Apparently just one: me, insisting, “No thanks. No really. No, I don’t want it. Seriously, no!” to the guy at the theater door trying desperately to hand me a plastic goody bag full of Sing Along Grease paraphernalia. Here are my friends Red and Jen sporting theirs:

Included in the plastic goody bag:

1) Plastic pom poms
2) Plastic sunglasses inside plastic baggie
3) Plastic bubble soap
4) Black plastic comb (for slicking hair back)
5) Fake cigarette (have no idea what it’s made out of)

Without these implements, one cannot (the organizers would have us believe) participate fully in the Sing Along Grease Experience. Do you think that stopped me from belting my lungs out on “Hopelessly Devoted“?

No way, man! There are worse things I could do than say no to cheap plastic toys for a few hours. I could fume in my seat, self-righteously grumbling about plastic while everyone else had all the fun. But you know that’s a thing I’d never do. So I didn’t get to blow bubbles during “Beauty School Drop-Out“. Jen said the cheap plastic bubble wand sucked anyway.

Now, back at home, I wonder about all the plastic waste generated last night. How many attendees will reuse any of those items? How much of it was left in the theater and how much will end up in the garbage? But these questions don’t diminish the fun I had with my friends. They simply add another dimension to the experience. An extra layer of reality.

So my question for you is whether you ever find yourselves having less fun at social events because of waste or other environmentally unfriendly practices that no one else seems to notice? And if so, what strategies do you use in order to enjoy being with friends while dealing with eco anxiety?

(Note: Youtube videos linked were recorded by someone else during a previous event at the same theater… not last night’s. We were much better singers!)