Green Neighbors’ “Bring Your Own Bag” Kick-off Event was Loads of Fun!

Green Neighbors held a kick-off event for our "Bring Your Own Bag" (BYOB) campaign on May 31, 2009 at the Old Firehouse Building in Cabin John, Maryland.  Our intention was to highlight the growing problem of plastics accumulating in our oceans and the subsequent devastating impact it is having on marine life, the oceans, and our own food chain.  This was accomplished through a variety of visuals.  Indoors, we had a multimedia presentation which included Green Neighbors' compelling slideshow Plastics Are Forever and a children’s video telling the story of the continent-sized plastic garbage patch continuing to grow in the Pacific Ocean.

Outside, Tom Rojas' vintage farm truck was filled with the more than 350 pounds of plastic trash collected by volunteers in just 3 spring cleanups of the Minnehaha Creek running along Goldsboro Road. This display was accompanied by charts we made mapping waterflow of local watersheds into the Chesapeake Bay and ocean and poster-size photographs of imperiled sea life.  What we hoped to impress upon visitors was just how close to home this problem begins.

Plastics are non-biodegradable and are accumulating in our environment at ever increasing rates. Our hope is that more and more people will stop taking plastic bags when a bag is not really needed at all, will shop with reusable bags as much as possible, and if plastic bags are used that they are properly discarded or recycled.  Truly, this should be the case for all plastics, including plastic bottles, bottletops, and containers, as plastics persist in the environment for thousands of years.   It is each of our responsibility to recognize the problem that plastic has presented to our generation -- disposable, cheap, and non-biodegradable has proven to be a disastrous combination.

At the event, Green Neighbors unveiled our community-sponsored, stylish, reusable tote bag in all its glory!  One thousand of these tote bags were made in the USA of 100% recycled plastic bottles and their production was sponsored by local businesses, churches, and citizens associations – 26 in all. Over 150 bags were distributed to residents at the event,  along with a dashboard reminder sticker to help shoppers remember to bring reusable bags into stores and a flyer thoroughly explaining what to do with all your plastic trash.  

Learning should be fun too, and attendees enjoyed the music of BG and the Mojo Hands, Dana Verkouteren's caricature drawing, and grilled food served Chez Bramman Avery.  Our hero Recycle Man (aka Rich Kepler) made a return appearance, on the tail of — you guessed it -– Plastic Man!  Recycle Man challenged Plastic Man to a duel, as menacing Plastic Man threatens to dominate the planet for thousands of years to come.  Plastic Man put up a serious fight, but thanks to the steely determination of Recycle Man and the heckling from attendees, Plastic Man was defeated and retreated back to his hiding place in the farm truck's trash heap.

American Plant, the Bethesda Coop, Borders and Butterflies, and the Montgomery County’s Division of Solid Waste set up tables at the kick-off describing their services.  Fun and educational activity tables helped children learn about plastic recycling and the problem with plastics.  Sixth grade 'eco-ambassador' Truce Jack displayed her school project, the Cabin John Community Native Plant Project.
 
A special thank you to Anthony and Elizabeth Wilder who generously offered us both their parking lot and conference room for the many displays and media presentations.  As well, big thanks go to all the generous volunteers who made the event a success!