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Category Archives: Green Issues

#WashYourBags To Win A Bag!

Bulletin Bag Products, Green Issues, Promotion Ideas,

washyourbags-finalRenewed interests in the “studies” claiming reusable grocery bags are causing illness (and even—gasp—death) are driving us crazy. You just can’t believe everything you read—especially when a group with financial interest in the plastic bag industry is involved in its funding and/or administration!   While the plastics industry would like us to believe that going back to single-use plastic bags is the only solution, we all know that reusable bags do NOT cause illness.

To spread the word about washing your reusable bags, Bulletin Bag [.com] is giving away 100 cotton reusable bags!  The rules are simple, and entering will ultimately help the environment. Just tweet your pledge to #WashYourBags to us @baglady207. If you’re not on Twitter yet, just sign up and follow @BagLady207 (that’s us!). C’mon…let’s put an end to scare tactics designed to get us to switch back to plastic bags!

FMI, visit the contest info page here.

More Reusable Bag Support Leads to Renewed Statewide Interest

Green Issues, Plastic Bag Bans,

scpr_mapMore and more cities in California have joined the reusable grocery bag movement—enough to prompt a second look by the state’s legislature. With West Hollywood’s recently passed bag ban, there are now over 10 Southern California municipalities that have approved local ordinances that regulate plastic bag use—with two more going into effect this year.

Other cities, including Los Angeles, are considering bans as well, and are at various stages of the process. If the L.A. ban is proposed and approved, the city will be the largest in the country to ban plastic bags.

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West Hollywood, Others, Embrace Reusable Bag Movement

Green Issues, Plastic Bag Bans,

fighting_for_reusable_shopping_bagsA ban on single-use plastic bags goes into effect in West Hollywood today for stores (including clothing stores and newsstands) larger than 10,000 square feet. The gradual rollout gives smaller stores until August 20 to comply. Shoppers must either bring reusable bags, or buy paper bags made with at least 40% post-consumer recycled content for 10 cents.

This ban is just one of many in effect, or being debated, across the country as the negative effects of plastic bag use are increasingly being highlighted.

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Texas Rubbish Company Starts Plastic Bag Recycling Program

Green Issues, ,

bagsatlandfillIf you aren’t living in an area where plastic bags have been banned, there are other options to cut down on the rubbish! Texas Disposal Systems has begun operating a citywide, single-stream bag recycling program in Georgetown.

Residents can recycle large quantities of single-use plastic bags by putting them into a special bag. That container is then placed in the regular curbside recycling bins for pickup.

Neighboring Austin’s bag restriction law is set to take effect in March. TDS says the city currently doesn’t include bags in its curbside collection and recycling program. Here’s hoping that changes soon—restricting plastic bags while enabling easy, effective recycling options are both key to reducing the impact of plastic trash!

Reusable Grocery Bags Take Center Stage on December 20

Green Issues, Promotion Ideas, ,

day_without_a_bag.jpgEach year, on the third Thursday in December, Southern California shoppers are urged to forgo plastic shopping bags in favor of reusable grocery bags in an effort to encourage reusable bag use throughout the year. This year, the sixth-annual A Day Without A Bag is on December 20.

Over 9 million residents in California live in communities that have either banned plastic bags or are actively working on bag ban ordinances. When these ordinances pass, nearly 1 in 3 Californians will have embraced reusable bag use!

Sponsored in part by the City and County of Los Angeles, and organized by Heal the Bay, the goals of the annual event are to encourage shoppers to adopt more sustainable practices during the holidays and coming year and to reduce the use of single-use plastic bags throughout California. Each year Heal the Bay partners distribute free reusable grocery bags to patrons throughout the region. A diverse mix of retailers also supports the event through in-store promotions or giveaways at stores countywide.

For more information, visit Heal the Bay‘s website.

Plastic Bag Bans This Week: The Good, The Bad, and The Misleading

Green Issues, Plastic Bag Bans, ,

bagsatlandfillIn a follow up to the blog we wrote about 13-year-old Abby Goldberg, an Illinois plastic shopping bag recycling program was rejected last week. Lawmakers there declined to override Gov. Pat Quinn’s veto of the plan. Earlier this year, Abby successfully lobbied Quinn to veto the legislation that lawmakers had approved in the spring.

The proposal would have required manufacturers of plastic bags and films to recycle more material, but opponents decried the legislation because it wouldn’t let local communities come up with their own recycling programs or even ban the bags outright. The rejection is great news for Abby, who wanted plastic bags banned in her town (the ban has yet to be approved).

For every step forward in increasing reusable grocery bag use, though, there seems to be a step backward…

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Barrington Votes Out with Plastic Bags, In With Reusable Bags

Green Issues, Plastic Bag Bans,

bulletinbagthunderEarlier this month, Barrington became the first town in Rhode Island to ban plastic checkout bags.

The Town Council approved the two-year ban at all retail stores, farmers’ markets, flea markets and restaurants starting January 1, 2013. Under the ban, stores will still be able to use plastic produce, bakery and deli counter bags and retailers will be able to charge a five cent fee for recyclable paper bags. Of course, shoppers who bring their own reusable bags (custom or otherwise!) don’t have to pay anything.

“We applaud the town council’s decision to move forward with this initiative to protect the Bay and local waterways from plastic bag pollution,” said Channing Jones, Program Associate with Environment Rhode Island, a citizen-based advocacy group. “Nothing we use for five minutes should pollute the Bay for future generations.”

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Fighting for Reusable Shopping Bags: If a Teen Can Do It…

Green Issues, Plastic Bag Bans, , ,

fighting_for_reusable_shopping_bagsHave you heard of Activist Abby? If not, take note. Abby Goldberg is an amazing activist (and she’s just 13 years old). She learned about how plastic bags have caused damage to our environment. Instead of leaving school and never thinking about it again, she started a two-year-long school project (to be completed by 8th grade graduation) to make a video convincing her hometown to ban plastic shopping bags.

Seven months into her efforts to encourage reusable shopping bags in her town, she discovered that the oil and chemical industries were ahead of the game. They joined forces with lobbyists and politicians to draft a bill to make it illegal for towns across Illinois to create plastic bag bans.  The bill was thinly veiled as a green environmental bill with requirements for low-volume plastic bag recycling and positioned it as a model bill for all states. It passed in a late-night session without fanfare or press, which made her realize all of her work could be for nothing.

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Sustainability on Campus: University of Maine is Making a Difference

Green Issues, , ,

usgbc_logoThe Princeton Review’s Guide to 322 Green Colleges: 2012 Edition was recently released, in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council. The guide profiles—yep, you guessed it—322 schools that demonstrate a notable commitment to sustainability. It lists vital stats on eco-friendliness and covers everything from solar panel use and green majors to fair-trade fashion and green options for getting around campus.

In 2011, Green Rating scores were tallied for 768 colleges and universities. Of those, only 18 schools attained top scores of 99. Bulletin Bag [.com], based in Maine, is proud to say that the University of Maine is among this elite group of 18.

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Reusable Bags Do Not Cause Illness

Green Issues,

paper_plastic_neither_bagIf you’re like us, you’re getting tired of “studies” that make reusable grocery bags out to be nasty breeding grounds for every gross germ in the universe and the reason why plastic is better. The thing that really makes you sick? Not using common sense!

You may have read that last week, some Oregon researchers investigated a recent outbreak of norovirus amongst members of a girls’ soccer team. We won’t gross you out with the details, but suffice it to say that a girl got sick, and seven other players and chaperones fell ill even though nobody had come in direct contact with the original patient after she first displayed symptoms. The common link? **Insert scary music** A reusable grocery bag of snacks that had been stored in the bathroom.Yep, all of the sick people ate cookies that were stored in that reusable bag. How did the nasty bug get to the cookies? You can read the dirty details here.

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