Kissing Plastic Goodbye: A Movie Night

Happy International Kissing Day! We have the perfect #PlasticFreeJuly event that will make you want to kiss plastic goodbye!

Grab your significant other, friends, dog or plant for a plastic documentary movie night. Below, we’ll take you through our top 10 films discussing plastic pollution and how to make PLASTIC FREE POPCORN! 

Documentaries About Plastic:

  1. A Plastic Ocean: available at Bobst
  2. Plastic Paradise: available through Bobst 
  3. Straws: must purchase directly 
  4. Bag It:  available at Bobst or online through Kanopy 
  5. Tapped: available at Bobst or online through Bobst 
  6. Plastic Planet:  available at Bobst or online through Kanopy 
  7. Addicted to Plastic: available through Bobst
  8. Albatross: watch it free on their website
  9. All the Way to the Ocean: watch it free on YouTube
  10. From the Waste Up: purchase on Vimeo
Courtesy of: Appalachian State University, Twitter, Amazon

NYU Office of Sustainability’s Must Have Plastic Free Homemade Popcorn 

With at least three ingredients (kernels, oil, salt) you can make poppin’ plastic free popcorn! For a little extra ‘yum’ add some butter, more salt, or sugar – we strongly encourage creativity here.

STOVETOP:

Pick up 3 tablespoons of oil (coconut, peanut, or corn work best), 3 oz popcorn kernels, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1-3 tablespoons of butter to taste.
 
Then, place the oil, corn kernels, and salt in a cooking pot. Cover the pot or use some aluminum foil to cover the top. Heat the pot over medium heat and continuously shake the pot. Continue shaking until the popcorn finishes popping which takes around 3-5 minutes. Remove the pot from heat and set aside. 
 
Optional: 
Next, melt the butter either in the microwave or over the stove top. Once melted, pour over the popcorn and mix to coat evenly. Get creative and add some of your favorite spices to the mix. 
 

***for our stove-less dorm dwellers***

MICROWAVE:

Pick up ½ cup of  corn kernels, find a brown paper lunch bag, grab a teaspoon of oil and as many pinches of salt as you like. We recommend just 1/2 tsp of salt to start.  If you can find plastic free vegetable oil in your grocery store use that. If not, we strongly recommend coconut, peanut, or corn oil that come in plastic free packaging. 

Next, snag a small bowl and mix together the kernels and oil. Pop your mixture into your brown paper lunch bag and sprinkle the salt in. To keep all that good stuff inside- fold the top of your brown bag twice for a little extra security. 

Microwave your plastic free popcorn for about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes on high. As an experienced popcorn popper, it is important to note that finding the optimum popped to unpopped not burnt ratio is a true art because every microwave is unique. Cautious cook time experimentation is highly recommended. 

Before diving into that delicious plastic free popcorn you’ve been salivating for since you smelled the first kernels pop – let your popcorn cool just enough for safe enjoyment. 

Pro-tip:

To find plastic free corn kernels, head to your local bulk food store or Whole Foods – check out the loose grains section for it or ask an employee.

When making popcorn on the stove, you want a high-smoke point oil (one that doesn’t burn easily) like coconut, peanut, or corn oil. Coconut oil is widely available in most grocery stores and is generally packaged in glass.

And don’t forget to spice it up! The best part about homemade popcorn is that you can flavor it anyway you’d like: just a pinch of salt please , EXTRA BUTTER, all natural, keep the sugar coming. Personally, I’m obsessed with the salty sweet nature of kettle corn. Be creative with your plastic free popcorn batch or batches!

Start a Conversation:

How will you reduce your plastic waste? Are there plastics you can’t eliminate? Which documentary was the most inspiring? Tell us about your plastic free popcorn shopping experience – was it difficult or are you a plastic free professional? We’d love to hear from you- comment below or slide into our dm’s @nyu_green with your answers, thoughts, questions and concerns!

When the Fall 2018 semester starts up host a dorm event with your friends to share with them your favorite plastic documentary and plastic free popcorn recipe. By encouraging your friends to #DitchDisposables, you are helping to change current projections that there could be more plastic than fish in the sea by 2050!

Courtesy of: Twitter