Film and Reception: Addicted to Plastic

The Honest Weight Food Co-op will be co-sponsoring with the The Sanctuary for Independent Media a reception, screening, and discussion featuring the film








"Addicted to Plastic: The Rise and Demise of a Modern Miracle"

On Saturday, May 15, 2010 beginning at 7 PM. Admission is by donation ($10 suggested, $5 student/low income).

The Sanctuary for Independent Media is located at 3361 6th Avenue in North Troy (at 101st Street); visit www.MediaSanctuary.org, email info@MediaSanctuary.org or phone 518-272-2390 for more information and directions.

From 7-8 PM, there will be an interactive reception to offer everyday alternatives to using plastic. The Honest Weight Food Coop’s "Homemade To Go" demo will give ideas on how to stop buying ready-made food in plastic tubs, and start making your own to-go items. Other local ecological resources and businesses will be charting routes to a less plastic-filled life.

At 8 PM, the film "Addicted to Plastic: The Rise and Demise of a Modern Miracle" will show the history and scope of plastics pollution around the world, and explore solutions. Filmmaker Ian Connacher tells the story of plastic’s ubiquity, having filmed on 5 continents and visited the so-called plastic island floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The documentary presents grim facts, but offers viewers practical steps to address this environmental problem on a personal level.

From styrofoam cups to artificial organs, plastics are perhaps the most ubiquitous and versatile material ever invented. No invention in the past 100 years has had more influence and presence than synthetics. But such progress has had a cost.

For better and for worse, no ecosystem or segment of human activity has escaped the shrink-wrapped grasp of plastic. "Addicted To Plastic" is a global journey to investigate what we really know about the material of a thousand uses and why there's so darn much of it. On the way we discover a toxic legacy, and the men and women dedicated to cleaning it up.

Following the film, local recycling and reuse expert Steve Davis will facilitate a discussion on how to incorporate the film’s information and suggestions into everyday life on a personal level and beyond, at a community level. Davis’ company Ecolibrium helps residential and business customers be sustainable by providing multiple services in the area of reuse, resale and recycling.

Hope to see you there!