You can comment anonymously
or sign-in below.

Blogroll list

User login

ConservingNow Community Change

 

Wales Considering a Plastic Bag Tax

Posted on Mon, 08/10/2009 - 19:31

Following Ireland’s lead, Wales is considering a tax on plastic bag distributed by retailers.  

Food for Thought

Posted on Thu, 08/06/2009 - 22:49

At Conservingnow.com we ran across these interesting facts this morning: 

1) Eliminating the use of six plastic bags a week saves 288 bags a year.

2) If you also adopt the habit of using reusable bags, it can average to 20,000 plastic bags saved in a lifetime.

Difficult to Get Rid of the Bag?

Posted on Thu, 08/06/2009 - 22:44

Julie Reynolds writes an opinion piece wherein she lays out the reasons she feels it is so hard for consumers to get rid of their plastic bag habits.  From looking at manufacturing, to the stores, to the consumers themselves, Reynolds writes a short and interesting article on why she feels Canadians will not give up plastic bags.  It is an interesting perspective from Canada, and it r

Rochester Cancer Event Goes Green

Posted on Thu, 08/06/2009 - 22:39

Walk-a-thons, charity auctions and other fundraising are often a fun and active way to get your community involved in a cause.  Unfortunately, the cost in producing such events does not always allow for the events to be as eco-friendly as the organizers would like.  It is nice to the Rochester Cancer Society is doing their part to make their events more "green".  Click

Perspective from the United Kingdom

Posted on Thu, 08/06/2009 - 22:27

At ConservingNow.com, we love reader feedback and discussion.  Recently, Lin from the United Kingdom sent us her perspective on reusable bags at her local supermarkets.
"This is a perspective from the United Kingdom.  This is a significant problem here too and the government threatened to impose a tax on the usage of plastic bags.  The supermarkets, which

Pacific Ocean's Garbage Patch

Posted on Wed, 08/05/2009 - 21:52

From CNN: "It's called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and it covers a vast area of hundreds, maybe even thousands, of miles of open ocean.  It is a problem of massive plastic proportions -- a giant floating debris field, composed mostly of bits and pieces of plastic, in the northwest Pacific Ocean, about a thousand miles off the coast of California

The Great Debate: Seattle's Bag Tax

Posted on Tue, 08/04/2009 - 22:20

The Columbian writer Don Brunell just wrote a thoughful piece explaining the debate surrounding Seattle's bag tax.  You may recall that Seattle is the first city in the United States to put a tax on plastic carrier bags to its citizens.  According to Brunell, 70% of Seattle's residents oppose the tax.  His article focuses on other ways to implement reduced dependence on plastic b

Tesco Again Posts Misleading Plastic Bag Statistics

Posted on Tue, 08/04/2009 - 22:15

The Daily Mail in the United Kingdom is reporting that "Tesco misleadingly claimed to have more than halved the number of plastic bags it hands out to shoppers.  The supermarket said last month that its customers were 'using more than 50 per cent fewer carrier bags than they did before'.  Its statement came on the same day that supermarkets collectively announced they had managed

Green Party to Call for Mandatory Plastic Bag Fees

Posted on Mon, 08/03/2009 - 18:06

The Green Party in New Zealand wants the government to make it mandatory for retailers to charge for plastic bags.  It is great to see a national political party take a stance on plastic bags.

"Green Party co-leader Russel Norman says the companies are trying to do their bit for the environment and the Government needs to ensure others do the same.  Dr Norman says he's worrie

Hong Kong Businesses See a Drop in Business After Plastic Bag Tax

Posted on Mon, 08/03/2009 - 18:00

In an interesting, yet brief, article Earth Times is reporting that Hong Kong businesses are seeing a drop in their businesses since the plastic bag tax went into effect.  It seems from the article, that if consumers have forgotten to bring their bags to work, they will opt for not purchasing anything that day, rather than pay for a plastic bag.