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Our holiday gift to the environment! Join thousands of shoppers in L.A. County in giving up disposable bags in favor of reusable totes for 24 hours.
A Day Without a Bag is an education and grassroots event coordinated by Heal the Bay that involves businesses and individuals throughout Los Angeles County. On this day we ask holiday shoppers and retailers to forgo single-use, plastic shopping bags in favor of reusable bags.
Held the third Thursday in December, Heal the Bay’s third annual A Day Without a Bag will be December 17, 2009 when Southland shoppers will receive an early holiday present, courtesy of a giveaway of nearly 20,000 reusable bags at more than 50 Giveaway Locations throughout Los Angeles County. In addition, a Community & Media Event will be held the same day in Downtown Los Angeles featuring education activities and a press conference.
Education and Awareness
A unique coalition of major retailers, local governments and regional environmental groups has formed to organize the third annual A Day Without a Bag, which urges consumers to forego environmentally harmful one-use plastic or paper grocery bags in favor of reusable totes. By raising consumer awareness about personal choices, the event’s short-term goal is to educate Southland shoppers to adopt more sustainable practices during the holidays and coming year. The event’s long-term goal is to reduce the use of single-use plastic bags throughout California by empowering shoppers, and the community at large, to take simple and direct actions to eliminate unsightly debris and save taxpayer dollars.
Dozens of community groups, from soccer clubs in Highland Park to Girl Scout troops in Agoura Hills, will be conducting bag giveaways and grassroots education for consumers throughout the region. The event, organized by Heal the Bay, is sponsored by the city and county of Los Angeles.
The city and county will distribute free reusable bags to patrons at high-profile shopping centers throughout the region. A diverse mix of retailers is scheduled to support the Dec. 17 event through in-store promotions or giveaways at stores countywide, including the Albertsons, Ralphs, 99 Cents Only, Bed Bath & Beyond chains. Local retailers Fred Segal Santa Monica and the Banana Republic’s Third Street Promenade store will also be participating. In addition, Earthwise Bag Co. leads the list of companies that have generously provided thousands of reusable bags for distribution at sites countywide.
A public awareness campaign about the economic and ecological benefits of reusable bags is being aimed at county residents, who use more than 6 billion disposable plastic shopping bags each year.
The county’s “Brag About Your Bag” campaign began on Nov. 15 and will distribute more than 50,000 bags at dozens of supermarkets leading up to A Day Without a Bag. The county has been holding numerous giveaways and contests for citizens. Grand prizes, including a lunch with Lakers forward and campaign spokesman Luke Walton, will be announced at Heal the Bay’s A Day Without a Bag media event in downtown Los Angeles on Dec. 17.
Spurred by the success of previous Heal the Bay events, community groups throughout the state launched their own A Day Without a Bag campaigns. Outreach programs have been held in San Diego, Orange County, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Francisco counties.
Cities Get Involved
More than 70 of the county’s 88 cities have officially endorsed the A Day Without a Bag or “Brag About Your Bag” campaigns. “This year we have more than doubled the number of cities in the county that are supporting A Day Without a Bag,” said Mark Gold, president of Heal the Bay. “It reflects the growing groundswell in Los Angeles for reusable bags, which not only save the environment but taxpayer dollars as well, especially in a time of drastic budget shortfalls.”
In addition, many other locations in California are holding similar A Day Without a Bag events on December 17th including San Diego County, Orange County, Santa Barbara and San Francisco.
California municipalities spend nearly $25 million each year just to collect and dispose of plastic bag waste. Less than 5% of plastic grocery bags are recycled each year in Los Angeles, so the remainder clogs precious landfill, litters public spaces and harms animal life when the bags infiltrate waterways. Paper bags, while biodegradable, still require vast amounts of fossil fuels and water to produce, distribute and collect for disposal. Heavy-duty reusable bags are convenient, environmentally friendly alternatives that have been embraced by millions around the world. Ireland has been able to reduce its use of disposable grocery bags by 90% since 2001 via public programs.
Many progressive local governments countywide have already taken action or are exploring policies to curb the use of plastic bags. The cities of Santa Monica, Malibu and Manhattan Beach have adopted pending ordinances that prohibit retail establishments, restaurants and vendors from providing single-use plastic bags to customers. The Los Angeles City Council has voted to ban plastic bags by Jan. 1, 2010 if a statewide user-fee on plastic or paper bags has not been established by that time.