Bag It

Is Your Life Too Plastic? Original version - 78 min. / Educational version - 45 and 65 min. options together on one DVD. Contact orders@newday.com to specify.
by
Year Released
2011
Film Length(s)
78 mins
Closed captioning available
Remote video URL

Introduction

Try going a day without plastic. In this touching and often flat-out-funny film, we follow "everyman" Jeb Berrier as he embarks on a global tour to unravel the complexities of our plastic world.

Featured review

I have taught environmental science for many years and have long been frustrated at not finding film material that mixes accurate, relevant content with humor and an everyman perspective. Bag It strikes this balance pitch-perfect.
—Kevin Gurney
2007 Nobel Peace Prize winner & Professor, Purdue University

Synopsis

What starts as a film about plastic bags evolves into a wholesale investigation into plastic's effects on our oceans, environment, and bodies. We see how our crazy-for-plastic world has finally caught up to us...and what we can do about it.

Scroll down to view/download the following resources: Curriculum Packet, Bag It Town Tool Kit, Screening Tool Kit

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There are two different formats of the film available. The original version of the film is 78 minutes. The educational DVD contains both a 45-minute cut of the film and a 65-minute cut. The educational versions have been edited so that all content is appropriate for school-age children. The 45-minute version leaves out the chapter about plastics effect on human health. To order the educational DVD, select the 65-minute version from the Purchasing Options menu.

You can also order the 78 minute version of the film with Spanish subtitles.

To order the educational version (45 min and 65 min on one DVD) or the Spanish subtitled version, please email Karen Knox at orders@newday.com and let her know the version you would like.

Reviews

Bag It should be considered a key educational tool for teachers everywhere. I highly recommend educators of all disciplines to consider showing this film to help convey the complexity of the looming environmental challenges of plastic.
—Helen Rowe
Professor, Arizona State University
A powerful and deceptively simple movie that is sure to change the way you look at everday objects. Gripping, funny, intelligent and sure to change your life.
—Louie Psihoyos
Director, The Cove
Bag It is a great way to begin my unit on environmental awareness. It has really engaged and stimulated environmental activism among my students. It is a fantastic springboard for a great variety of fun projects. I noticed more students bringing their own reusable water bottles to class afterwards and had many students tell me how they talked about the film at home with their families.
—Kristin Glaser
10th grade Biology, Centaurus High School, Lafayette, CO
This weekend, I watched the documentary, Bag It, and think you should see it too! It explores the product we all use—the plastic bag—and the unexpected consequences of using them.
—Ellen DeGeneres
The Ellen Show
The particular power of Bag It is in how it moves between disturbing facts about plastic production and consumption, and touching interludes about what matters most... the people we love. With humor, statistical rigor, light-heartedness and sobriety, Bag It highlights the relationships between healthy families, reduced consumption and a healthy planet.
—Andrea Houchard
Dept. of Philosophy, Northern Arizona University
Bag It has inspired an environmental movement and has definitely awakened the social consciousness of our students. After our screening students discussed options for action here on campus. It has generated the idea for a "Ban the Bag" campaign to reduce and even eliminate single-use plastic bags on our campus.
—Gerry Snyder
Dept. of Communications, Kansas State University
After watching Bag It, my students walked away feeling both startled and smarter. Bag It presents the view a major political powerhouse (the plastics industry) does not want the public to see. However viewers are not brainwashed into believing that plastic and chemical manufacturers are evil money-mongers, but are given tools to decide for themselves what action to take regarding the use of these products based on scientific fact and statistics.
—Francene Kaplan
Science Teacher, Coast High School, Huntington Beach, CA
Bag It provided an outstanding opportunity for our students to learn, reflect upon, and discuss relevant environmental issues that are local and immediate. From its well-crafted and immensely engaging trailer to the fast-paced, light-hearted and completely sincere full version viewed by students, Bag It had a lasting impact on our students and inspired many to take additional actions.
—David Chan
Teacher, Evanston High School, Evanston, IL

Awards and Screenings

Audience Choice Award, Ashland Film Festival
Audience Choice Award, Telluride Mountainfilm Festival
Audience Choice Award, Flagstaff Mountain Film Festival
Audience Choice Award, Waimea Ocean Film Festival
Audience Choice Award, Princeton Environmental Film Festival
Best of Festival Jury Award, Blue Ocean Film Festival
Best Environmental Film, Sedona Film Festival
Best Environmental Sustainability Award, Reel Earth Festival
Special Jury Award,Wild & Scenic Film Festival
Special Jury Award, Port Townsend Film Festival
Special Jury Award, EcoFocus Film Festival
Official Selection, STARZ Denver Film Festival
Official Selection, San Diego Film Festival
Official Selection, Big Sky Film Festival
Official Selection, Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital
Official Selection, Dutch Environmental Film Festival
Official Selection, Melbourne Environmental Film Festival
Official Selection, Heartland Film Festival
Official Selection, Hot Springs Film Festival
Official Selection, Santa Fe Film Festival
Official Selection, Frozen River Film Festival
Official Selection, Phangan Film Festival, Thailand
Official Selection, Boulder International Film Festival
Official Selection, San Francisco Green Film Festival

Features and Languages

Film Features

  • Closed Captioning

Film/Audio Languages

  • English

Subtitle/Caption Languages

  • English

Promotional Material

Promotional Stills

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