Rebecca Hoskins

This book gives an overview of how to start, organize and carry out a campaign to eliminate plastic bags. The authors reside in various towns/cities in the UK, and this book is actually published in the UK, which is unfortunate for US residents who probably won't be able to easily get their hands on a copy of this book.

I love that this book admits the shortcomings of the single issue approach (banning plastic bags instead of banning plastic or reducing consumption or whatever) while still discussing why it's an important step in raising awareness and helping the environment. The authors also go into detail about replacement bags and talk about the shortcomings of alternatives. Cornstarch bags still use minute amounts of plastic and a food crop is being grown for bags instead of food. Non-organic cotton can be GM and uses massive amounts of pesticides. And any bag that is mass produced can't be good for the environment. These are all issues that the authors talk about and they describe what to look for in a truly sustainable solution.

This book makes me hopeful that small change can occur in local settings, and maybe one day that will reach a critical mass to entire counties, states or countries banning plastic bags. And from there, maybe we can continue to do more to rid this planet of the terrible scourge that is plastic.… (mehr)