. I always use my own bags at the grocery store but I never remember to bring them when I'm shopping for anything else. I work in retail and the number of plastic bags that I had out a day is obscene. I'm going to do everything I can to change my "plastic" habit and to convince others to do the same.

    Thanks for sharing the link to the film.

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