This plastic thing has my mind all crazy and twisted.  After writing the Plastic Bag’s Be Gone article, I became insanely aware of the plastic that is EVERYWHERE.  Fifteen minutes ago I went to use a spray, which is in a plastic bottle, and I had to peel off the protective plastic film. Then I put the plastic film into my trash can made of plastic. When I am done with the bottle, it will go in my recycling bin, made of plastic.

I originally planned to do a 30-day journey to track everywhere I used or encountered plastic. I was going to start the journey yesterday. Well here’s the scoop. I am surrendering the tracking part because after just ONE DAY of noting where plastic shows up in my life, I’m exhausted! Overwhelmed. Feeling defeated.  It is a very big topic.  It’s an ignored elephant in the Green Room, often overshadowed by other topics like climate control and GMO’s.

Are you ready to shift your consciousness on the subject of plastic and really dig deep?

Are you ready to admit your addiction to the conveniences of plastic and fully dive into the truth and opportunities for change?

We carry our own water bottles. We have reusable shopping bags. We bring our own utensils with us anywhere that has plastics (even though saying the word “spork” is rather fun).  ALL OF THIS IS NOT ENOUGH.  After a single day of monitoring where plastics were in my life, I couldn’t be screaming it any louder. The step away from plastics can’t be baby steps. We need Godzilla-sized steps!

That said, I am providing you with your first opportunity to become more informed.  Watch the movie  BAG IT . It’s an hour-long, award-winning, entertaining film that truly hammers  home the info.

Being in the construction industry, I am acutely aware how fossil fuel pricing affected pricing for the building supplies I am responsible for purchasing.  Plastics are made of fossil fuels.   Here’s my guilty admission. I  never consciously connected the dots in my personal world that the plastic store bags or the little plastic films on other things were ALL from the resource of fossil fuels.  Once this dot got connected my inner activist roared, “It is about time you woke up! Big picture, sister! Big picture!”

It’s agreed that plastics were supposed to make things accessible, portable, and affordable. That was the sales pitch.  We got hooked like a fish on a plastic bobber, and the aggressive search for alternatives went away.  You don’t have to be a conspiracy theorist to see the big picture here. OIL. Connect that dot to the BP’s and the Halliburton’s of the world and the truth of exactly WHO plastics were supposed to benefit is loud and clear.

One of the organizations mentioned in BAG IT was the American Chemical Council. They have been actively suing communities banning plastic bags. Interesting right?  This one is straight from their blog when they were trying to stop the plastic bag ban in Austin, Texas . Why would chemists be so invested in getting aggressively involved in stopping an initiative to step away from a problem that creates the most pervasive form of ocean litter?  Que the Beverly Hillbilly’s theme song. “Black gold. Texas tea. Oil that is.”

How brave are you feeling right now? How open do your want your eyes? Click  here to watch this video on facebook.

I’ll give you a minute to compose yourself.  Okay. I am going to ask you the BIG QUESTION that the movie BAG IT brought to the table. Why would you use something, that’s essentially going to last forever, for only a few minutes then throw it away?

I know we can’t make this go away overnight.  Agreed our simple steps combined can make a big difference.  The “bag manufacturers” are starting to feel the pressure, because globally, plastic bags are being recognized as a problem. Here in the USA we are still wearing our “don’t want to see” glasses.  Some of the big guys are dabbling in the biodegradable game – but for profits only, no conscience. We need to support companies like Bio Bag who are in the solution game for real.  They are a small company of dedicated employees who are fully committed to ONLY producing certified, compostable bags and films. We CAN NOT afford to continue to fill the coffers of companies not committed to the same ideals we are. (I am looking at you Clorox Green Works and Scott Johnny-Come-Lately recycled paper towels).  We need to tell the stores we shop at, that if you offer plastic bags, they should be compostable.

GoGreen blog readers, I am counting on you to keep sharing the good finds. We need each other to network the real info that is out there. We need to help each other wake up, unplug from the lies, and be fully aware and active in our choices.

I’m signing off on this rant with a little levity. We have all been here, but Larry David on Curb Your Enthusiasm is the master at expressing how Impregnable Plastic Packaging makes us  feel!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koOiHvn3UDc

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Plastic Bags, Be Gone!

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