Paper or Plastic? Try Reusable!
A Day Without a Bag- December 20th, 2012.
No Plastic Shopping Bags For A Day- Can You Take The Challenge?
Thursday, December 20th is the 3rd annual Day Without A Bag. Coordinated by Heal The Bay, this grassroots event involves individuals, businesses, and community groups throughout the state of California and encourages people to use cloth reusable bags instead of disposable plastic shopping bags. The organizers of the event hope to raise awareness about how our personal choices affect the environment.
According to Heal The Bay, California municipalities spend about $25 million to collect and dispose of plastic bag waste every year. In Los Angeles less than 5% of plastic grocery bags are recycled with many discarded bags ending up in the ocean and in crowded landfills.
Single use plastic bags are designed to be used once and discarded, yet they last for hundreds of years. American shoppers use an estimated 102 billion plastic shopping bags annually. That averages out to about 500 bags per person.
One alternative to using plastic bags is to purchase a set of cloth bags. Better yet, if you’re crafty, you can make your own set of bags out of fabric from the Art From Scrap ReUse Store. We have a large selection of material that would make gorgeous bags that are not only sturdy, but biodegradable.
When you give reusable bags to your family and friends for the holidays, you’re also giving a gift to the earth.
Art From Scrap ReUse Store Hours: Tues. Wed. Fri.-10-2, Thus. 10-6, and Sat. 10-3. Check out a short video below that shows some of our fabric.
AFS ReUse Store Product Spotlight:Fabric at the AFS ReUse Store
Josh was born and raised in Santa Barbara, where his passion and curiosity for the environment began and has continued to grow. During his undergraduate studies, Josh pursued this interest at the University of California at Santa Cruz, receiving a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Studies.
Melissa Dodos developed her passion for creative reuse as a mother of four and elementary educator over the past 25 years. She loves to inspire creativity by connecting people with resources and ideas.
Veronica grew up in San Diego and spent four years in San Luis Obispo studying Animal Science at Cal Poly. As an undergrad she learned lots about livestock, agriculture, and wildlife.
Stephanie began her journey as an educator over twenty years ago working as a preschool teacher in Washington state for a cooperative preschool program affiliated with Whatcom Community College. She loved observing the wonder and curiosity of the children and bringing them out into nature to explore the natural world. She continued her love for learning and got her teaching license and then her Montessori certification and worked as an elementary teacher in Tribal, Public, and Montessori schools. She collaborated to create a school garden and her students loved it so much that it became a special place where they could garden, read, explore, play, and it provided a safe sanctuary for students to calm down and reset when they were having difficult moments.
Morgan’s mermaid soul is always seeking adventure—swimming a relay across the Santa Barbara Channel and taking the first photo of a newborn orca off Anacapa Island being standout experiences close to home.
Lindsay Johnson