The Scourge of the Plastic Bag

Writing doesn’t always mean developing a book or an article. Writing can also mean composing a letter, especially of the persuasive variety that relates to a cause you’re passionate about.

In the last year I’ve done a lot of research on plastic in our environment. For example: The global use of plastic bags amounts to at least 100 billion bags a year, according to the Film and Bag Federation. Other groups contend that number is far higher, approaching 100 billion plastic bags per year in the United States alone. The environmental impact of so much plastic is staggering, particularly given the fact that a petroleum-based bag takes 1,000 years to degrade. Even worse, plastic bags don’t degrade completely, but break down into smaller, toxic particles.

Those are harrowing statistics and I began carrying a canvas bag for all of my smaller trips, particularly to our neighborhood CVS Pharmacy, where I shop several times a week. Employees quickly got used to me showing up with my own bag and often noted that they too, would use a canvas or cloth bag if they could find one of the appropriate size. (I use a Holland America cruise bag which measures a roomy 17 1//2” wide and 12” deep).

Today I began writing letters, starting with the CVS Corporation to persuade them to offer cloth bags with their logo to customers and employees. Next on my list is Minnesota-based Target Corporation, another company that like CVS prides themselves on community involvement and corporate responsibility. I would argue that being an environmentally responsible citizen is part of that equation as well.

This is just the beginning – I have a list of organizations and companies I’d like the opportunity to meet with and discuss how they might become more environmentally responsible, starting with ways to greatly reduce or eliminate plastic bags and other petroleum-based products like plastic bottles, plates, containers, etc. I have no idea what kind of success I’ll have, although I believe the time is right. But what I do know is that the process can’t begin without writing a letter.