2 Million Plastic Bottles used Every 5 Minutes in the U.S.

If you think about current news topics what comes to mind? Could it be Britney Spears or Lindsay Lohan? One story you might not hear about is the 426,000 cell phones that are retired each day.

How about the 114 million brown paper supermarket bags used every hour in the U.S.? I can honestly say if I were asked that question my answer wouldn’t have been the facts just stated.

Chris Jordan is an extremely talented fellow who has taken his photographic art and turned it into an astonishing statement about our daily consumption of every day products from cell phones and plastic drink bottles to cigarettes and office paper. Jordan has said, ” he hopes his photographs can serve as portals to a kind of cultural self-inquiry.”

The images are strong and the facts are astounding , a combination that will hopefully seep into the average American mind…including my own. I would hate to think that our displays of being pro-active extend only to wearing t-shirts and adorning our possessions with statement stickers.

I recently did a huge late spring cleaning job in my apartment. All the useless things I’ve received from my friends who love re-gifting and cute little nik-naks my mother has sent to brighten my day are now scattered throughout Good Will. It was the best feeling! I created more space for positive energy and donated belongings that someone else is now probably cherishing. Since then I’ve warned my mother not to send anything to adorn my shelves or apartment and I will extend this wish to my friends.

I have also learned to re-think why I go shopping, this was a huge step for me. Am I trying to fill a void or emptiness of some kind? Most likely this was the case so I’ve gotten into the habit of picking it up, trying it on, putting it back and skipping out the store I go (OK maybe I don’t skip but you get the idea).

It’s easy for everyone, including myself, to dismiss where our trash travels after it leaves our hands. But what if every bit of trash we collected at the end of the week ended up in our back yards or driveways? I have become more aware of how much I consume and throw away just by viewing Mr. Jordan’s work two days ago in Good magazine. Take a look, spread the word, act.