Earth Day Special: Noah Meets the Bag Monster

Well you will all have to wait for the daily Earth tips I promised, I am going away camping with my 7th graders for a week beginning tomorrow and I have yet to upload them to the blog. But before then I will tell one story in honor of Earth day and that is the story of how Noah met the bag monster.

Anke, Noah, and I were at the Green Apple Festival in Golden Gate Park yesterday. It was an Earth Day/4.20 festival, one of 8 held nation wide, put on in part by the people who started Earth Day in the 70's. I heard about it through friends who were there with their Sustainable Living Road Show. It was a great event and a beautiful sunny day in the park. There were lots of great bands, speakers, booths, and at least 30,000 people in attendance.

I was feeling quite at home as by coincidence I knew many of the speakers and performers - I have had amazing conversations with Kevin Danaher ( true hero in the environmental and social justice movements), I have partied with Radioactive (the event's MC), and I have had countless Burningman moments with Michael Kang (one of the performers). The one "person" who caught my attention who I had never met before was the Bag Monster. Luckily as I get old and less social I am passing the torch to my son Noah, who at four years old has the ability to meet and impress anyone with his outgoing nature. It did not take long for Noah to get to know the Bag Monster.

So at some point in the concert the Bag Monster came up on stage. He was a man in a costume made entirely from plastic bags - a year supply of bags. He had a whole shtick about how he had moved to San Francisco years ago because it is such a tolerant city but now the city had banned him (referring of course to the recent plastic bag ban San Fran adopted) so he would have to move on. He talked about how people complained about him polluting the ocean and how people said turtles and birds ate him and died. It was a very clever public awareness stunt and it caught my attention and of course Noah's as well. The idea of a bag monster certainly sparked his four year old imagination.

A while after the stage appearance the bag monster came cruising down through the crowd. Noah happened to be inspired to dance at the moment by Radioactive's beatboxing so I had my camera/video camera out to try record his classic moves. Instead the bag monster had Noah all excited so I missed the dancing moment. Noah ended up talking with the bag monster for quite awhile. ( Most people talk to us adults and ask about the kids (Noah) but few people really talk to the kids themselves. When someone does, as the Bag Monster did, it is amazing as a parent to watch, for Noah has not been talking that long really (a year and half) and it is amazing to hear the conversations he has with people. Anyone who starts talking to him might be stuck for a good half an hour, and I say stuck only because he is so damn entertaining that once you start you are hooked. Kids say amazing things and Noah is certainly no exception).

Noah learned a lot during the conversation about the Monster. Later he demonstrated what he learned when he picked up a piece of plastic off the ground. I asked him what he was going to do with it and he said "Give it to the Bag Monster's mom",
"Oh yeah, who is that?"I enquired
so noah expalined: "she is an old bag and she lives in the ocean".

At some point I suggested he show the Bag Monster his re-usable bag. We have a bunch of re-usable shopping bags that fit into their own little bag and have a little carribeaner with which to attach them. They are called Chico Bags and are super convenient for those of us who would otherwise forget their shopping bags. Noah has insisted that he has his own so I thought he would enjoy showing it to the Bag Monster. Anke had one on her backpack so Noah took it off and showed it to him. He played along and was horrified at the Chico Bag. Noah explained he got it at the Green Festival (that is an example of a time when as a parent I was blown away by what Noah remembers - it takes a while to get used to the fact that this person who was just a baby is now someone that remembers pretty much everything and can articulate it). Noah also explained that he uses the bag to put his treasures in when he finds treasures.

Of course since I had the camera out I took some pictures. I was thinking to myself what a perfect teachable moment - this little person showing the Bag Monster his re-usable bag. I tried to get a good photo of the event so I could write a blog like this and while telling a fun little story I could educate and inspire people at the same time.

So after the whole encounter the guy gives me his card and asks if I can send him the photos I took. Turns out the Bag Monster is sponsored by Chico Bag!! (That explains why he was so patient with us while Noah struggled to get the Chico Bag open.) He explained that they have a bunch of Bag Monster suits that have been sent around the world for education purposes and that they are coming up with a program for schools that includes a variety of eco-villains and heroes. I told him that I was an educator and greener as well and promised to be in touch.

Good net-working Noah! I will let you know if Noah's pix end up on the Bag Monster's blog (which you can check out at: http://bagmonster.blogspot.com/) In the mean time if you do one thing this Earth Day go out and buy yourself a re-usable shopping bag, be it a Chico Bag, Green Bag, canvas bag, or.... and use it!!!

Peace and Happy Earth Day!!!!!!!!!!

(for those who are curious in the background that is Radio Active beatboxing in the first video and Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks featuring Michael Kang in the second)