With no snow and lots of wind, at this time of the year it is common to see plastic bags stuck in trees, bushes, and blowing down the road. Some cities like San Francisco have been working to ban plastic bag use. San Francisco has prohibited the use of plastic bags at large supermarkets and chain pharmacies since 2007 and a new law has now expanded this ban on plastic bags to all retailers citywide. Instead of the plastic bag, the stores may distribute BPI certified compostable bags, paper bags made with a minimum 40% post consumer recycled content, or reusable bags.
A video was made by Free Range Studios that used stop motion animation to show how bags can affect natural areas like the San Francisco Bay. The short piece shows a woman who gets overwhelmed by a tidal wave of bags. The video got attention of ABC news and Youtube, who featured it on the front page. The video later was credited as having a huge impact on the bag ban in the Bay area.
Crabs, birds, and an ocean are made of plastic bags in the piece which ends with a call to action of “Stand up to plastic bag pollution.” The video is viewable on Vimeo, and also on Free Range’s website.
Image Source:
Bay vs. The Bag – Video on Vimeo
Links:
Bay vs. The Bag – Video on Vimeo