Take a moment to notice all the plastic around you. Are you sipping coffee from a to-go cup? Did you realize that your Evian water bottle spells "naive" backwards? Did you carry out your plastic-wrapped single-serving lunch in a plastic bag and then immediately throw it all away? When you tossed it in the trash bin, where did you think it would go? Did you expect it to go away forever?

Jeb Berrier, an ordinary guy living in Telluride, Colorado asked himself these same questions in the award-winning documentary Bag It. He first gives up his use of plastic bags, which then raises many other questions of the real costs of plastic on our health, environment, economy, and ultimately the fate of his unborn child. He ventures on a worldwide journey to understand the intricacies of plastic from cradle to grave, including manufacturing practices, single-use disposable packaging, the truths of recycling, impacts on the environment and marine life, and the consequences of chemicals like Bisphenol-A (BPA) and phthalates on our health. The film is full of shocking statistics and haunting imagery, but softened by Jeb's comedic commentary and absolute sincerity.

On the Monday evening following the Oscars, 60 hand-selected community leaders convened at a lovely house in downtown Boulder, Colorado for a private screening of "Bag It" hosted by New Era Colorado and "America's Top Chef" Hosea Rosenberg, who prepared tasty appetizers. Even in our eco-conscious city we use about 25 million bags per year. As a nation, we use an estimated 100 billion bags per year (averaging one million every minute) that end up in landfills, our outdoor playgrounds and the ocean, killing nearly 100 thousand marine animals annually. The reality: plastic doesn't go away.

After watching this powerful film I was horrified by my own plastic consumption, yet informed, empowered, and excited to create change. We still have a chance to make things better. It's never too late to stop consuming, ingesting, absorbing and inhaling plastic. Change starts on an individual level. Here are some helpful tips:

1. 1. Recognize your habits. Take time to observe your use of disposable plastic. This alone was a real eye-opener for me.

2. Bring your own reusable bag. The hardest part for me is remembering my tote bags. It's best to have multiple bags located by the door, in your handbag, and your car. Bag the Habit makes a super sturdy 5-bag set that zips into a small pouch and reusable produce bags woven with 100% recycled materials that's light-weight, breathable and easily washable.

3. Eliminate plastic packaging. From bags to bottles, snacks, utensils, household cleaning products and beyond. There are practical, innovative and high-quality alternatives to a wide range of disposable items.

4. Buy in bulk. In most grocery stores you can buy just about anything in bulk from flour to rice, nuts, dried fruit, granola, maple syrup, olive oil, loose tea, coffee, spices and soap. Not only do you use less materials, but it costs much less too!

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5. Buy less. It's more important to reduce than reuse.

1. 6. Buy used. Whenever possible, swap with friends or buy things like clothing, books, furniture or dishes from your local thrift store or craigslist online. It s often cheaper and no new materials are manufactured.

1. 7. Bring your own containers. Instead of plastic clam shells, pick up your panini to-go in Aladdin's stylish and recycled lunch set.

8. Don't drink bottled water. The production of that disposable plastic bottle requires precious fossil fuels, a non renewable resource that also increases our dependancy on foreign providers. Americans spend over $15 million dollars on bottled water annually, which exhausts between 15-18 million barrels of oil each year. Carry a BPA-free reusable bottle like Sigg. It's that easy.

9. Change your ways. It's not easy to modify the way we are conditioned, but once you start making small changes, youll feel liberated from your plastic prison. From the words of Mahatma Gandhi: You must be the change you wish to see in the world.

1. 10. Host a Bag It screening in your hometown. And you will help foster gross national happiness.

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