Skip to main content

Addicted to Plastic

By Literacy 'n' Poverty Project


I just finished watching the 2008 documentary Addicted To Plastic by filmmaker Ian Connacher. The film documents a three-year journey that explores the environmental consequences of the irresponsible use of plastic materials. Connacher travels to 12 countries on 5 continents, including two trips to the middle of the Pacific Ocean where plastic debris accumulates. This extraordinary film details the history of plastic over the last 100 years, provides a wealth of expert interviews, and cutting-edge solutions for recycling, toxicity and biodegradability. These solutions - which include plastic made from plants – provide a new perspective about the future of plastic.

As an environmentally-savvy activist, I was aware of the negative impacts of the use of plastic materials, but I didn’t realize the magnitude of the problem. According to the film, only 5% of plastic materials are recycled in America and the rest ends up in dumps, landfills and, very commonly, in the middle of the ocean. Yikes! All of that junk just floating around really makes one think: How did this all happen?

Most of us can’t remember a time before that popular slogan “plastics make it possible”. In post-war America, plastic materials were marketed to the public as disposable, fly by night sort of material that was meant to be thrown out. These materials were intended to make American lives easier and they certainly did, but not without consequences. It seems that we still live that way –consuming plastics and then throwing them away. If we, as a society, continue to produce, consume, and throw away plastic materials, we will eventually find ourselves living in our own filth. As we become more knowledgeable about the consequences, we’re realizing that plastics do not make it possible. As a matter of fact, plastics are taking a difficult toll on our environment.

So, how do we fix this problem? There are many eco-conscious products that can be used as a substitute to plastic materials. The film suggests using corn and soy based materials, recycled plastics, and bio-degradable plastic alternatives. It is also important to be mindful of what we consume and how we dispose of them. These environmentally-friendly materials encourage us to consider our actions and how they impact the future.

Social change requires thought and action in order to make it a reality. I encourage everyone to take a proactive part in the transformation of our shared environment. I believe that begins with developing a shared respect for each person’s space.


Have you seen Addicted To Plastic? What are your thoughts on the use of plastic products and our environment?

This post was written by Laura Scroggs who is a feminist scholar living in the mid-west. She is currently an active community volunteer and volunteer blogger with the Literacy 'n' Poverty Project. Please leave your comments or email info@makesocialchangeareality.com with questions.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is the Literacy Rate of the US?

By Literacy 'n' Poverty Project
The World Factbook , prepared by the CIA , states that the US literacy rate is around 99%. This means that around 3 million people in America are unable to functionally read and write . That is equivalent to the entire population of Mongolia! As if those numbers weren’t enough to make you sit up and think, there is some dispute about the 99% - the actual figure could be lower, depending on the various definitions of literacy used. Jonathan Kozol, in his book ‘Illiterate America’ states that the government based the 99% literacy rate on interviews and written responses to Census Bureau mailings from a small portion of the population. Of that portion, if the responders or interviewees had completed fifth grade they were considered literate. About 5% had not completed fifth grade , but 80% of those were subsequently considered literate, and so the Bureau reached a conclusion of a 99% literacy rate. In 1993 a new study was released . Over 5 years, and $14 million spent ( the largest lite...
1 comment
Read more

We Stopped Blogging and Got Serious About Our Future

By Chanelle
It's been over four months since we last posted to this blog! While it breaks our heart to have been out of touch for so long, we had good reason. You see, our blog is run by volunteers of the Literacy 'n' Poverty Project. LnP is a social initiative I started that addresses multiple aspects of literacy - health, reading, writing and financial - to empower the poor and low-income adults to lift themselves up out of poverty . But, if you've been keeping up with our blog which we know you all have :), you can see that adult education has not been the focus. And rightfully so. How We Got Started Make Social Change A Reality was created as a venue to discuss various issues concerning the broader concept of social change from the environment to women's issues to healthcare to youth development . As a startup with goals of becoming an international social enterprise, we felt that y'all deserved a place of your own to learn, engage and share information and resources...
4 comments
Read more

The Meaning of Social Change

By Literacy 'n' Poverty Project
All around us, there are changes happening; the calendar changed from 2008 to 2009, a new president was elected, and for many us, we have decided to do things differently and make changes in our diet, our lifestyles, or in our overall well being. Social change is something that I plan to be involved with this year in many different ways: volunteering , reading, attending events and sharing ideas. Social change means different things to different people. To me, social change means being involved in making things better for your community. Doing something instead of just saying something. Raising money instead of just donating to a cause. Working with others to make sure that the change we desire is attainable. I have been involved with a variety of organizations that make social change a focus of their organization. This is important to me because I am a firm believer that through social change and helping each other and supporting one another, we as a people can right all...
Post a Comment
Read more