Sunday 26 April 2009

Beth Terry's Letter to Oprah

Plastic is all around us. We take it for granted along with its convenience, versatility and its ability to protect and preserve. But has this convenience become so ubiquitous it's emerged as one inconvenience too far? I'd like to introduce a video by one lady who is making us think again about our responsibilities as consumers. Spurred on by the environmental cost of plastic, she has taken major steps to reduce her own dependency and has inspired individuals and companies to reduce their reliance on it too. Most people know her as Fake Plastic Fish, creator of the blog that shares the same name.

In the last couple of years Beth has inspired many people to change their habits of a lifetime but for such change to have the impact required, her work needs to be shared with a much wider audience. So this weekend she wrote a letter to Oprah and recorded a video that highlights her passion. Here is the video revealing the inspiration behind Beth's work, her personal commitment and her achievements so far. If you know other people who could be inspired by her message, let's not just leave it to Oprah. The Internet is a powerful thing so it would be great if you could share Beth's message too. And yes, after watching the video, there will be a few changes that I can make too.




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8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, Karen. Thanks so much for sharing the video. I'd like to encourage others with the means to not only forward on the video but to share their own video responses. This way, whether Oprah ever sees it or not, the work can ripple out and continue to inspire.

:-)

Almost Mrs Average said...

Beth - that's a brilliant idea about the video responses. So is there's anyone looking in, while I get my thinking cap and get my camera phone back in actions, see if you're inspired to do something too.

lunarossa said...

Amazing! There are always more things to learn on this subject. As said above, I'm not sure if Oprah will ever see this but I think that the main point is passing it on and on so that as many people as possible can view it. Thanks, Karen. Ciao. A.

Karin said...

I've been updated so can't hear what she's saying. Hopefully son will fix it tonight when he makes it possible for me to open my documents again. Aaaargh.

Layla said...

Wow, this is truly awesome!! :)

oh gosh, I was so touched, I almost cried!! - wait, I did!! :)
What an awesome legacy, Beth...

Really great to see your story!!
& it's inspiring to see you shop in bulk - wish there were such shops here in Slovenia too!!

Mrs A, I truly truly hope you manage to make a heartbreaking (or silly; or both!) video too!! & send it to Oprah!! :)

I am now tempted to buy or get a camcorder more than ever!! :)

Maybe a bunch of people worldwide reaching out to her could make a difference?

And PLEASE ask Oprah, to host SOMEBODY - anybody!! - who is an expert on this, or multiple experts: to have regular shows on waste minimization!!

Like she had lots of shows on nutrition, & nurturing the soul!!
She could have shows (&/or tidbits in every show!) on minimizing waste..!! :)

Maybe she could even track her own (& her employees?) progress..?

She's also a rich woman: she could help set up a 'minimize waste international!!' - an NGO that would make it easier to inspire people to make less waste!!

It's really difficult, & basically a full-time job itself, so I totally admire you Beth for having another full-time job next to this!! WOW!!

Now wouldn't it be easier to totally support people like you to do it whole-time?!!
Instead of paying millions & billions of dollars to decision makers and iffy 'eco' 'waste-treatment' plants chemically polluting our environment further?!!

Please everyone let's ask Oprah to help make Zero Waste a household name & to help show everyone how to do it!! :)

Maybe we could also mention other bloggers worldwide..? so she sees this is a worldwide trend already... :)

Oprah is one of the 3 richest women on Earth - the top one being the lady who got rich with recycling paper, & the 3rd being JK Rowling... These 3 ladies combined could really make a difference too!!

dandaworld said...

What a very moving video!
I didn't know who Oprah is, but Beth is a very strong-minded and passionate woman! I admire what she is doing! I think that isn't easy to remove our beliefs about the convienience of plastic!
So, Beth is very inspirational and we must take her as example to create a new awareness.
I'll put this video on my blog too... it would have been better to have the translated text, but Beth's words are very clear and easy to understand, and the message is very strong! Thanks, Mrs A, for sharing it!

Almost Mrs Average said...

Hi Antonella - great to see you and please share Beth's message as wide as you can. :-D

Hi Karin - I feel I could do with an update myself LOL. Hopefully you will be able to play it soon. Hope the upgrade has done well too :-D

Hi Layla - wouldn't it be absolutely fantastic if Oprah did get behind Beth and helped widen the awareness and the appeal. We also need someone in the UK to go full steam ahead too. Now as for my video response. I've still got my thinking cap on...but as you guessed, it will probably be of a silly nature :-D

Almost Mrs Average said...

LOL Danda - it looks like we were commenting at the same time. It will be great to include Beth's video on your blog. I am sure she will be pleased. If you're feeling brave, you could also make a video of your own response in Italian :-D

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