Thanks to the scores of volunteers that helped raise money, brainstormed ideas, assembled materials and delivered bags in the rain.

Thank you volunteers for making this day a HUGE success!

Many, many thanks to all of our great volunteers who came out in droves despite the weather and who our Reusable Bag Campaign both successful AND fun! It was an exciting and exhausting day, but as rain soaked volunteers streamed back into Bag HQ at the Village Center, it was apparent that people were really enjoying coming together as a community. There were many satisfied smiles.... many said what a fun time they had together as a family, even BECAUSE OF the rain. Some even came back and asked for another section to do.

Here is a great comment that was posted on a blog site about our Reusable Bag Campaign:
"This is a community-generated business-sponsored values-reflecting volunteer activity. It is, in fact, the very type of community involvement that I constantly hear politically-engaged people on the both ends of the spectrum seeking. These are people who aren’t going to wait around for gov’t. to act. They’ll step up and lead out of a sense of their priorities within a community. True democratic citizenship."

I think we should all be very proud to live in a community that can come together like this. I know I am. And thanks again to all the sponsors that made this project possible. The fact that this was all supported by local business and committed volunteers is something special.

If you are interested in this, or other Conservation Committee projects, please contact Lisa Noble: macnoble@sbcglobal.net or 963-9727 .The Conservation Committee meets at Village Hall from 7-9 pm, first Thursday of the month.

Recent press coverage and exciting news:

Other bag facts and points of interest:

Worldwide examples
Other places have had great success with charging consumers for plastic bags. Katzenbach cited the example of Ireland, which taxed consumers 33 cents for plastic bags. In one month, 90 percent fewer plastics were distributed, she said.

China banned plastic bags effective June 1. Other legislation that either taxes shoppers who use them or levies fees on companies that distribute them has passed in parts of South Africa, Paris and Taiwan too.

In 2007, San Francisco became the first U.S. city to ban petroleum-based plastic bags in large grocery stores.

In Seattle, a 20-cent bag fee is currently being discussed. If passed, shoppers would pay 20 cents for each disposable plastic or paper bag used at grocery, convenience and drugstores starting in January. Stores would keep a nickel to cover the cost of administering the fee. Small stores that gross less than $1 million annually would keep the entire 20 cents.

Ten reasons to use a reusable bag

) A Plastic bag takes 450 years to biodegrade.

2) The production of Paper bags causes 70% more pollution than Plastic.

3) When Plastic “photo degrades” it ends up in our oceans. Incidentally, it appears much like a plankton, and is then consumed by fish. Fish eat it, and it winds up on your dinner table.

4) The recipe for making paper bags starts with 1 part pulp, 400 parts WATER.

5) The recycling of plastic emits heavy metals into the air causing extreme air pollution.

6) An average person will use over 350 bags in a single year!

7) In New York City, one less grocery bag per person would reduce waste by 5 million pounds and save $250,000 in disposal costs.

8) In 1999 more than 14 million trees were cut down to produce 10 billion paper bags that were used by Americans that year.

9) Reusable bags save 700+ bags over the span of their lifetime!

10) if we spread the word about the importance of reusing our grocery bags, work together, and somehow this movement catches on, the end up benefit to the Earth is going to be huge! We are talking millions of gallons of fresh water saved, millions of gallons of fuel saved, and hundreds of thousands of acres of forest land saved every year!