Iowa City to consider sacking plastic bags

December 23, 2008

Chris Rhatigan
Iowa City Press-Citizen

Add Iowa City to the list of municipalities considering banning plastic grocery bags.

San Francisco banned plastic bags in 2007, and cities such as Seattle, Boston, Portland, Ore., Madison, Wis., and Phoenix have explored similar measures.

Now the Iowa City Council will discuss a bag ban after council member Connie Champion introduced the idea at a meeting earlier this month.

Champion stressed that she's not necessarily an advocate of a ban, but she thinks the idea should be considered.

"I don't know where I'm going to stand on it, but I think that it's worth discussing," she said.

Mayor Regenia Bailey said banning plastic bags is "not such an unusual idea. I think that the trend is catching on to a certain degree."

She said the non-biodegradable bags often become litter.

"(The bags) create an environmental hazard in our parks and in our waterways," she said.

read more HERE

Your Plastic Footprint

This may be a bad time to ask, being the holiday season and all, but what's your plastic footprint?

You know what I mean--the amount of disposable plastic stuff your lifestyle generates over the course of a day, a week, a year.

Plastic stuff that you may use for a few seconds or minutes. Then discard into the bin, sending it off into the world where it lasts essentially forever.

A small fraction gets recycled into low grade plastic things, but then lasts forever in that form.

Full disclosure: my plastic footprint is adult-sized. I bring my own bag, avoid drinks in plastic bottles, shun Styrofoam and generally work hard to shrink my plastic consumption.

But it's still amazes me what goes into the recycling bin. And the unrecyclable stuff bugs me even more.

Read more HERE

Your Plastic Footprint

This may be a bad time to ask, being the holiday season and all, but what's your plastic footprint?

You know what I mean--the amount of disposable plastic stuff your lifestyle generates over the course of a day, a week, a year.

Plastic stuff that you may use for a few seconds or minutes. Then discard into the bin, sending it off into the world where it lasts essentially forever.

A small fraction gets recycled into low grade plastic things, but then lasts forever in that form.

Full disclosure: my plastic footprint is adult-sized. I bring my own bag, avoid drinks in plastic bottles, shun Styrofoam and generally work hard to shrink my plastic consumption.

But it's still amazes me what goes into the recycling bin. And the unrecyclable stuff bugs me even more.

Read more HERE

Toast to the Ocean!

LIVBLUE.org and Ocean Revolution invite you to raise a glass to the Ocean at midnight on New Years 2009.

We have much to celebrate and work towards this year.

The ocean gives us life and health, our air and climate, beauty and inspiration.

It covers most of our planet and contains the majority of life on earth.

Among our other toasts, vows, resolutions and celebrations, we’ll pledge to live like we love the ocean in the coming year.

Let us know where you'll be when you toast the ocean on new year's eve, and invite your friends to join us by raising a toast to the ocean, wherever you are!

Good polystyrene news from Surfrider!

Good morning, from Surfrider. We are pleased to announce that on Weds. December 17th, the Scotts Valley City Council unanimously voted to establish a polystyrene food take-out container ban in the city.

This makes the fourth jurisdiction in Santa Cruz County which has enacted a similar ordinance!

For the record, you should also know that your organization was represented in public comment during this process as a member of the "WIPE OUT PLASTIC TAKEOUT!" Coalition that we cooperatively-established during 2007 to advocate for such bans around the Monterey Bay area.

Thanks to all of you for your cooperation and support! We believe the WOPT coalition has been an effective tool to move this process along.

JIM LITTLEFIELD
Vice-Chair
Santa Cruz Chapter, Surfrider Foundation
Surfrider Foundation, Santa Cruz Chapter
The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world’s oceans, waves and beaches. Founded in 1984 by a handful of visionary surfers in Malibu , California , the Surfrider Foundation now maintains over 50,000 members and 80 chapters worldwide.

For more information on the Surfrider Foundation, go to www.surfrider. org.
(831) 476-POOP phone and water quality hotline
(831) 476-8283 fax
surfridersantacruz@yahoo.com

Office:
2222 East Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz, CA 95062

December 18th is "Day Without a Plastic Bag”

December 18th is a day without a one-time use plastic bag!

Can you get through one day without using a plastic bag for groceries or shopping? Challenge yourself and remember to bring your cloth re-usable bags shopping that day. 

This could make a huge impact if we all band together to not use a plastic bag. 

Need some re-usable bags?

Visit BYO Gear.

Bring Your Own Gear!

Get some ocean-friendly gear to help eliminate single-use containers (bags, cups, bottle, utensils). It's the best way to reduce your plastic footprint! One kit for the car, one for the office...one for yer mom...


GET GEAR HERE

Ocean Revolution Gear for Ocean Lovers

Ocean Revolution Gear for Ocean Lovers

Following this link to a message from my brother Joshua, who has created beautiful and unique Ocean Revolution belt buckles and pendants to help you support our work and look good.