Sorting the recycling can be a daunting task. There are plastic bottles, plastic containers and plastic packing en masse not including all the different plastic that goes in the garbage. I
put plastic in the recycling each week because I believe that something is being done about it. And while there is a lot being done to recycle these products there is just so much of it that it’s difficult to control.
But I had no idea how much is out there.
The other evening I was given a shocking dose of reality when I watched documentary filmmaker, Ian Connacher, unfold an eye-opening story about plastic.
His film, Addicted to Plastic, is one man’s journey discover what happens beyond the recycle box. Connacher travels around the w
orld in search of answers to what can be done for this epidemic of plastic that is filling our world’s landfills, cities, and waters. The filmmaker from Toronto created a fantastic documentary that is both staggering and very insightful. Connacher’s playful way of presenting the facts along with amazing alternatives that are out there gives a jolt of reality with an optimistic sting.
You may be curious as to why this is any way relevant to my blog. Health and wellness is not just about eating right and being active. It has become an umbrella term that also implies mental and emotional, social, spiritual, occupational, cultural, and environmental health.
Environmental health is such a huge aspect in our overall achievement of health and wellness, because it pollutes our water, and gets ingested by animals we may eat. These factors leave us vulnerable to an attack on our overall health and well-being.
Do you know what happens to the plastic you throw out?
We were talking about this earlier and it sounds really interesting. I hope I can find a copy of this doc.
ReplyDeleteGreat post- plastic is something we take for granted as normal these days. I'll have to watch that documentary.
ReplyDeleteThat's really interesting. Hopefully this inspires more people to carry waterbottles and cut down on the plastic! I would definitely watch that film!
ReplyDeletei feel a movie night coming on...
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing a story a while back about this guy who collects plastic garbage in a "dead zone" in the Pacific. A lot of plastic just ends up sitting there because of a weak ocean current or something. He was shocked by what he saw and now he's trying to bring awareness to the problem.
ReplyDeletePlastic is past it's prime in a lot of ways. Someone needs to invent something new that doesn't take 1000+ years to bio-degrade.
We do need a safe alternative to plastic...yet, it's everywhere! Cars, computers, containers...almost anything you can name is made with it these days.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link! I'm hoping to check out Addicted to Plastic soon.
That documentary looks awesome. There seems to be a good balance between offering solutions and criticizing the people who are responsible, which sometimes seems to be lacking in documentaries.
ReplyDelete(P.S. Did anyone watch the top "related video" which appears on the side of the page while watching the trailer? Don't, it's frightening.)
I think this is a really great post. We should all be more aware of where our garbage goes. Just last weekend a radio station was collecting plastic bags at the Legislative Building in exchange for reusable shopping totes. I think we are slowly catching on that we need to re-think how much waste as a society, we produce.
ReplyDeleteGood post!
ReplyDelete