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BAN THE BAG: AN EASY NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION
S ave the planet one small step at a time! Rather then vowing to do unrealistic things to your body that you will probably give up in a few months time anyway, make a resolution that can contribute to the whole community, to Spain, and ultimately the world. 'We Are What We Do,' an activist group in Britain, asked 1 million people what their top suggestions were to make the world a better place. 'Eschewing plastic bags was one of the most frequent responses.' At the end of 2007, Greenpeace announced its "day without plastic bags" here in Spain. Volunteers visited 20 cities and more then 175 commercial businesses to promote reducing the use of these types of bags, and replacing them with paper bags or canvas ones.
Why reduce their use?
Among other devastating environmental affects, dolphins mistake them for seaweed and quite often they'll eat them and it causes severe damage. Sea turtles can't read writing on plastic bags and choke to death on them, thinking it's food, or, they mistake their bobbing translucent shapes in the water for jellyfish. An estimated 100,000 birds, whales, seals, and turtles will suffocate from them every year. Our beautiful cost line and beaches are piled up with this type of rubbish. Where can you walk along the shore and not see them? The world's oceans, which are teeming with plastic, are becoming a jetsam of western consumerism.
An average person uses almost 200 bags a year
The bags can take up to 500 years in landfill sites to break down. Environmental groups guesstimate that up to 1 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide each year. Need I say more? Think about those statistics the next time you visit a supermarket. (I know I will!)
Countries making headway with the problem: Other countries around the world have taken action to curb plastic bag litter. There are some stores, (foreign owned) that have implemented the pay per bag system; however, by and large, Spain has yet to get on the 'reduction of plastic bag bandwagon.' In 2000, Ireland passed the 'plasitax' law that reduced the amount of use by 90 percent, and raised millions of euros in revenue. Statistics showed that each shopper used 328 bags a year before its introduction compared to just 21 afterwards. In the US in March 2007, IKEA announced its charge of a nickel per plastic bag in an effort to get people to haul their house wares out of the store in reusable bags. Proceeds of approximately $1.75 million (that's a whole lot of bags) from the campaign went to plant trees, restore forests, and offset CO2 emissions. A Defra report (2003) stated that 8 billion plastic bags were used in the UK. The English town of Modbury became the first in Europe to ban them outright, after watching a documentary on the devastation. In South Africa they have been dubbed the "national flower" because so many can be seen flapping from fences and caught in bushes, which has prompted an outright ban on their use. In October 2001, Taiwan introduced a ban on distribution of free single-use plastic bags by government agencies, schools, and the military. Bangladesh slapped an outright ban on all polythene bags in 2002 when discarded bags had choked the country's drainage systems. In 2006, Hong Kong began a voluntary drive to reduce plastic-bag use. Since then, supermarkets have handed out 80 million fewer plastic bags. While the ideal situation is to opt for a canvas tote and not use them all together, even the most eco minded family might find that these little pests used everywhere might sneak into your life. I have discovered many creative ways to reuse these bags. Go on line and check out how to crochet a summer hat from plastic bags, (they are absolutely lovely)! Make your own clothing by simply putting the bags between waxed baking paper, and ironing, or support artists who make jewelry from them. Get the whole family involved in this year's resolution. Together, we can make a big difference for 2008!
Treat yourself to a free spa in 2008: 4 star Thalasia Spa and Hotel, announced in December that if you are a resident and registered on the 'Padron' in San Pedro Del Pinatar, you and all your family members can go twice a year for free (once every six months) to the spa. Enjoy!!
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