The joke's on plastic with 'Empire' song parody

Single-use plastics are the subject of a pretty entertaining song parody set to the tune of "Empire State of Mind." The song, "Plastic State of Mind," starts with the typical grocery store scene -- a shopper buying a few staples is asked if he wants paper or plastic. Suddenly, the entire scene becomes a music video, with rapper/activist AshEL Eldridge and singer Jenni Perez taking the parts made famous by Jay-Z and Alecia Keys in "Empire State of Mind." Environmental activist group Green Sangha is behind the parody -- I discovered it thanks to the Rise Above Plastics blog. The video does go too far by implying that plastic bags are toxic. That term is thrown around so much that it's starting to lose its meaning. Still, the video is catchy and entertaining. It does a good job of reinforcing the message that consumers should use durable reusable grocery bags (I have a half dozen sitting at home, but, like the hapless grocery customer in the video, I rarely remember to bring them to the store.)