c a n U "b a g t h e h a b i t" ?

we're all guilty of it -- taking a plastic bag from a store when we don't really need it. even if we reuse 'em, these bags take almost 1,000 years to decompose in landfills. instead of tripping over the mind numbing stats of how many bags we use or how many gallons of oil produce them (12 million), i think the visual impact of photographer chris jordan's new series, "running the numbers", can shock us into submission. the image here is a bunch of digital photos matched together to show 60,000 plastic bags, "the number used in the US every 5 seconds." jordan's other series of mass ultra-consumption images (from cell phones to toothpicks to cigarette butts to cars) will leave you speechless. he writes, "So my hope is that these photographs can serve as portals to a kind of cultural self-inquiry. It may not be the most comfortable terrain, but I have heard it said that in risking self-awareness, at least we know that we are awake."

so, as you look for an alternative to lug your groceries, try this funny "i'm not a plastic bag" or any basic tote will do... for a specially designed one, try jersey city's own bag the habit. and check out their REDUCE exhibit if you are in nyc.