On Monday, April 6, 2015 at 6:30 pm, Green Oxford, the Green Team, and the National Association of Environmental Professionals will be screening “Plastic Paradise: the Great Pacific Garbage Patch followed by a Q&A with Angela Sun, the documentary’s director, in Pearson Hall Room 128.
“This is our opportunity to focus on our behavior and really try to be mindful—minimize waste, minimize consumption, and make responsible, conscious decisions,” said Anna Ginsky, president of the Green Team and NAEP.
This is the first event to be held because of a collaborative effort from the three environmentally-focused student organizations. The Green Team was approached by Plastic Paradise for the second year in a row and were asked if they would be interested in hosting a screening. This year, the groups decided it would be a great opportunity to raise awareness for their groups’ missions: to improve Miami’s environmental habits of sustainability. According to Ginsky, Plastic Paradise has provided them with all of the materials to publicize the event. The organizations have been able to plan a full event with the documentary by adding the visit from Angela Sun.
“[Angela Sun] has a good mix of lenses that she’s brought into the movie,” said Ginsky after listing aspects that the movie touches on: environmental effects, effects on humans, and the corporate world’s interest. “Plastic was designed to be a sturdy material that would never break down and, yet, we use it for one-time purposes and throw it away.”
“Plastic Paradise” won the Grand Jury Award at the Wild and Scenic Film Festival in 2014 and won 5 awards in 2013, including a Gold Award Winner at the California Film Awards.
Students from the 3 organizations will be holding a tabling events in the Armstrong Student Center on Friday, April 3 from 10 am to 2 pm and on Monday, April 6 from 1 pm to 2 pm. They will be playing the trailer for the film, passing out candy, and offering students free raffle tickets for a chance to win a prize. According to Ginsky, there will be 2 identical prizes: a reusable shopping bag containing a reusable water bottle and coffee mug. All students who visit the table in Armstrong and attend the screening will receive tickets.
The GreenHawks Media team will also be joining on Monday to help pass out reusable water bottles before the screening.
The Green Team, Green Oxford and NAEP are encouraging students to come to the event and take the opportunity to stick around after for a Q&A with Sun.
Following the event, these Green organizations will be holding a 2-week-long ban on single-use plastic bottles on campus. This event will serve as Miami’s kick-off for the month of Earth Day.
“My hope is that students see this movie and have an ‘ah-ha moment.’ Like a shift in their ideals to become good consumers, increase their interest in the environment, and increase their willingness to consume mindfully. And even just learn a little bit because the film is fact-packed,” said Ginsky.
"Plastic Paradise"
