Self anointed Green Living Goddess – Antoinette Nue appeared on TV show Focus Atlanta recently and demonstrated how using an Envirosax bag is one of the quickest and easiest ways to “start going green” without losing your fashion edge.
Presenter Keisha Williams explained that most consumers find the whole ‘going green’ concept a little overwhelming and often don’t know where to start, leaving it in the ‘too hard basket.’
Antoinette offers practical tips to get started, suggesting that the best place to begin is with something in which you are interested or passionate about, as you are more likely to continue. So whether that is recycling or only buying clothes made out of organic fibres, every little action will have a positive impact on the environment.
Shopping is one of Antoinette’s favourite pass times and “carrying your own reusable shopping bags is one of the most important things you can do to help the environment” she says, “landfill is full of plastic that won’t biodegrade for 1,000 years.”
So while there are many reusable shopping bag options around, to ‘go green without sacrificing your bling’, Antoinette chooses Envirosax bags for their convenience and stylish range of designs. Going green has never been so easy, fun and fashionable.
The British Labour party under Tony Blair believed that educating future generations was the key to a successful country and sustainable world – and Envirosax agrees.
‘One use’ plastic bags are going to be a continuing problem in the future unless people are taught about the problems and given an alternative. In recent weeks, I have seen the benefits of Envirosax’s efforts to create awareness and provide an alternative.
The above photo is of a school charity event in Singapore to raise much needed awareness about plastic bags. Having lived in Singapore, I know all too well that they are behind on all things green and one use plastic bags are still a major problem there. (Forget your groceries, Singporeans love plastic bags so much you can buy your iced coffee in them!)
As the world’s largest consumer, China uses nearly 3 billion plastic shopping bags a day; or at least they did until recently. The Chinese government announced earlier this year that they were banning plastic bag use in all shops and any that were used must be purchased. This policy came in to effect on 1st June and has been praised by environmental groups and other governments for its success. However, continued education is also needed, so that children understand the ban and the importance of reusable bags to protect their environment and reduce pollution.
Finally to Perth, Australia, where I received this fantastic story:
“I take my, almost 3 year old, grandaughter to the markets fairly often and she loves to hang my bag around her neck to be “the shopping lady” and get the fruit and veg. Last week as we were walking from the car she stopped, looked up at me, patted the bag and said “Tiny, I want a bag just like this for my birthday!”
Later her mother said it is the first time she has indicated she knows you can ask for things for your birthday … and what does she want – an ENVIROSAX of course.”
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently proposed a plastic bag tax in an effort to generate income and change the behavior of city residents.
Bloomberg’s idea is to implement a 6-cent fee on each bag, a penny of which would go to merchants as an incentive to keep track of the fees collected. It’s estimated that New Yorkers use 1 billion bags per year, and that the tax would bring in $16 billion for the city.
Like many cities across the country, the Big Apple is cash-strapped, and this is just one of the ways that Mayor Bloomberg proposes that his city close the budget gap it faces.
But city residents, not just its government, are also in economic distress. In a New York Daily News online poll, 53 percent of respondents thought that the plastic bag tax was a bad idea because “times are hard enough.” On the other hand, another poll on the same website reveals that 56 percent of respondents thought that the additional tax was enough to make them change their behavior.
If these polls generally reflect the opinions of New Yorkers, then the plastic bag tax would accomplish the behavioral change that the Mayor seeks.
“That’s like having a cigarette tax,” argued the mayor. ”The most wonderful thing in the world would be if we collected nothing from our cigarette tax. Think about how many people’s lives you’d save.”
San Francisco and Oakland, CA were the first and second cities to ban “urban tumbleweed,” and earlier this year, Los Angeles also followed suit with a law to take effect in 2010.
“This is a major moment for our city, to bite the bullet and go with something that is more ecologically sensitive than what we’ve ever done before,” said Los Angeles Councilman Bill Rosendahl, according to a story in the July 23rd Los Angeles Times.
Many other cities have considered similar legislation, which in numerous cases, has been voted down by local councils. However, other municipalities like Portland, Seattle, and Phoenix are attempting to take action against the single-use plastic, and have serious legislation with strong support in the pipeline.
Commendations to these progressive city leaders who have fought for their cities to make a move in the right direction.
Hopefully, New York City’s leaders will be bold in passing the tax proposal. If the largest city in the country, and the second largest in the world, took this major step in legislating more eco-friendly lifestyles and the use of reusable shopping bags, they would be setting a shining example for the rest of the world.
