A Film That Changed My Life

Can you remember the last time you were able to say that something actually changed your life or altered the way you look at your life or make life’s choices? 

I’ll turn 60 this January, a youngster on many yardsticks. But I’m convinced that, in addition to thinning hair (I’m actually growing a forehead), I’ve also developed a bit of my father’s cynicism as the years have clicked off.  I’ve survived my youthful “Doubting Thomas” years, graduated from my “Know-it-All” college years, made incredible and meaningful discoveries about world events and their link to my family and my life.  But all of this pales by comparison to what I learned from a remarkable documentary film called Bag It.

Airing at 5 p.m., Monday, October 24 at the , Bag It follows “everyman” Jeb Berrier as he navigates our plastic world.  Like me, Jeb is not a radical environmentalist, but rather an average American who decides to take a closer look at our cultural love affair with plastics. 

His journey in this documentary film starts with simple questions:  Are plastic bags really necessary?  What are plastic bags made from?  What happens to plastic bags after they are discarded?  What Jeb learns quickly grows far beyond plastic bags and what Jeb discovers was just as eye opening to me as it was to my friends who also viewed this award-winning film.

With the average American using about 500 plastic bags each year for around 12 minutes before throwing them away, the first question Jeb asks is, Where is “away”?  As you read this blog, a floating “island” of plastic and other debris is literally swirling around the North Pacific in what is called a “Gyre”.  No, that’s not a Greek sandwich served on pita bread with yogurt sauce.  It’s a huge mass, twice the size of Texas, where the fish that you and I bring to our table, live and ingest little plastic bits and pieces right along with the plankton.

Is it any wonder that American baymen, fishermen, marine biologists and plain ordinary folks like you and me are so very concerned?  After all, how long can our fish populations last when they’re eating plastic? 

Is there any wonder why the villages of Southampton and East Hampton have joined the ranks of Westport, Connecticut, San Francisco, Italy, China and Ireland who, together, have reduced their bag usage by 40 billion bags annually? Add to that the fact that plastic bags are made from fossil fuels, like oil and gas, and the problem is not only one of poisoning our own food stream, but expending a non-renewable resource in the process. This is insanity. There was a time, when I still had hair, that our country was actually the largest exporter of oil in the world.  Today we are its single largest importer. Any wonder?

Back to our friend Jeb. He and his partner discover that they're expecting parents and his plastic odyssey now becomes a truly personal one. How can they protect their baby from plastic’s pervasive health effects? Jeb looks beyond plastic bags and discovers that virtually everything in modern society — from baby bottles, to sports equipment, to dental sealants, to personal care products — is made with plastic or contains potentially harmful chemical additives used in the plastic-making process. Two of the most common of these additives, “endocrine disruptors,” are Biphenyl A (BPA) and phthalates. Each show links to cancer, diabetes, autism, attention deficit disorder, obesity and infertility.

As adults, we make all kinds of choices of convenience: from single-serve water and soft-drink bottles to household items to bath and beauty products. These products are both made with and come packaged in plastic. As a consequence of our modern day culture, we have become addicted to plastics, and they have quietly in­filtrated every aspect of our lives. Even our children (especially during in utero development) have unwittingly and alarmingly become our modern day lab rats, making this film a “must see” for parents and expecting parents.

Join Jeb as he meets with people who fought the American Chemistry Council lobby that spent more than a million dollars fighting the Seattle bag fee; as he interviews a man sailing the Pacific in a boat made of plastic to raise awareness about our ocean’s health; as he gets tested to determine the levels of chemicals in his own body; and as he welcomes his baby into the world, a world he hopes we can leave with a little less plastic and in a little better shape for the next genera­tion.

Join me, Roger Blaugh, and members of our Mayor's Environmental Advisory Committee (SAVE), as we view this film together on the October 24th.  I think it could be a life-changer for you, too.

Film Name:     Bag It  (Duration: 65 minutes)

Date & Time:  5 p.m., Monday, October 24

Location:         (283-0774), Southampton Village

Cost:             Free.  Reservations are highly recommended.

Gift:              A reusable shopping bag will be given to all who attend.