Enviro Heroes: Ian Connacher

Documentary filmmaker, Cryptic Moth Productions

Heading off with almost 100 kilos (220 lbs.) of equipment, film editor and technical whiz Gad Reichman and unlimited determination, filmmaker Ian Connacher is currently on a global voyage in search of solutions to plastic pollution, a material he calls "the most ubiquitous product in the world."

A trained journalist and television producer, Connacher found his passion after working as a crew member on Captain Charles Moore's oceanographic research vessel in the North Central Pacific Gyre, about one week's travel off the coast of Long Beach, California. The ship monitors the gyre, an immense ocean vortex that is a devastating collection site for dense plastic debris. Connacher had never seen anything like it. "It wasn't just floating plastic, though there were things like bottles, wrappers and nets," he says. "If you looked closely, you could see specks of plastic, like little bits of confetti. These particles are more menacing that anything out there - they're like little toxic pills that accumulate up the food chain."

Connacher took some of the footage from that trip and made Alphabet Soup, a short film funded by Aveda and used to educate its employees and inspire better packaging initiatives. But even though the project was an all-round success, he grew weary of the doom-and-gloom perspective of most eco-docs: "they paralyze people."

He decided his next project would be a full-length documentary on plastics that was informative and delivered pro-active solutions. After some preliminary research Connacher knew he was on the right track. "I was amazed at the state of bio-plastics, clean-up initiatives and recycling programs out there," he says.

By the time the project was completed, he had travelled to more than 10 countries, including England, Denmark, Japan, Australia and India, stopping at all sorts of sites along the way: plastic factories, eco-communities, research labs and corporations like Sony and Wal-Mart, companies finally realizing that profit and sustainability can go hand in hand.

The result was Addicted to Plastic , a riveting 2008 documentary that premiered at the Vancouver International Film Festival, where it was a runner-up for the Audience Award for Most Popular Documentary Film.

Connacher says making a difference is "what gets me out of bed in the morning. I've been overwhelmed by the people with solutions - they provide so much hope. Not that the problem's been solved, but that small things can be done."

This is part of Enviro Heroes, a series spotlighting the efforts of individuals determined to make a difference. It was updated in April 2009.

Find out how Connacher would spend $1000 to save the planet, in the Spring 2009 issue of Green Living magazine.