What was your motivation for making “Mermaids Against Plastic?”
I went on vacation to the Quintana Roo region of Mexico, on the Yucatan Peninsula. We were walking on a beach in a spectacular, remote area and I was horrified by the amount of plastic covering the beach. It was coming from all over the world—the U.S., Russia, China, South America. It made me realize that the responsibility for this is on all of us. People need to understand that this is where their plastic is going.
You have a few more opportunities to see “RiverBlue,” a film exploring how our fashion choices impact the rivers and communities where they are made. This compelling film was screened at Loyola University Chicago on February 20, to great acclaim. After the film, director Roger Williams did a video Q&A with the audience. You can see it here.
The global denim industry is multi-billion-dollar one, employing a massive low-wage workforce, selling its products under a handful of well-recognized brands. And it is taking a toll on vital waterways. The pollution spewed by the production of jeans is what the narrator in “River Blue” calls the “dark side of the fashion industry.”
