Yes, you can make a difference

Continuing with Enviro Girl’s post yesterday about how California did not ban plastic bags after all, Recycla has some easy peasy reminders for all Eco Warriors, regardless of where you are on the eco spectrum.

• This should be obvious, but do not use plastic shopping bags!  If you’re only getting one or two items at the store,  you don’t need a bag at all.  Otherwise, keep reusable bags in your car/purse/bike basket.  [The Eco Women are partial to this bag.  It's well made, it's the right size, and any profits go to charity.]
• Give your family and friends gifts of reusuable bags or wrap their gifts in cloth bags.  When Recycla and her family were on vacation this summer, they visited family and friends along the way.  Their hostess gift of choice was a cloth shopping bag filled with food and wine from their town in Virginia.  [See the Eco Women's favorite bag, above.]
• Encourage small business owners in your town to either eliminate plastic bags altogether or at least charge people for them.  At the beginning of the year, Washington, DC implemented a 5 cent tax on plastic bags for grocery store customers.  DC residents immediately responded by using far fewer plastic bags — down from 22 million per month in 2009 to just 3 million in the first month after the tax went into place.   The monies generated by the tax will be used for environmental causes around the city, including cleaning up the Anacostia River.
• Cut back on your plastic use in general.  This means don’t buy bottled water or produce wrapped in plastic.  Try to reduce your plastic consumption in any way you can.  You don’t have to be perfect, but please make an effort.

While this all might not seem like much, every little bit makes a difference.  And remember, plastic comes from oil — think of the Gulf oil disaster — and it does not biodegrade in landfills.

Tell the Eco Women:  What are you doing to reduce your plastic use?