On Resolutions and the Future

“The garbage reached across the state,

From New York to the Golden Gate.”

A garbage patch floats in the Pacific Ocean three times the size of France (Boone 2018). Mississippi lawmakers pass bill prohibiting local governments from passing ordinances regulating the use of food containers (Gates 2018). Texas Supreme Court hears case while could repeal local single-use bag ordinances (Winkle 2018). Not fake news! Scientists take measurements on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) periodically, but this week released data provide a more accurate estimate of GPGP size than ever before - “1.6 million square kilometers, weighs 80,000 metric tons, and is three times the size of continental France” (Boone 2018). Just the week before, Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant signed Senate Bill 2570 into law prohibiting local governments from passing ordinances to regulate the use of food containers (i.e. single-use and reusable bags, cups, to-go boxes) (Parks 2018). The law goes into effect July 1, 2018. And, the environmental leadership and stewardship of Austin is called into question in the media and Texas Supreme Court (Richards 2015; Winkle 2018) So, why do I care? Because: I’m a human who lives on this planet?! Eighteen months ago, I made a resolution - a commitment to myself, my husband, my community, and my planet - that I would no longer bring single-use plastic bags into my home. My husband, who spent most of his teaching career in a science classroom, thought my idea was a good one. Living in the county, we make a monthly trip to the community recycling drop-off station. Our community only recycles plastics 1 and 2, steel and aluminum, paper, newspaper, and cardboard. No glass, no other plastics, no styrofoam. And, NO plastic bags - even though they are plastic 2. Being a household of two who recycle, we probably produce less real “garbage” than average - only putting our trash out for county collection every two weeks instead of weekly (as is indeed available for our location). The immediate issue - what to do with the closet FULL of bags? Solution: Recycle fully one-half of the “collection” and move the other half to a space in the garage and save for trash bags in the bathrooms and kitty litter disposal. Second, what do we do instead of the bags? As teachers, we already possessed an extensive collection of conference bags. As a multiple sclerosis patient who receives her monthly medication shipment in a styrofoam box, I had a collection of those as well. We kept two styrofoam boxes: One to place inside a reusable tote for grocery shopping, and the other in another reusable tote for quick evacuation of chilled medications during tornado warnings. I placed ten other styrofoam boxes in the trash over the next two weeks. It hurt my heart, but the boxes threatened to take over an entire half of the garage. And, I get a new box once a month! Now, I set out collecting fun, reusable grocery bags - a grizzly bear bag from Cenage/National Geographic Press, a tiger bag from Birmingham Zoo. Store bags from Bóksala Stúdenta Books - Coffee - Gifts and the Camp Verde General Store. Bags from concerts: Slaid Cleaves, Robert Earl Keene, a travel bags from the Grand Teton Association, and conference bags from the National Conference on Geography Education We keep the “bag of bags” in the car. I offer to bag my own groceries, adding the caveat that I will probably be slower. I take the bag into places to shop. I get frustrated by stores that require products to leave the store in their own plastic bag - Belk and Dick’s. My next feat is to abandon the single-use straw. I recently learned they were not recyclable. How can they not be? Seriously? And, why do you have to give me one whether I want it, or not. If you put it on the table, without my requesting it, it will inevitably be thrown away. I like a straw, but I can live without one. A good friend has a set of reusable metal straws, but she carries a much larger bag/purse with her than I do. For now, I plan to decline the straw. I plan to keep doing my part reducing, reusing, and recycling. I hope I can make a difference. References. Boone, A. 27 March 2018. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is Growing. CityLab. Accessed on 28 March 2018. https://www.citylab.com/environment/2018/03/the-great-pacific-garbage-patch-is-growing/556562/ Gates, J.E. 20 March 2018. New law will prohibit local government from banning plastic bags or other type containers. Clarion Ledger.com Accessed on 28 March 2018. https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/politics/2018/03/20/new-law-prohibit-local-government-banning-plastic-bags-other-type-containers/442256002/ Parks, R. 2018. Senate Bill No. 2570: Local entities; prohibit ordinances regulating the use of certain containers. State of Mississippi Regular Session 2018. Accessed on 28 March 2018. http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2018/pdf/SB/2500-2599/SB2570SG.pdf Richards, E. 15, June 2015. Austin’s Plastic Bag Ban Worse for Environment Than Bags It Outlaws. CNSNews.com. Accessed on 28 March 2018. https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/emily-richards/austins-plastic-bag-ban-worse-environment-bags-it-outlaws Shel Silverstein - Topic. 2015/1984. Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out · Shel Silverstein from Where The Sidewalk Ends. Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. https://youtu.be/-104x-t85G4 Silverstein, S. 1974. Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out. Where the Sidewalk Ends. New York: Harper Collins. pp70-71. Winkle, K. 11 January 2018. Could plastic bag ban be lifted? Texas Supreme Court hears case. KXAN.com. Accessed on 28 March 2018. http://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/could-plastic-bag-ban-be-lifted-texas-supreme-court-hears-case/1031510397