Bag It! Movie Encourages Plastic Bag Ban in Oregon

For Oregonians, single use plastic bags – like those commonly used at grocery stores and other retail outlets – may soon be banned in the state.  That means bringing your own reusable canvas shopping bag, or paying a small fee for a paper bag.

Bag It! Movie encourages reusable shopping bags

The measure is being considered by the Legislature in Salem, Oregon.  Sentate Bill 536 would prohibit the use of plastic shopping bags in order to promote better environmental conditions and reduce waste.  Did you know that Oregonians alone use an estimated 1.7 billion plastic checkout bags every year?  While you might have heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, just off the Oregon Coast is an estimated 100 million tons of toxic trash, 90% of which is from discarded plastic bags.

To educate the public about the critical need for action is the film “Bag It!”  The movie examines our daily use and dependence on plastic, and why a change is needed now.  Here in Central Oregon, you can see “Bag It!” at a special showing on Tuesday, May 25 at McMenamins in Bend.  Doors open at 5:30, with a 6:00 showing.  Tickets are only $5, and free for COCC Students with an ID.

Mike Riley, the Executive Director of the Environmental Center, which is sponsoring the event, states:

“It’s a timely film considering what is happening with Senate Bill 536 right now.  Hopefully the film will give us all a better understanding of why moving away from plastic bags and plastic in general, is an important step in protecting human health and the health of our environment.”

For more information visit the Environmental Center’s website at www.envirocenter.org.

More about the film:

Bag It follows “everyman” Jeb Berrier as he navigates our plastic world. Jeb is not a radical environmentalist, but an average American who decides to take a closer look at our cultural love affair with plastics. Jeb’s 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 he learns quickly grows far beyond plastic bags.

What he discovers is shocking.  Learn more about the film at www.bagitmovie.com.