Number Crunching
- Posted by: Morgan Clendaniel
- on May 25, 2007 at 2:37 pm
Numbers don’t lie. But they can be hard to comprehend. This is the paradox that underlies “Running the Numbers,” a new series by photographer Chris Jordan that depicts the sheer mass behind the statistics of our collective consumption—it is a lot easier, for example, to imagine how many grocery bags we use every five seconds when you can see an actual picture of all 60,000. Made from several hundred photographs digitally stitched together, the images can take months to complete. But in their finished state, the results are jaw-dropping. “If we can more deeply feel the meaning behind numbers like these,” says Jordan, “maybe that will enable us to make more conscious choices about the behaviors that lead to them.”
NUMBERS Other images from “Running the Numbers” include the 426,000 cell phones we dispose of daily and the 106,000 aluminum cans we use every 30 seconds.
LEARN MORE chrisjordan.com
DISCUSSION: 4 Comments
Excellent! “60,000 every five seconds” might be just another factoid. A visual representation of those numbers really helps to make an impression. Now consider that twenty of those photos is just one minute, and there are 1440 minutes in a day. That means that 28,800 of those photos, or 1,728,000,000 bags is our impact in one day. And then there’s tomorrow. And the next day. If you’re asking yourself how our landfills will ever deal with this, consider these facts: 1) Q. At what point does most plastic decompose in a landfill? A. Never. 2) Q. What is most plastic made from? A. Imported oil. You may have thought people using those cloth shopping bags looked a little dorky, and here they were saving your ass.
Be strong. Be smart. Get cloth shopping bags. Use them. It’s an easy way to make a difference. And yes, EVERY ONE PERSON THAT DOES IT HELPS.
“Number Crunching” has really inspired me to consider my bagging habits. I’m in a program which requires me to create an “action plan” regarding the betterment of our world. After reading this article, I’ve decided I’m going to buy enviro-bags (reuseable cloth shopping bags) in bulk, sell them, and use the proceeds to raise consumer awareness in my community and possibly abroad. What do you think about that?
Incredible when you think about it. I am changing the way I shop so I can use my non-plastic bag for my items. If I don’t really need a bag for my purchase I just say “no thanks!”
I found the numbers jaw-dropping, and the images impactful (not to mention beautiful – check out chris jordan’s site). Made me feel pretty ashamed at how lazy and thoughtless we can be, myself included. But the true beauty lies in how easy it can be to right a wrong.
Now…what to do with all those bags…