This Fake Ad Just Might Have the Power to Inspire Millennials to Ditch Single Use Plastics for Good (VIDEO)

If you look closely at advertisements aimed at Millennials – people who came of age after the year 2000 – certain trends quickly become apparent. They tend to focus on the glories of youth and freedom: partying, dancing, chilling out, and stress-free times. The assumption seems to be that Millennials live for the moment and never think about what their actions might lead to in the future.

It is exactly this devil-may-care attitude that reusable bottle brand Bobble has lampooned in their new fake bottled water commercial, Once. The video is aimed at encouraging Millennials to think more carefully about their plastic consumption habits. Though the “commercial” seems, at first glance, to be light-hearted and fun, it makes a very serious point: “‘Once’ never thinks twice … That’s why we drink tomorrow, today. No consequences, no regrets. Someone else can clean up our mess while we live for ‘Once’.” The video ends with the message: “Time to end single-use plastics.”

Bobble’s message could not be more urgent or timely, as our planet is currently being engulfed by a steadily-growing plastic crisis. Americans consume around 10 billion gallons of bottled water per year – and every single bottle takes thousands of years to decompose. Even when it does disintegrate, it never truly “disappears,” but simply pulls apart into millions of minuscule fragments. It is believed that 270,000 tons of plastic debris are currently held in the world’s oceans, threatening an estimated 700 marine species with extinction.

There’s really no excuse for single use because all that “once” lasts a lifetime – and beyond.

To find out how you can reduce your consumption of plastic, read some of the articles below:

• 10 Simple Actions That Just Might Save Our World’s Oceans From Plastic
• 5 Simple Go-To Tips to Shrink Your Plastic Footprint
• 10 Life Hacks to Help You Cut Plastic Out of the Picture
• How to Ditch Single-Use Items and Reduce Your Impact on the Planet
• 5 Innovative Ways to Use Unavoidable Plastics in Your Life