Depicts two million plastic beverage bottles, the number used in the US every five minutes
The amazing photographer, Chris Jordan, has a new exhibit entitled Running the Numbers – An American Self-Portrait, at the Von Lintel Gallery in New York from June 14th to the end of July.
This series deals with American consumption at its worst. As we all consume and add to the heaps of waste piling up, it is no wonder that we, too, can begin to waste less. Simple acts, like using a Nalgene bottle for water and refilling it for everyday use, carrying a personal coffee cup instead of wasting one every day when we need our fix, and using canvas bags at the store would make a significant improvement.
Discussing waste reminds me of that scene in Sex, Lies, and Videotape, which opens with Andie MacDowell’s character, Ann, talking to her therapist about garbage. I relate as much to it now as I did watching it for the first time as a senior in high school.
ANN: “Garbage. I started thinking about what happens to all the garbage. I mean, where do we put all of it, we have to run out of places to put it eventually, don’t we? This happened to me before when that barge with all the garbage was stranded and nobody would take it? Remember that?”
DOCTOR: “Yes, I remember. What do you do when these moods overtake you?”
ANN: “Nothing. I mean, nothing. I try not to do anything that will produce garbage, so obviously we’re talking about eating and basic stuff like that. Did you know that the average person produces three pounds of garbage a day?…Don’t you think that’s a lot of garbage? I’d really like to know where it’s all going to go.