On Thursday May 7, Strandliners Community Interest Company (CIC) organised a documentary showing for their members on zoom called “Living without Plastic”, directed by Deia Schlosberg, produced by Stiv Wilson and presented by “The Story of Stuff” in collaboration with Pale Blue Dot media and “React To Film”.
The documentary has been years in the making, providing an in-depth investigation into the man-made environmental plastic pollution crisis which has led to devastating consequences globally for people’s health and the planet. Aiming to raise awareness and inspire a positive impact, the film’s debut kicks off an entire season of community screenings all over the world under the ‘#breakfreefromplastic’ movement which spans across three continents.
The documentary features interviews with experts, scientists and activists to show the damage to the ecosystem, poisoned communities, and waste and emissions involved in the plastics industry. It traces the historic pollution from the 1930s to the complexity of the plastics world today. It also highlights how decisions made locally can affect people globally.
Tracking plastic pollution in Asia, the film shows haunting images of overwhelming mountains of plastic waste and the failure of a global recycling system. It dives into the sobering reality of contaminated waste being dumped mostly on Southeastern Asian countries since China banned any waste imports. Most of these countries lack the infrastructure to deal with the millions of tonnes wreaking havoc on their environment and local communities.
The real solution is at the doorsteps of corporations and the mass production of plastic which needs to be stopped in the first place. After the documentary, there was a discussion with the members on Zoom and people agreed, but also felt that retailers, especially the food industry, smaller environmental groups like Transition Towns, and customers have to become one, linking up together to create a louder voice to get government and the manufacturers to listen.
The film makers hope to distribute the film through grassroot bodies and organized community screenings like Strandliners CIC. Read more if interested on the website.
Image Credits: Sandy Spencer/Andy Dinsdale , Emma Chaplin .