Once again, here I go talking about plastic bags. There is so much information I can find, studies I can present, research I can dig up on why not using these things is a good idea, that I am seriously afraid over overwhelming you with entirely too much information.
However, I came across this great article in the New York Times that explained how not just a city, but an entire country banned plastic bags and the difference it has made. In 2002, Ireland passed a tax on plastic bags; customers who wanted them had to pay 33 cents per bag at the register. Within weeks, plastic bag usage dropped 94%. Within a year, nearly everyone was using reusable cloth bags, keeping them in offices and in the backs of cars. In this case, plastic bags were not outlawed, but had just become socially unacceptable.
As well, China, which had formerly consumed more plastic bags than any other country in the world and squandered 37 million barrels of crude oil solely reserved for plastic bag production every year, banned the bags last year..
Banning bags and creating a tax for them, is a trend that can be seen across the US and the world currently. In some places like Australia, it was the social norm long ago. In this article, which appeared in the Sydney Herald in 2005, it discussed "reusable grocery bags" being the norm everywhere one went. At the same time though, the girth of the article explained how the bags that so many people are using are made out of practically the same thing that the plastic bags we're trying to get of are made of and how when not recycled, they too present a problem. While this is true and presents a problem in it's own right, at least it's not a single usage bag. Most of the time that people use these, they carry not only their groceries in them, but also take them to the beach, use them to carry things to work, school, and storage around the house. Ideally, cloth would be better, but also would be more expensive and unless it was organically grown and free of bleach and all those other harmful things, you're running into more issues as well. Keeping on the good side of mother earth and what you can do can be quite overwhelming and confusing at times. But just keep in mind that while one answer to the problem is only slightly better than another, together... every little thing that you can do helps. Reduce your consumption, reuse your items and recycle when you can.
Speaking locally of plastic bags, I'll note that the swell folks over at Wend Magazine have been working with the local Surfrider group and Patagonia on their "Ban the Bag" campaign to end the use of plastic bags in Portland. If you’re in the Portland area, you’ll want to swing by the Patagonia store in the Pearl and check out the display that tells all about the plague of single use plastics and encourages banning plastic bags in Portland. Also at the store you can pick up (for a mere $22) a Ban the Bag t-shirt that helps support the cause, and even better, you can grab a "Ban the Bag" reusable bag for $3 and you’ll never have to use a plastic bag again. If you don't live in the Portland area but want to support the cause, bags and shirts will soon be available for sale on the Oregon Chapter of Surfrider website. If you'd like to sign the petition to create a ban (20 cent mandatory fee) on plastic bags within the City of Portland, to prevent marine debris, encourage the use of reusable bags and decrease our dependence on fossil fuels, you can sign up here.
(Recently, I've been so impressed by Surfrider and their support of banning plastic bags in Portland and the work they've been doing on behalf of our oceans, that on Earth Day last month, I decided to put my wallet where my mouth was and I joined the organization.)
Speaking of Surfrider, they are a big proponent of people picking up their butts on the beach. I don't know what it is exactly about cigarettes that make people think they don't count as trash... but they are. In fact, for the size and sheer amount of waste they produce a year... added with the toxins that are released from the butts, they are some of the most harmful basic pollutants on our beaches and in our water supplies. A recent study by San Diego State University found that even one cigarette butt in a liter of water can kill a fish in a period of 96 hours. SDSU Health Professors and other members of the Cigarette Butt Advisory Group are pushing for the items to be classified as hazardous waste and for new, tighter requirements for disposal.
Anyways, back to the bags....I went to the Patagonia store the other week to pick up a Ban the Bag bag and support the cause (I don't need another t-shirt, regardless of how good the cause is!) and I came across some t-shirts that had very familiar artwork on them.
The artwork belongs to none other than one of my favorite illustrators, Jay Ryan, who works out of his Chicago studio called The Bird Machine, creating posters for concerts and other exciting things of note. I love his strange animal laden artwork and was thrilled the other year when I got to meet him at Bumbershoot.
(So yeah, I said I didn't need another t-shirt, but the polar bear one is cute and the Freedom to Roam shirt proceeds go to support programs that educate people and government about protecting ancient migration for animals and their natural habitats, so it is kinda tempting).
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