Thursday, November 12, 2009

Free Reusable Bags

The St. Marys EarthKeepers will be giving away
FREE RE-USABLE BAGS
AT LOCAL GROCERY STORES next week. Here's the schedule:
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16TH AT WALMART—10 am to Noon
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17TH AT HARVEY'S—10 am to Noon
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18TH AT WINN-DIXIE—10 am to Noon
Please drop by one of these three days and help us reduce the use of
plastic bags in our community. Here are the details:

In an effort to help reduce the use of plastic and paper grocery
bags, the St. Marys EarthKeepers are partnering with three local
grocery stores to give away re-usable bags to store customers. For
two hours each day from November 16 through November 18, EarthKeeper
volunteers will hand out bags and, in return, request only that the
customer try to remember to use the bags instead of the disposable
plastic and grocery bags.

Every year, Americans throw away more than 100 billion plastic
grocery bags, which can clog drains, crowd landfills, and leave an
unsightly blot on the landscape. In addition to burdening our
landfills, these bags—tossed into waterways or washed down storm
drains—are the major source of human-related debris on the seabed,
particularly near coastlines. At least 267 different species of
wildlife are known to have suffered from entanglement or ingestion of
marine debris. Plastics and other synthetic materials cause the most
problems for marine animals and birds.
The environmental cost of plastic bags is immense: they are derived
from a non-renewable resource; they never break down completely; they
strangle wildlife; they deface our streets, and they clog single
stream recycling machinery. Thankfully, retailers such as WalMart
have made sustainability a priority and even host their own recycling
centers.
"We are so pleased to have the invaluable assistance of such
businesses as WalMart, Harvey's and Winn-Dixie as we try to spread
the 'reduce, re-use, recycle' message," said Alex Kearns, Chair of
St. Marys EarthKeepers. "Their generous donation of all the re-usable
bags for the November giveaway campaign and Publix' contribution of
re-usable bags for distribution at special events is of great help as
our community strives to address the pressing problem of plastic bag
use."
The public is invited to come to the three grocery stores to pick up
a free re-usable bag on November 16, 17 and 18.