Keen on Green - Edition 3

The Plastic Country

Here’s a statistic I wasn’t expecting: Australia is one of the world’s biggest consumers of plastic per person. Not exactly a podium finish to be proud of.

Last night I watched a free documentary on YouTube called The Plastic Country, written and presented by Australian environmentalist Kal Glanznig. It’s a raw, confronting and very watchable look at our relationship with plastic – what we produce, what we consume, where it ends up, and what all of this could mean for our future.

Most of us are pretty well versed in the environmental problems associated with plastic by now. We’ve seen the images of polluted oceans, turtles tangled in plastic and beaches covered in rubbish. And perhaps that’s part of the problem. Have we seen it so often that we’ve become a little desensitised to it? Out of sight, out of mind?

What really struck me about The Plastic Country was that it brings the issue much closer to home. Plastic pollution isn’t only about what’s happening to our oceans and wildlife. The film also explores the growing concerns around plastics and human health.

It can be easy to feel that plastic is simply too big a problem for any one of us to make a difference. It’s everywhere. But our individual choices still matter, particularly when enough of us start making them.

So my Keen on Green recommendation this time is a very simple one: watch this film (link below). It’s free, it’s on YouTube, and I’d encourage you to watch it with your kids too. If nothing else, it might make you look a little differently at the plastic you pick up (or don’t pick up) tomorrow.

There are now some fantastic alternatives to everyday plastic products, so if the documentary leaves you wondering “OK, what can I actually do?”, here are a few Australian websites worth exploring:

Go For Zero – plastic-free and low-waste alternatives for everyday products
https://goforzero.com.au/

Flora & Fauna – sustainable and lower-waste home, beauty and lifestyle products
https://www.floraandfauna.com.au/

Seed & Sprout – reusable alternatives for the kitchen, home and everyday life
https://seedsprout.com.au/

You can watch The Plastic Country and find out more here:
https://www.theplasticcountry.com/

One documentary probably won’t solve our plastic problem. But if it makes us stop, think, and change even a few of the things we buy and use every day, that feels like a pretty good place to start.