So what's the big deal?
Yes they are bad for the environment. Yes they are a waste of resources. Yes they are a waste of money (even when a business gives you something you always pay for it).
The resistance our society has shown to making such a trivial change of habit is the heart of the wasteful consumer culture whose time is over. We need a significant shift of perspective to meet the challenges of our times and by focusing on a campaign to ban plastic bags we can support that shift.
Our economy is based upon the principle of extracting resources from the planet, turning them into rubbish and throwing that rubbish away. We have consumed so much that our resources are starting to run out and the planet is choking on our waste. You can see it in the price of petrol, the changing climate and the pervasive degradation of our environment.
The solution is as simple as it is difficult. Take only that which will renew, dispose only that which will be used again. Cradle to Cradle instead of Cradle to Grave. A circular process instead of a linear one.
There is a storm coming, it is of our own making and each one of us will need to make significant, inconvenient and challenging changes to our lifestyles. The longer we leave it the more significant, inconvenient and challenging they will be.
Saying NO to plastic bags is the first step in building a sustainable future and nurturing our society's capacity for change.
