I was walking through the lobby of IFC today, and there was something pretty unusual hanging—a bunch of oversized, transparent garbage bags. I took a snapshot with my phone (apologies for the modest quality of the photo). From a distance, I couldn't tell what was inside, but when I got up close I saw they were filled with tons of plastic bottles—all used by IFC staff. The sign below the bags reports that IFC staff consume some 80,600 plastic bottles every year.
So why put them on such dramatic display? The IFC Footprint campaign is putting on an event entitled "What a Waste" to promote environmental awareness in the organization. They'll also be screening the film Addicted to Plastic. (For World Bank Group staff, here is a full schedule of events.) At the behest of one of my (greener) colleagues, I bought an L.L. Bean bottle a couple of months ago at a cost of $21.95. I'm pretty sure I have recouped the purchase price by this point.
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