Banish the Bag

[andyc123]

The new wildlife website which my wife and I have just launched (and seems very rude to link to as a new member here) is currently backing the Daily Mail campaign to ban the carrier bag. Whilst their coverage of it is very one sided - we have tried to present both sides; in a nutshell many people object to it on the grounds that there is that much other plastic produced that carrier bags are not that big a part of the problem; our take on it was and still is that anything we can do to help we should. Whilst it may be a part of a much bigger problem it is still well worth starting here.

The direct link to the daily mail campaign and petition is:

Sign the Daily Mail's online petition to banish plastic bags | the Daily Mail

[Jez]

The way I look at things regarding an oil is that it isn't infinite! So we have to get our priorities sorted and ask the question on the scale of things is do we really need plastic bags?! My answer is no we don't. I'll sign up

[andyc123]

Hi Jez, thats kinda what we concluded in the article we wrote. Plus carrier bags are much easier to avoid than much of the inbuilt packaging that we buy our food in so its perhaps an 'easier' place to start for most of us.

[Blackbrook Eye]

The solution could be CO.OP. type recyclable plastic bags, manufactured from some form of corn starch, all the convenience less of the problems. My only slight concern is where we will keep growing all the corn that is supposedly going to eventually replace mineral oil, if it could be grown on desert fringes and irrigated with sea water that seems fine. I will sign the pettition as i believe it will be worth while in the long run, Regards, keith
Ps. Good luck with your new website

[andyc123]

Thanks Blackbrook Eye, as you say, the problem is with producing enough corn, especially with the rise of bio fuels and the problems they seem to be bringing along (great article in Time magazine a few months ago on that).

Thanks for wishing us look, wouldn't expect that our forum reach the magnitude of this one for a while mind, the almost instant responses are great!

[Jez]

Shrink wrapped Veg, whats that all about???

[Wild-Woman]

Originally Posted by Jez

Shrink wrapped Veg, whats that all about???

And where the veg comes from in the first place! I saw apples from China in a supermarket yesterday-along with beans from Kenya!!!!

[Jez]

Originally Posted by Wild-Woman

And where the veg comes from in the first place! I saw apples from China in a supermarket yesterday-along with beans from Kenya!!!!

Eating with the seasons is more enjoyable. Now that apple season has finished I bet those chinese apples probably fuji the variety, still get put in lunch boxes as 1 of the 5 portions?

[andyc123]

This is exactly the problem I think. In our next eco living article I know that my wife has saved the packaging off the shopping we bought yesterday and is going to photograph it all to show just how much packaging there is. Everything seems to be packaged in plastic and/or polysterene - unfortunately for the environment is it very conveniant and we as humans are generally lazy when conveniance is at stake.

[Jez]

Originally Posted by andyc123

This is exactly the problem I think. In our next eco living article I know that my wife has saved the packaging off the shopping we bought yesterday and unfortunately for the environment is it very conveniant and we as humans are generally lazy when convenience is at stake.

don't know if lazy is the right word perhaps inconsiderate/inept at thinking of the bigger picture, I sure as shrink wrapped cucumbers and big boxed Easter Eggs hope not

Easter Eggs for one only need wrapping like Cream Eggs and placed on the shelves in a nice big nest. Sorry loosing the plot?

[andyc123]

Well this is a tricky one I think (Re: lazy). People tend to fall into different categories, and a big percentage of those will do 'the right thing' if it is very easy to do so. If an effort needs to be made then maybe not quite so consistent. Love your idea on the easter eggs!