Is Your Life Too Plastic? Jeb Berrier Asks You in “Bag It”

Do you throw away plastic bags? 

If so, you must join Monday's Gab with the Gurus Show.

My guest is Jeb Berrier, star of a new documentary, "Bag It: Is Your Life Too Plastic."

In the film, Jeb examines our cultural love affair with plastics.

"Bag It" — from filmmaker Susan Beraza — is one of six provocative, character-driven films that focus on food and environmental issues that is being presented by Whole Foods Market, the leading retailer of natural and organic foods, as part of its nationwide “Whole Foods Market Do Something Reel” Film Festival (http://www.dosomethingreel.com) for Earth Month this month.

Jeb’s journey starts with questions like:

Are plastic bags really necessary? What are plastic bags made from? What happens to them after they're discarded? What he learns quickly grows far beyond plastic bags.

Watch a trailer below.

Bag It Intro from Suzan Beraza on Vimeo.

In Bag It, you'll be shocked at what Jeb discovered:

• The average American uses about 500 plastic bags each year, for an average of 12 minutes before they are discarded.
• About 2 million plastic bottles are consumed in the U.S. every five minutes, less then 25% are recycled.
• The average American contributes 800 pounds of packaging waste to landfills per year.
• 14 million pounds of trash end up in the ocean each year.
• Plastic debris resembles plankton—fish food—and there is 40 times more plastic than Plankton in some parts of the ocean.
• About 100,000 marine mammals and sea birds die each year from becoming entangled in or ingesting plastic debris.

This Whole Foods Market Do Something Reel Film Festival is being held this April in honor of Earth Month, in an effort to serve as a "reminder of small changes people can make for good while supporting budding green-genre filmmakers."

"Through our Whole Foods Market Do Something Reel Film Festival we want to raise awareness of environmental and food issues, and support filmmakers who are creating films that inspire people to question the impact our choices have on our health, body and environment," Walter Robb, co-CEO of Whole Foods Market, said in a press release.

"We see film as an inspirational medium that can spark an active dialogue and encourage people to take action locally."

These are the other films featured this month:

"Lunch Line" — This deeply affecting film from filmmakers Mike Graziano and Ernie Park follows six kids from one of the toughest neighborhoods in Chicago as they set out to fix school lunch � and wind up at the White House. Their unlikely journey parallels the dramatic transformation of school lunch from a patchwork of local anti-hunger efforts to a robust national feeding program. www.lunchlinefilm.com

"On Coal River" — A compelling and transcendent narrative on the human costs of coal and strip-mining, this provocative film from filmmakers Francine Cavanaugh and Adams Woods follows the journey of a former coal miner and his neighbors, residents of Coal River Valley in West Virginia, as they transform from so-called victims to fearless and informed experts on mountaintop removal. www.oncoalriver.com

"PLANEAT" — This visually stunning film from filmmakers Shelley Lee Davis and Or Shlomi tells the story of the scientists, farmers and chefs tackling one of the greatest problems of our age: Western culture's love affair with meat and dairy. Through an extraordinary personal and mouthwatering culinary journey we discover the wide range of medical and environmental benefits of eating our veggies. www.planeat.tv

"Urban Roots" — Filmmaker Mark MacInnis tells the powerful story of a group of dedicated Detroiters working tirelessly to fulfill their vision for locally grown, sustainably farmed food in a city cut off from real food and limited to processed fast food. This group has taken on the enormous task of changing this reality. www.urbanrootsamerica.com

"Vanishing of the Bees" — Narrated by Oscar-nominated actress Ellen Page, this cautionary tale from filmmakers George Langworthy and Maryam Heinen reveals the mystery of the disappearing bees, and the links to industrial farming and our attitude toward the natural world. Starring in this real-life drama is a commercial bee farmer who sounded the alarm when his bee colonies collapsed and his business was decimated. www.vanishingbees.com

As part of the Festival, Whole Foods Market will also stream the documentary, "Dig It" on www.dosomethingreel.com on Earth Day, April 22. This energetic, call-to-action film features the members of the band Pearl Jam as they participate in tree-planting actions and beautification efforts in New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Click here to find a Do Something Reel (http://www.dosomethingreel.com) screening near you.

Kudos to Whole Foods for presenting such a wonderful festival!

Remember to join us (live or later) on the Gab with the Gurus Show with Jeb Berrier, star of the documentary film, Bag It, and producer/director Susan Beraza.