Plastic Bags = BAD

So growing up being an avid ocean and environmental advocate, living in Monterey Bay was definitely a great place to grow and learn about sustainability while attending CSU Monterey Bay. Something I read today was that Carmel (yes the place where retired people walk their dogs up and down the beach, and home to Clint Eastwood) was going to ban single-use plastic-bags!  This is a big deal.

If you really don’t know anything about plastic and how it effects the environment, please go out and watch the movie “Bag It.” It’s a documentary about plastic bags and other plastic items: how they influence, effect and change our lives (mostly for the negative). It’s not boring at all—quite comedic actually. Here's some background information on single-use plastic bags:

• They've only been around 50 years, but they take more than a lifetime to break down (they never decompose). Basically remnants of plastic bags never go away ("Bag It").
• Plastic doesn't biodegrade—but instead photodegrade—meaning it will break down into smaller and smaller pieces with long exposure to sunlight ("Bag It").
• Around 12 million barrels of oil are used to produce plastic bags for the United States. This translates to approximately 380 million plastic bags per year ("Bag It").
• 267 species of marine animals are negatively effected by plastic pollution, accoridng to  Greenpeace USA.
• It is estimated that there are 46,000 pieces of plastic litter floating in every square mile of ocean, according to the United Nations Environment Programme.

If want to learn more on the topic, check out posts on my personal blog. And if you're interested in "Bag It" being played at theaters here in South Pasadena, let me know by responding to my blog and I can request it on the movie's website! I’d see it a third time it’s so good.

One company in South Pas that is very environmentally-friendly is our very own, Trader Joe’s. Personally, it’s one of my favorite grocery stores on the planet!! Trader Joe’s, ever since I can remember as a little youngster, has always had paper bags (NOT PLASTIC). And now, there are lots and lots of cool, fun, reusable bags you can purchase and bring in whenever you go shopping (anywhere really).  On my way to work, I stopped by the very first Trader Joe’s store on the planet in Pasadena! Before I walked into the store, I saw a great sign posted reminding shoppers to shop with reusable bags.

So next time you go out, remember to bring your reusable bags!