Plastic Bags, 2007
60×72″
Depicts 60,000 plastic bags, the number used in the US every five seconds.
We are consumers. We consume so much that it is invisible to us. For example:
How do you visualize the number of plastic bags used in the US every five seconds. 60,000.
Or, the number plastic beverage bottles used in the US every five minutes? 2 million.
Or, the number of trees harvested in the US every month to make the paper for mail order catalogs? 8 million.
In this country we are often referred to as “consumers” first and “citizens” second.
Running The Numbers is a recent series by Chris Jordan. In this series he depicts America’s culture of consumption using detailed prints. Each image is compiled from thousands of smaller photographs.
So, how do we have the things that we need and want? Here are a couple of ideas:
Reduce packaging. Packaging materials account for a large volume of the trash we generate. So choose products that use little or no packaging at all. Even better, choose those that are made from recycled materials. Also, don’t take a bag if you do not need one. Do you really need a bag for that DVD that you just purchased?
Buy used. There are many good reasons to buy used products and thrift stores are a great place to start. Cost, lower prices can often be found. Recycling. More variety offer an excellent opportunity to find things that are no longer made. Thus, allowing you to be unique and have stuff that no one else has. This process also provides for many interesting stories. Both about the item itself and the place it was found. And, as an added plus this is a good opportunity to shop local and support your community. Did you know that a dollar spent at a locally owned business equals between $5.00 and $14.00 in value within the community. While 80% of every dollar spent at a nationally owned chain leaves town immediately.
(Images by Chris Jordan)
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Comments (2)
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Pages tagged "Conspicuous" added these pithy words on Jan 04 08 at 1:27 amFreebagsmadam.nothanks added these pithy words on Jan 04 08 at 11:54 amWow!
This is great! And the point is precisely what we’re trying to achieve over at abolishplasticbags.org.uk. How do you visualise this waste when it is on such a massive scale.
It’s a good point in favour of individual action can make a difference. We each only consume a small proportion of these bags, but on mass look at the effect that has. Similarly, by cutting down on our plastic bag use (in favour of say, reusable bags) we can also make a massive impact.
Disturbing picture of the week!
