Written by CEO & Founder, Toro Adeyemi
Ossining pledges to reduce plastic use
Last week, the Ossining Documentary & Discussion Series met and screened Bag It, a humorous & informative film that deals with issues surrounding single-use plastic bags. This documentary was well time as a movement towards charging for plastic bags (and banning them altogether!) has gained momentum throughout the country as well as the world. The film queries, Is Your Life Too Plastic?
“We need to understand that our modern day convenience of single-use plastic bags seems free but actually comes at a very high cost to our health and environment. When we put our garbage at the curb we think it goes away. But where is away? There is no away,“ says panelist, Sharon Rowe, an Ossining-based business owner interviewed in the film.
“We need to understand that our modern day convenience of single-use plastic bags seems free but actually comes at a very high cost to our health and environment. When we put our garbage at the curb we think it goes away. But where is away? There is no away,“ says panelist, Sharon Rowe, an Ossining-based business owner interviewed in the film.
Panelists, Sara Goddard, Sharon Rowe & Jordan Christensen.
What did I take away?
- Not everything with that well-recognized recycling sign, is actually recyclable. In Westchester County, types 1-7 are now recyclable.
- What the Recycling Symbols on Plastics Mean. It's not as simple as you think.
- Anything that goes into a landfill is covered with layers of clay and other materials that basically mummify the remains. This means that without air and water, our trash has become our archival remains for future generations.
- The ocean is overrun with plastic!!
- Animals are dying by ingesting and getting caught in plastic floating on top and in the ocean. There is 40 times more plastic than food for the marine animals to eat.
- Human health: BPA and phthalates are two plastic additives that are known endocrine disruptors. We all come into contact with these toxic chemicals through our food, personal care products and plastic containers. Recent studies have linked BPA to breast and prostate cancer, enlargement of the prostate, early onset of puberty, hyperactivity in children, obesity, heart disease and diabetes.
It really is crazy how much plastic we use and waste and just toss away. In the images above, the OD&DS committee took on a challenge: 5 of us would collect all of the plastic we saw in the streets for 3 days before the screening.
Imagine how much we would have collected after a week.
Imagine, what’s going on in your neighborhood?
Imagine how much we would have collected after a week.
Imagine, what’s going on in your neighborhood?
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