As college students, we all go through similar daily routines such as going to school, getting an education, going to work, doing homework, and waking up the next day to repeat the same process all over again. Personally, throughout the schedule of being a “college” student, there’s always a point in my day where I often question myself “What’s for dinner?” This ultimately leads me to grocery shopping and shopping for who knows what I’m gonna cook.
During these times when I do go grocery shopping, there comes a moment when I’m at the checkout counter and it’s just me, my groceries, and the cashier. We’re working together to successfully ring up my groceries, and finally, that one question pops out….paper or plastic?
When it comes to the issue of whether or not to choose paper or plastic bags, why settle for those options when you can shop smart with “Eco-friendly” shopping bags. The negative impacts of plastic bags have increased throughout these past decades and now, Hawaii is taking the initiative to solve this problem. Plastic bags, as it is seen as the “modern tumbleweed” is definitely seen everywhere, especially having a negative impact on our environment.
Fortunately, as a way to solve this ongoing issue, the State of Hawaii is taking the smart initiative towards banning plastic bags throughout all Hawaii stores.
Mayor Carlisle signed the bill into law on May 11th of 2012, making Hawaii the first state in the nation where every county is covered by a plastic bag ban (Surfrider Foundation)
The ban has already been established on the islands of Maui, Lana’i, Moloka’i, Kauai, and most recently on the Big Island. All there is to wait for now is Oahu, which will eventually take place in July of 2015. As the first state in the US that’s starting this movement, this change is definitely something to look forward to.
Learning more about this particular subject is something that can benefit us shoppers, the environment, and ultimately the future. Specifically, more and more plastic bags are ending up on the streets, in sewages, on beaches, eventually ending up in our oceans.
Approximately 100,000 sea turtles and other marine animals die every year because they either mistake the bags for food or get strangled in them. (livestrong.com)
Introduced in the 1970s, plastic bags, alongside the use of paper bags, have been the common methods of packaging groceries,
60 to 100 million barrels of oil are required to manufacture a year's worth of plastic bags worldwide, and it takes approximately 400 years at least for a bag to biodegrade. (livestrong.com)
Just by how knowing that these bags are made out of practically car fuel, and tons of it, it’s something that goes against the idea of “going green”. Alongside how these bags are made, it takes 400 years to biodegrade?! The more plastic bags that are produced, there are more chances of it being tossed who knows where. You can’t forget, how long it’ll take for it to biodegrade.
Transitioning into a more “greener” future, Hawaii is setting a great example for not just for the US, but for the whole world. More grocery stores and farmers markets in Hawaii are encouraging more shoppers to bring their own reusable eco shopping bag. There’s a variety of eco-bags out there today. Many of them are produced from a wide range of eco-conscious materials such as polypropylene, PET, and hemp. By using these bags, stores save money and shoppers save time. You can also use these eco bags when going to the beach, for your next potluck, pretty much for anything. In the end, switching to reusable shopping bags won’t just be a habit, but a lifestyle that we can all benefit from. Although the ban on plastic bags is already in effect on all islands except Oahu just yet, once July 2015 arrives, Hawaii can finally say “Aloha” to plastic bags.
References
Hickman, B., & Coleman, S. (2014, May 14). Hawaii Becomes the First State in the U.S. to Ban Plastic Bags! Retrieved from www.surfrider.org: http://www.surfrider.org/coastal-blog/entry/hawaii-becomes-the-first-state-in-the-u.s.-to-ban-plastic-bags
New, M. (2011, March 31). Why Are Plastic Bags So Bad For The Environment? Retrieved from www.livestrong.com: http://www.livestrong.com/article/216666-why-are-plastic-bags-so-bad-for-the-environment/
During these times when I do go grocery shopping, there comes a moment when I’m at the checkout counter and it’s just me, my groceries, and the cashier. We’re working together to successfully ring up my groceries, and finally, that one question pops out….paper or plastic?
When it comes to the issue of whether or not to choose paper or plastic bags, why settle for those options when you can shop smart with “Eco-friendly” shopping bags. The negative impacts of plastic bags have increased throughout these past decades and now, Hawaii is taking the initiative to solve this problem. Plastic bags, as it is seen as the “modern tumbleweed” is definitely seen everywhere, especially having a negative impact on our environment.
Fortunately, as a way to solve this ongoing issue, the State of Hawaii is taking the smart initiative towards banning plastic bags throughout all Hawaii stores.
Mayor Carlisle signed the bill into law on May 11th of 2012, making Hawaii the first state in the nation where every county is covered by a plastic bag ban (Surfrider Foundation)
The ban has already been established on the islands of Maui, Lana’i, Moloka’i, Kauai, and most recently on the Big Island. All there is to wait for now is Oahu, which will eventually take place in July of 2015. As the first state in the US that’s starting this movement, this change is definitely something to look forward to.
Learning more about this particular subject is something that can benefit us shoppers, the environment, and ultimately the future. Specifically, more and more plastic bags are ending up on the streets, in sewages, on beaches, eventually ending up in our oceans.
Approximately 100,000 sea turtles and other marine animals die every year because they either mistake the bags for food or get strangled in them. (livestrong.com)
Introduced in the 1970s, plastic bags, alongside the use of paper bags, have been the common methods of packaging groceries,
60 to 100 million barrels of oil are required to manufacture a year's worth of plastic bags worldwide, and it takes approximately 400 years at least for a bag to biodegrade. (livestrong.com)
Just by how knowing that these bags are made out of practically car fuel, and tons of it, it’s something that goes against the idea of “going green”. Alongside how these bags are made, it takes 400 years to biodegrade?! The more plastic bags that are produced, there are more chances of it being tossed who knows where. You can’t forget, how long it’ll take for it to biodegrade.
Transitioning into a more “greener” future, Hawaii is setting a great example for not just for the US, but for the whole world. More grocery stores and farmers markets in Hawaii are encouraging more shoppers to bring their own reusable eco shopping bag. There’s a variety of eco-bags out there today. Many of them are produced from a wide range of eco-conscious materials such as polypropylene, PET, and hemp. By using these bags, stores save money and shoppers save time. You can also use these eco bags when going to the beach, for your next potluck, pretty much for anything. In the end, switching to reusable shopping bags won’t just be a habit, but a lifestyle that we can all benefit from. Although the ban on plastic bags is already in effect on all islands except Oahu just yet, once July 2015 arrives, Hawaii can finally say “Aloha” to plastic bags.
References
Hickman, B., & Coleman, S. (2014, May 14). Hawaii Becomes the First State in the U.S. to Ban Plastic Bags! Retrieved from www.surfrider.org: http://www.surfrider.org/coastal-blog/entry/hawaii-becomes-the-first-state-in-the-u.s.-to-ban-plastic-bags
New, M. (2011, March 31). Why Are Plastic Bags So Bad For The Environment? Retrieved from www.livestrong.com: http://www.livestrong.com/article/216666-why-are-plastic-bags-so-bad-for-the-environment/