There Is No "Away": Films about Garbage, Overconsumption and Plastics

Choose from these films and add a discussion of local solutions for a two hour program.

Vitya The Recycling Man 10 minutes

Have you ever wondered how people in other countries participate in the recycling process? In rural India, meet Vitya who lives off the grid and uses a bicycle to make collections. 'Vitya' aims to do three things: explore the environmental theme of recyling; give an insight into the social landscape of rural India; and draw an engaging portrait of a man who lives a full yet uncomplicated life.

By giving an insight into Vitya's life the film also helps to communicate to audiences the atmosphere within a rural Indian village; low-income entrepreneurship within the rural economy; small-scale industry within Indian towns; and the intimate nature and traditional values of the Indian family.

Trashed 20 minutes Directed by Derek Boonstra

Trashed is a road trip through the afterlife of your garbage. This unpredictable 20-minute documentary dives into the trash can and comes up in some surprising places. From the garbage truck to the landfill, from the streets to the ocean, it explores America's complicated relationship with its waste through the lens of the people whose lives revolve around it.

The Story of Stuff 20 minutes Directed by Louise Fox

The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute web-film that explores the often hidden environmental and social consequences of America’s love affair with its stuff. Currently, the film has been viewed over 10 million times on-line and in thousands of schools, houses of worship, community centers and businesses around the world.

From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.

Addicted To Plastic 85 minutes Directed by Ian Connacher

ADDICTED TO PLASTIC is a feature-length documentary about solutions to plastic pollution. The point-of-view style documentary encompasses three years of filming in 12 countries on 5 continents, including two trips to the middle of the Pacific Ocean where plastic debris accumulates. The film details plastic's path over the last 100 years and provides a wealth of expert interviews on practical and cutting edge solutions to recycling, toxicity and biodegradability. These solutions - which include plastic made from plants - will provide viewers with a hopeful perspective about our future with plastic.