Southampton - Southampton environmental group S.A.V.E. (Southampton Advocates for the Village Environment) is hosting a screening of the new, award-winning environmental documentary "Bag It" at Rogers Memorial Library on Monday, October 24 at 5 p.m.

"Bag It" follows "everyman" Jeb Berrier as he tries to make sense of our dependence on plastic bags. Although his quest starts out small, Jeb soon learns that the problem extends past landfills to oceans, rivers and ultimately human health.

The average American uses about 500 plastic bags each year, for about 12 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 our 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.

The screening at Rogers Memorial Library marks Southampton Village's landmark ordinance to ban the use of single-use plastic bags in village stores. The town of Westport, Connecticut and cities like Washington, DC and San Francisco, as well as Ireland, Italy and China have already implemented similar policies to curb their plastic use. Southampton Town and East Hampton are considering similar legislation.

S.A.V.E. recognizes the importance of reducing single-use plastic use for the safety of our community and environment. According to S.A.V.E. member Mackie Finnerty, we thought it was important to implement a plastic bag ban in the seaside towns because plastic bags are frequently found in ponds, on the dunes and along the beaches. Plastic bags not only end up as litter, but they also kill birds and sea creatures, compromising our already fragile ecosystem.

This event is open to the public and free. To reserve a space call the library at 631-283-0774, ext. 523.