I didn’t know what to think when I first saw this. This site completely trashes most of what I believe, and accuses people of blowing up myths of plastic bags. They are very convincing, and their mythbusting works like this: they tell us a myth, and tell us what alterations have been done to a statement to create that myth.

Here are two myths ( if we are to believe this site ) that have been busted (and that I believed and repeated!)

Media Myth number 1

It is Economically unviable to recycle plastic bags.

“There’s harsh economics behind bag recycling: It costs $4,000 to process and recycle 1 ton of plastic bags, which can then be sold on the commodities market for $32.”

- Jared Blumenfeld, Director of San Francisco’s Department of the Environment

One ton of plastic bags returned to a grocery store has a true market value of between $300 and $500. The same amount of new plastic would cost about $2000.

In San Francisco Jared was referring to plastic bags’ impact on consolidated collection. Since bags are customarily returned to stores the quote was not relevant to the debate presented.

- As an experienced recycler, that has not been our experience at Hilex Poly LLC

Media myth number 2

A small percentage of bags are recycled each year.

“Less than 1% of bags are recycled. It costs more to recycle a bag than to produce a new one.”

- Christian Science Monitor newspaper

In the past few years many recycling plants have come online and industry capacity has grown more than 500% and continues to expand year over year.

This 1% rate, often reported isn’t an error, rather it is a quote that is almost 10 years old.

Recently rates were at >7% of total bag production and 17.5% of available bags…with most others being used for bin liners and disposed of properly.  It is important to date studies when quoting so relativity can be seen in context.

These arguments are very convincing, and more importantly, this site doesn’t say that the bags aren’t harmful to the environment, they just say that what we here about them isn’t necessarily true or accurate. They say much of what we say about plastic bags should perhaps be attributed to plastic pollution.

Definately a site worth visiting.

Algae have always been in Britanny, but about 20 years ago, they began growing out of control. Now, workers use trucks to pick tonnes of algae off beaches every day. Most people associate this to nitrates farmers use seeping into the seas. Algae in the seas is not only unpleasant, but it has dettered many tourists from visiting Britanny.

Also, the algae releases a toxic gas, which has already killed two dogs and a horse. The question is, does it affect humans?

Many people are unsure what to do. One mayor says, “We can close the beach for security, but then what? How do we make sure no one gets in?”

Rather than look at the algae as a problem, Brittany should look at the algae as a solution: Brittany is not France’s richest state, and they could use it to help increase production of things;

Farmers can be encouraged to use algae, rather than nitrates as a fertiliser, and cosmetics production could be increased. Also, iode, used on cuts, can be extracted from the algae. Some algae can even be eaten!

 

Slightly off topic, but the algae looks remarkably like a plastic bag when it is in the water… so a plastic bag looks alot like algae…

Veja’s initiative is a question more than a statement; is another world possible? It wants to make shoes that follow three rules:

1. Using ecological inputs – this means they use ecological materials over others

2. Using fair trade cotton and latex – this means the cotton and latex they buy gives more profit to the producers and less to the ‘middle man’. The middle man is responsible for selling the product to us. Since they collect a large chunk of the profits, they make money by essentially doing nothing. Every year, they push the price up, and give farmers less money for their products, increasing their profits. Fair trade tries to cut out the middle man and give a ‘fair’ chunk of profit to the farmers.

3. Respect the worker’s dignity – most of this was covered above; they don’t try to keep pushing the money the farmers get down.

Veja is not only environmentally friendly, but it is also social. Veja’s website is www.veja.fr

This presentation was much more akward than the JB presentation; French is not my schooling language, and some of the words were abit akward; I’d say the word quietly (and probably wrongly) and continue speaking! However, it was well recieved by the kids (or so I was told) and I think I took my mistakes with enough humour for them to be largely ignored by the kids. They were very attentive, and all in all, I’m very happy with it.

Merci Julie, pour m’avoir aider, et d’avoir ete tellement encourageante; sans toi, je n’aurais pas pu faire la presention!

We have decided that if you want to become a member of KIDS FOR EARTH, you will have to do a number of things so I’m listing them here. We’ve decided to have ranks, such as eco-cadet – to- eco-cop – to – eco-captain – to – eco-major.
When you are an eco cadet, it means you aren’t officially a member but are doing the number of things you have to do to become one.
Eco-cop is the next step, you need to help with a project that’s already going.
Eco-captain, recruit 5 people to help with the project, judge enthusiastic people, NOT RANDOM!
Eco-major, HOORAY, you will be free to roam around Kids for Earth and come up with your own ideas. Possibly get your own kids for earth email account.
This is what you need to do to get through E-Cadet,:
1. Sign ‘AGAINST PLASTIC BAG PLEDGE’ on www.kidsforearthasia.com and do your best to stick to it.
2. Limit all wrappers you use in school.
3. Encourage friends, family and teachers to turn of the lights and electricity when you leave a room.

All 500 bags arrived one day early. Here are some pics I took of one:

The reviews are all very positive:

Vorace the Vinegar Bottle: “This bag is great! Absolutely brilliant! No more clanking and knocking when I’m carried around. And, being a glass bottle, this bag is absolutely perfect for me!”

Moby the Milk Carton: “… (This bag) is much more useful than normal bags; here, we cannot fall and leak, and we are much more comfertable.”

Wally the Water Bottle has refused to comment because he is too comfertable in the bag.

Clink and Clonk the Cans: “Two can fit in a section! It’s incredible how flexible this bag is; it is only intended for bottles, but we fit inside too!”

The bags can be bought at the EP summer fair this Sunday for 10 RM each.

Yes! Our first grocery bag has arrived! It was a sample bag for the 500 we are ordering for the Summer Fair. It’s a bottle bag, which allows you to carry bottles without them clunking together. But it can also be used to carry cans, milk cartons… etc. Basically, they are very useful (and you really need one).

Thanks to Ms Smiles for lending us her bag to use as a model.

I believe the reason why nobody uses grocery bags is because they aren’t good looking; they aren’t something you wouldn’t want to be caught in. So here, I have organised a grocery bag competition, where you can design your own drawing, which, if deemed good enough, will be printed onto grocery bags that will be offered to stores that offer free plastic bags.

Attached is a pdf, which you can download and (if you’re in JB) give to the office

otherwise, you can scan your drawing, and email it to me at gabisayshello@gmail.com

Good luck drawing!

GROCERY BAG DESIGN COMPETITION

Apparently the presentation went well; the kids laughed when they were supposed to and when I went back there this afternoon, they all remembered Billy the plastic bag. I offered them a grocery bag design challenge, where they could design a grocery bag, and hopefully the response will be good. My sister’s friends were all encouraging! I will post the winners of the grocery bag competition hopefully around a week after the deadline, which is on the 16th of June.

Here is the presentation I’m doing in JB (so it is aimed at children):

Slide 1: shown as people come in. Introduce Kids For Earth. Introduce plastic pollution

Slide 2:  … and to tell you more about plastic pollution, I want you to meet my good friend, Billy the plastic bag. 

Slide 3: As a young bag, Billy had a very fulfilling life as a plastic bag. He caried the groceries from the shops to his home.

Slide 4: Billy was a happy plastic bag.

Slide 5: But then, after being used for just fifteen minutes…

Slide 6: … he’s thrown away!

Slide 7: Poor Billy…

Slide 8: But soon, Billy realised he was not alone

Slide 9: In fact, there were trillions of others just like him! But what happens to these trillions of plastic bags? I’m pretty certain they don’t just dissapear. Well, lets imagine we are the trillions of plastic bags. I’ll need three volunteers for this. (To first volunteer) You are the lucky one! you will be recycled into a more permanant grocery bag! (If possible hold up recycled plastic grocery bag) (To second and third volunteers) You two aren’t so lucky. You will be reused and reused and reused until you look like this (Hold up torn up plastic bags) and then, you will join the rest of us in the garbage truck, with Billy.

Slide 1o: (Look at screen) Oh wait! Not with Billy: He’s fallen out!

Slide 11: Blown by the wind…

Slide 12: He falls into the sea. 

Slide 13: Being plastic, he doesn’t sink: he just floats about and follows the currents, where he meets many animals, such as Mr Jellyfish and Mr Shark. 

Slide 14: But Billy isn’t a happy plastic bag anymore.

Slide 15: In fact, he’s downright angry! He can’t understand what he’s done to deserve this! Billy wants revenge!

Slide 16: And so, Billy becomes the most known serial killer in the seven seas. His name sends shivers down animal’s spines. All over the world, he commits brutal murders: he kills a swan in Asia, a turtle in Melbourne, and in the middle of the ocean, he hangs onto a dolphin so it can’t swim. 

Slide 17: Billy’s well into his list of killings. He’s killed penguins, seals, albatrosses, and even cows!…

Slide 18: When he begins to break up! He gets smaller and smaller, but he remains a plastic particle. He never becomes part of nature.  

Slide 19: Billys abit lonely, so he joins the POP gang. The POP gang is made up of chemicals that don’t belong in the ocean. More often than not, they were dumped there by man. 

Slide 20: They find their ways into the food chain, which is where they become a problem, as some POPs are poisonous. And as one scientist said: what goes into the oceans goes into the animals,…

Slide 21:…which goes onto our dinner plate.

Slide 22: But don’t feel bad for Billy; he ended up on one of the many plastic beaches littering our world’s shores. 

(Animation 1) Such as this one

(2) Or this one, in Hawaii 

(3) And Billy’s friends can wait to degrade on these coral reefs

(4) And finally, this beach. Notice the date (5): 2006. Since then, plastic pollution has increased tenfold. That’s this beach’s pollution doubled. And that doubled, and that doubled, and doubled, and doubled, and doubled, and doubled, and doubled, and doubled, and doubled. Imagine this beach today. 

Slide 23: And when Billy wants to go for a swim, he has the whole ocean… but most of his friends are here, in te Great Pacific Garbage Dump. An area that reaches from Hawaii to Japan, nearly completely devoid of life. 

Slide 24: So what can you do?

Slide 25: Well, the easiest step is to bother and bug and pester your parents to stop using plastic bags and to buy grocery bags. Over and over again, reming the, and I promise they will listen.

Slide 26: And after having bought the grocery bags, please don’t leave them at home. Keep them in your car, or folded up in your rucksack.

Slide 27: Every year, 1,000,000 sea birds and 100,000s of marine mammals die from plastic pollution, and if you stop using plastic bags, you will help save them. So on their behalf, thank you.

If you would like to show this presentation in your school or workplace, please contact me at gabisayshello@gmail.com and will do my best to help you.