By Sarah Stapperfenne
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Sarah Stapperfenne
New Jersey Audubon
Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary
11 Hardscrabble Road
Bernardsville, NJ 07924
908-766-5787 ex 23
[email protected]
October 23, 2012
SCHERMAN HOFFMAN HOSTS DOCUMENTARY BAG IT SCREENING AND SPEAKERS
The Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary in Bernardsville will host a screening of the environmental documentary Bag It, followed by a presentation by Lindsey Kayman and Michael Pisauro, Jr. of the New Jersey Environmental Lobby. The event will take place on Sunday, November 4 at 2pm.
Bag It follows “everyman” Jeb Berrier as he takes a closer look at America’s cultural love affair with plastic, particularly plastic bags. Although his quest starts out small, Berrier soon learns that the problems with single-use plastic bags extend past landfills to oceans, rivers and ultimately human health.
The average American uses about 500 plastic bags each year, for about twelve minutes each. This single-use mentality has led to the formation of a floating island of plastic debris in the Pacific Ocean more than twice the size of Texas.
The film explores these issues and identifies how daily reliance on plastic threatens not only waterways and marine life, but human health, too. Two of the most common plastic additives are endocrine disruptors, which have been shown to link to cancer, diabetes, autism, attention deficit disorder, obesity and infertility.
After the film, Kayman and Pisauro will speak about the state’s efforts to lessen and eliminate plastic bag use. Kayman will speak specifically about the Sustainable Princeton’s BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag) Project, an initiative that encourages people to eliminate single-use plastic and paper bags while shopping.
Pisauro, the Legislative Drector of the NJ Envrionmental Lobby, will discuss relevant legislation to protect people and the environment from the effects of plastic use.
Pisauro is a practicing attorney. With the goal of helping environmental groups like NJEL promote a healthy environment, he became a founding member of Frascella & Pisauro, LLC, a general practice firm. He is also member of the American Bar Association’s Section of Environment, Energy and Resources; the Environmental Law Institute; and the New Jersey Bar Association’s Environmental law section.
Kayman is a member of Sustainable Princeton and is a Board Member and Membership Chair at the NJEL.
Bag It has received awards from 12 environmental film festivals and over 500 community screenings of the film have played since January of 2011.
This event is co-sponsored by New Jersey Audubon, New Jersey Environmental Lobby, and the Environmental Education Fund. It is free and open to the public.

