SHOPPING BAGS AND OCEANS

There is a spot in the ocean the size of the United States filled with plastic bags. They cause ove100,000 water bird deaths each year. Some are dumped there by ships, or tossed on beaches. Most of them get there by washing down waterways and eventually into the ocean. An estimated one million plastic bags make their way into San Francisco Bay each year, endangering hundreds of species of animals and birds. They pollute drinking water and even minor clean-up efforts by individual communities cost tax dollars better used elsewhere.

The Ocean Protection Council has listed reducing plastic bag use as a key priority in its strategic plan to protect California waterways. They can't do this without first developing a Master Environmental Assessment, however. Please ask your friends and family to join us as we urge Governor Schwarzenegger to require this critical assessment! >>

The San Francisco Bay is the largest estuary on the West Coast and is particularly vulnerable to plastic litter and debris. Thirty percent of California's land and thousands of miles of creeks and rivers drain to the Bay.

Right now, there are 100 plastic bags for every seal, duck and pelican. We can all help by using our own shopping bags. My net bag holds more than I can lift. It never tears. It folds up and fits into a small corner of my purse. I carry two other, larger cloth grocery bags in my car between the driver and passenger seat so I don't forget them when I go shopping. We can make a huge difference with very little effort.