Bring Your Own Bags

Yesterday, concerned NH citizens gathered at the Legislative Office Building in Concord to testify in support of HB481- a bill focused on giving municipalities the option to regulate plastic bags in their town. It is the first step taken in NH to ban plastic bags and I don't know about you all, but I'm sick of them. I did some research, and came up with these facts regarding plastic bag use in the United States:

• According to the EPA, over 280 billion plastic bags/sacks/wraps are consumed each year
• The Wall Street Journal estimates that we go through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually 
• 4 out of 5 grocery bags are plastic 
• In just 4 trips to the grocery store, the average family accumulates 60 plastic bags

Why should we care? Well, we know that plastic doesn't biodegrade. Instead, it breaks down into tiny toxic pieces. One plastic bag can take between 400-1000 years to breakdown, and as it's doing so, it contaminates our soil and water, entering into the animal food chain through accidental ingestion, among other horrific means. The sad truth: plastic bags cause over 100,000 sea turtles and other marine animal deaths every year. Here's a lil illustration from Medasset, a non-profit organization dedicated to saving marine and coastal habitats. 

[image description: plastic bags floating with jellyfish in the ocean]
[caption: "you see the difference. a turtle does not."]

Now let's not get too depressed; let's take action! Other than contacting your local government, there is one practical, daily step you can take to reduce plastic bag consumption. Think of the mantra: "bring your own!" Bring your own cloth bags to the grocery store, farmers' market, or to any retail shop. Bona Fide Green Goods in Concord carries reusable bags for general shopping as well as two options for produce: natural fiber or mesh. Think about the turtles you'll save! 

[image description: turtle about to ingest plastic bag]
[caption: "plastic bags are killing our marine life. its time to ban the bag."]

PS: If you like to get crafty, and have a bunch of old t-shirts hangin' around, you can turn those into reusable shopping bags. Follow this super easy tutorial.

(Above information was collected from the websites of Conserving Now, an organization working to educate about the environmental harms of plastic pollution, Medasset, and GreenPeace.)