DROP THE PLASTIC BAG

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Photo Courtesy of Bill MacDonald

News

Santa Monica seeks to ban plastic bags
(March 6, 2008)
-Christina Hanford, The Argonaut

State Plastic Bag Ban Considered

(February 5, 2008)

- Elisabeth Rosenthal, New York Times

Container Contest: County Takes A Look At Ban On Plastic Grocery Bags

(February 4, 2008)

- Rachel Tompa, Monterey County Herald

Motivated By A Tax, Irish Spurn Plastic Bags

(February 2, 2008)

- Lynda Arakawa, Honolulu Advisor

Whole Foods retreats from plastic bags
(January 22, 2008)
-Market Watch

China Bans Free Plastic Bags

(January 9, 2008)

- CNN

Plastic Bags Fly into Environmental Storm

(November 16, 2007)

- CNN

Human Behavior, Global Warming, and the Ubiquitous Plastic Bag
(September 30, 2007)
-Peter Applebome, New York Times

The Great Plastic Bag Plague
(September 5, 2007)
-Tara Lohan, AlterNet

Plastic Bags are Killing Us
(Aug. 10, 2007)
-Katharine Mieszkowski, Salon News


Web Links


Resources


Eliminating the use of disposable plastic bags is about more than just the environment, it is about health, sustainability, economics and ultimately, the quality of our life.

What can you do?

  1. Take the pledge.
  2. Join the cause on Facebook.
  3. Share your ideas
    on how to make the change.

Plastic bags are ubiquitous. Each year the world goes through some 500 Billion plastic bags. Of that, WorldWatch Institute estimates that about 100 Billion are used and discarded in the US alone, at the cost of 12 million barrels of oil.

Only about 2% of these bags are recycled. Most have a short lifetime with a consumer -- they are used for the few minutes it takes to get from the store to home and then they're thrown away. Plastic shopping bags can last up to a thousand years in a landfill. In the environment, they break down into tiny, toxic particles that become part of the soil and water. They contribute to the plastic debris in the ocean, which kills an estimated 1 million sea creatures each year.

Strange Days on Planet Earth: Dirty Secrets

New series Strange Days on Planet Earth: Dirty Secrets focuses on plastics issues and how they affect the planet.

Find out how these important issues affect the planet, and contribute to the dialog and solution.

Plastics in the Ocean

Bisphenol A and Endocrine Disruptors

Biodegradable plastics

Premiering April 23rd on PBS:

DROP THE PLASTIC BAG