Riverside Fire Department Salutes Reuse This Bag

Reusable bags help to keep the environment healthy and intact, a job that fire departments devote their lives to every day — therefore, it comes as no surprise that one day these two forces would come together in mutual support. That’s exactly what happened this month, as Reuse This Bag president Doug Lober has contributed a page to the Riverside County Fire Department January 2010 newsletter, highlighting the benefits of reusable bags and the concerns surrounding their alternatives.

There are countless reasons why you as an every day American should start to use a reusable bag. We have studied article after article, paper after paper, and blog after blog… Here are a few of our favorite facts in regards to why we are urging you to make the very important choice to put down your paper and plastic and protect your Earth today!

With a full page ready to be put to good use, Lober lets readers in on some critical facts about paper and plastic alternatives, noting the oft-ignored destructive nature of paper bag production, the difference between biodegradation and photodegradation, and the catastrophic pollution resulting from even the act of recycling plastic products.

The City of Riverside has already been making a huge push toward going green, promoting a plan of action and offering suggestions for low-impact living. With Reuse This Bag by their side, the city is one step closer to an ever greener tomorrow.

Weekly Link Round-Up: 11/13/09

• Retailers across the United States continue the campaign to reward reusable bag-toting shoppers. [Journal & Courier Online]
• British health food chain Holland & Barrett bans plastic grocery bags from its stores. [Daily Mail]
• Seagull-proof garbage bags continue to undergo testing in Great Britain. [Your Thanet News]
• One green mama blogger puts forth a reusable bag challenge to the internet. [The Mother Load]
• Making treasure from trash,71-year-old Beijing retiree Han Fushan builds kites from plastic bags. [Earth 911]
• Home expert Bob Vila chats about going green with recycled materials in home decor. [Bob Vila]
• Ben Venue Public School’s Year 5 students are environmental heroes with nearly 10,000 plastic bags saved from landfills and collected for recycling. [Armidale Express]
• Reusable bags, fluorescent bulbs, reusable watter bottles — just a few necessities for green moms everywhere. [Echo Pilot]
• How green is your impending Thanksgiving feast? [Huffington Post]
• Sunday is AMERICA RECYCLES Day! Are you ready? [Richmond Register]

Weekly Link Round-Up: 11/06/09

• More California retailers try to stem the bag ban onslaught with preemptive incentives for reusable bags. [Sign On San Diego]
• Welsh consumers take a mixed stance on Assembly’s bid for retail charges on disposable bags. [South Wales Argus]
• England starts trials toward a reusable “seagull-proof” bag as an alternative to other shopping options. [Thanet Press Releases]
• Target joins CVS in taking action to reduce disposable plastic bag output. [Say No to Plastic]
• In Australia, shoppers seem to be adjusting well to the bag ban. [The Border Watch]
• Fashion taking its cue from recyclables in New York City. [NY Times]

Weekly Link Round-Up: 10/30/09

• Ontario’s Metro supermarket chain opts to introduce reusable produce bags. [Toronto Star]
• EcoUnit partners with Nor-Cal and Oregon supermarkets to introduce green incentives. [TriplePundit]
• Ithaca High School students go green with reconstructed Halloween costumes. [The Ithacan Online]
• Trash volume plummets and recycling soars thanks to new policies in Concord, New Hampshire. [Concord Monitor]
• Los Angeles business groups and non-profits get together to kick off “Got Your Bags?” campaign. [Reuters]
• Don’t forget! You can stay eco-friendly on the holidays, even Halloween! [Seattle PI]
• Basalt continues to be honored for winning this year’s Aspen Bag Challenge. [Aspen Times]
• New policies at CVS encourage reusable bag usage. [Storefront Backtalk]
• Just one more friendly reminder: have an eco-happy Halloween! [Star News Online]

Weekly Link Round-Up: 10/16/09

• CVS may have some cash incentive for your reusable bag habits in the near future. [Forbes]
• Florida’s Environmental Department considers proposing a ban on paper and plastic. [NBC Miami]
• Need a stylish way to hold your trail mix? Try making your own reusable snack bag! [Whip Up
• Wales makes another bid for reducing bag use. [Plastics and Rubber Weekly]
• Should grocery bags go green? If you have to ask, you probably already know. [Central Florida News 13]
• Meanwhile in Ukiah, CA, Wal-Mart is pulling the plug on disposable shopping bags. [Press Democrat]
• Solar powered cell phones make a splash. [PC Mag]
• More fun with recycling, bottles, and architecture. [Web Ecoist]
• Solar cookers represent emerging industry and technology in Kenya. [All Africa]

Weekly Link Round-Up: 10/09/09

• Retailers in the Philippines push for a green initiative to end plastic bag use. [Business Mirror]
• Hawaii takes one step forward, while Alaska takes one step back. [Plastic News]
• The Fairbanks community sounds off on the bag tax through editorials and comments. [Fairbanks Daily News-Miner]
• North Carolina county enthusiastic about statewide recycling mandate. [Mountain Times]
• One Rochester columnist is excited about the rise in popularity of reusable bags. [Rochester Homepage]
• Plastic bags cause an uproar in Kent, but not in the way we’ve come to expect. [County Times]
• A blogger ponders the viability of biodegradable plastic bags. [Off the Urban Grid]
• Go one farther with a fully-biodegradable organic… bicycle? [Treehugger]
• Beer, recycling, and architecture: three great tastes that taste great together. [Greenopolis]

Weekly Link Round-Up: 09/25/09

• Congratulations to Basalt, winners of the Colorado Ski Towns 2009 Reusable Bag Challenge! [The Mountain Culture]
• The Grand County town collective came in second, in this challenge that eliminated the usage of an estimated 5.3 million plastic bags. [Sky-Hi Daily News]
• San Jose votes to ban plastic and paper disposable bags starting in 2011! [Eco Geek]
• After a slump, Palo Alto pledges to ramp up their reusable bag use. [Indy Bay]
• Ireland is also taking drastic steps, with plans to double their current bag tax. [Wild Singapore]
• Washington DC initiative group also vows to further encourage reusable bag usage. [Sun Gazette]
• Enid City, OK, considers the options when it comes to bag use and conservation. [Enid News]
• Going green: sometimes it takes a little more thought than you might think. [The Thoughtful Consumer]

Weekly Link Round-Up: 09/18/09

• Sacramento Save Mart stores start this Friday off right with free reusable bags. [Fresh Plaza]
• Meanwhile, Saturday is the 25h Annual California Coastal Cleanup! Are you in? [Seal Beach Daily]
• Cash back for reusable bags at CVS in the near future? Bloggers speculate. [My Baton Rouge Mommy]
• Palo Alto supermarkets ditch the plastic bags. [Palo Alto Online]
• A Texas dry cleaners switches to green alternatives and reusables, after a fire leaves them starting fresh. [Victoria Advocate]
• Santa Barbara kicks off “Where’s Your Bag,” a voluntary reusable bag program. [GenGreenLife]
• Organize your recyclables! Kate Kelley has the scoop on how. [Huffington Post]
• Starbucks’ cup-recycling program continues to gather press! [Sustainablog]
• Finally, an innovative trash-tracking program from MIT that is worth checking out. [tonic]

Weekly Link Round-Up 09/11/09

• Wondering what the breakdown was for Seattle’s infamous bag vote? Wonder no more, the Seattle Times has you covered. [Seattle Times]
• The Isle of Man prepares for festivities of “No Plastic Bags Day” tomorrow. [Manx Radio]
• How is North Carolina’s bag ban running? So far, so good! [Daily Advance]
• In Westchester, NY, September 12th is Household Recycling Day! [Westchester.com]
• WSJ takes an in-depth look at some of the biggest retailers’ reusable bags. [Wall Street Journal]
• Target gets bitten by the recycling bug, turning billboards into reusable bags. [Finance and Commerce]
• Does an interest in conservation automatically label you a hippie? One engineer makes a compelling case for the opposition. [The Brown and White]
• Starbucks stores in Manhattan band together to launch a cup-recycling program. [Greener Package]
• Plastic bag ban bill in Hawaii: deferred for another day. [Kauai World]

Weekly Link Round-Up: 09/04/09

• Auckland supermarkets take a giant step backwards and crumbles under pressure to stop charging for plastic bags. [New Zealand Herald]
• Santa Cruz fights the scourge of plastic bags. [Santa Cruz Sentinel]
• A small New York town makes reusable bags a bullet point at the last town hall meeting. [Riverhead News-Review]
• What does “going green” mean? Lots of things, but here is a reminder of ten important points. [Biofuels Watch]
• Want to take a more active role in your recycling habits? Here’s how. [Mahogany Butterfly]
• Santa Cruz demands an overhaul on the way we treat our oceans. [Santa Cruz.com]
• A bag ban begins along the coast of North Carolina. [News 14 Carolina]
• City officials in Madison vote to approve a new recycling program for plastic bags. [WKOW]
• Supermarkets in Spain begin to cut back on plastics. [Monsters and Critics]