Bags Not! and Flanshaw Road Primary team up
for 350 campaign
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| Flanshaw Road Primary - 350 pupils
take part in the 350 campaign |
Bags Not! and 350 pupils from Flanshaw Road Primary School in Te
Atatu took part in the 350 campaign on Friday 23 October .
The campaign aims to raise awareness of the need to reduce our
carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from 387 part per million (ppm) to
350ppm.
Councillor Linda
Cooper, 350 Auckland coordinator, Carl Chenery and the Bags Not!
team join staff and students to show off the beautiful artwork
created by the students on the unprinted side of Bags Not!
reusueable shopping bags. Their efforts show that they are working
actively towards a plastic shopping bag free Waitakere and a 350ppm
planet.
Bags Not! Diwali prizewinner
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| Mayor Bob Harvey presents Willow
Harfleet with her prize |
Willow Harfleet was the lucky winner for the Bags Not! Campaign
prize draw held at the Diwali Festival at the
Trusts Stadium earlier
this month. People who attended the event were invited to fill out a
pledge card to show their committement to do their bit towards a
plastic shopping bag free Waitakere.
Mayor Bob Harvey, initiator
of the Bags Not! Campaign, presented Willow with her prize of a
Westfield shopping voucher valued at $50 and several Bags Not! bags
and a Bags Not! shopping pad.
Willow is very proactive when it comes to working towards a plastic
shopping bag free Waitakere . Not only does she use them herself at
school but she is quick to remind her parents she take their
reusable shopping bags with them when they go to the shops and uses
reusable bags regularly herself for school. Congratulations from the
Bags Not! team.
Get your free reusable shopping bag now
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| Get a Bags Not! reusable shopping
bag and support the push towards a plastic shopping bag free
Waitakere. |
Do your bit for the environment and look great while shopping with a
special reusable Bags Not!
shopping bag.
In September, Waitakere City Council launched its Bags Not! campaign
towards a plastic shopping bag free city in front of hundreds at
special event at Westfield WestCity.
The attractive bags are made from recycled plastic bottles.
The bags are now available for free from:
There is a limited number of bags available so limited to one per
customer.
Local retailers interested in getting a supply of bags should
contact the Bags Not! team on
bagsnot@waitakere.govt.nz
or call the council call
centre.
Mayor Bob Harvey says it's only
fitting that New Zealand's first eco city takes on the challenge of
going plastic shopping bag-free.
"Change can start with a city of 200,000 taking a stand. We want to
do something about it and lead the way for other cities to follow,"
he says.
While much of the recent debate has been about whether retailers
should charge customers for plastic shopping bags, Mayor Harvey says
that misses the real issue at the core of the campaign.
"Every bag is another few grams of crude oil, coal and gas polluting
our environment.
"It doesn't seem like much until you realise there are billions of
people using and discarding them everyday," he says.
"New Zealanders use more than one billion plastic shopping bags
every year. That's about 250 per person. If everyone committed to
using just three fewer bags a week, that number would halve."
Plastic shopping bags are recognised worldwide as an environmental
hazard. They create litter, clog waterways and are made from
non-renewable resources.
It takes up to 1000 years for them to degrade and they float easily
in air and water, travelling long distances. Thousands of marine
animals die every year after eating discarded plastic bags mistaken
for food.
Go to the
www.bagsnot.co.nz website for more information on ways to avoid
using plastic shopping bags and source more environmentally-friendly
options. It's also packed with facts and figures, answers to
frequently asked questions and examples of successful plastic bag
eradication campaigns around the world.
Waitakere says "Bags Not" to plastic shopping bags
Waitakere is the first New Zealand city to declare a goal of going
plastic shopping bag free.
Its 'Bags Not!' campaign was launched before a crowd of hundreds at
Westfield WestCity on September 5.
Local rugby icon Michael Jones took the stage to support what he
called a "great cause." Kelston's award winning Unison dance crew,
Project Twin Streams Song
Quest winner Abootu and reggae duo Rootswest performed.
Mayor Bob Harvey says the launch was a fun way to start work on a
serious environmental mission.
"Every bag is another few grams of oil, coal and gas polluting our
environment. It doesn't seem like much until you realise there are
billions of people using and discarding them every day," he says.
"Change can start with a city of 200,000 taking a stand. We want to
do something about it."
Plastic shopping bags are recognised worldwide as an environmental
hazard. They create litter, clog waterways and are made from
non-renewable resources.
It takes up to 1000 years for them to degrade and they float easily
in air and water, travelling long distances. Thousands of marine
animals die every year after eating discarded plastic bags mistaken
for food.
Thin 'singlet' bags used by the majority of retailers pose the
biggest environmental threat.
Mayor Harvey says all cities and countries should take steps to cut
their plastic shopping bag use.
"Many cities and countries have already banned or taxed them," he
says.
"It's only right that Waitakere, New Zealand's eco city, addresses
the issue on its own doorstep and leads the way for other Kiwi
cities to follow. New Zealanders use more than one billion plastic
shopping bags every year. That's about 250 per person. If everyone
committed to using just three fewer bags a week, that number would
halve."
The Bags Not! website -
www.bagsnot.co.nz - provides information on
ways to avoid using plastic shopping bags and source more
environmentally-friendly options. It's also packed with facts and
figures, answers to frequently asked questions and examples of
successful plastic bag eradication campaigns around the world.
Tips for reducing plastic bag use
Individuals:
- Carry a reusable bag when you go shopping. So you don't forget,
put the bag back in the car as soon as you unload your shopping or
keep your car keys in it./li>
- Say 'no thanks' to plastic bags if you are only buying one or two
items
- Line your household rubbish bin with newspaper and compost your
food waste
Retailers:
- Sell alternative or reusable bags that promote your business and
your environmental stance.
- Train staff to help customers say no to plastic bags and yes
to any alternatives you may stock.
Did you know??
- An estimated one trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide
every year.
- China is expected to save 37 million barrels of oil each year as a
result of its ban on free plastic bags.
- Less than one percent of bags are recycled. It costs more to
recycle a bag than to produce a new one.
- Plastic shopping bags photodegrade. Over time they break down into
smaller, more toxic petro-polymers, which eventually contaminate
soils and waterways.
Bags Not! launches September 5
 The
Bags Not! campaign will be launched at Henderson's Westfield WestCity
shopping mall on Saturday 5 September.
Come along to the mall between 11.30am and 1.30pm to get
free Bags Not! reusable shopping bags (made from 100%
recycled P.E.T) and learn more about how you can support
the campaign from Waitakere
Mayor Bob Harvey and the council's Bags Not! team.
There will also be live entertainment from Kelston's
Unison hip-hop crew and Project Twin Streams' Song Quest
contestants.
Mayor Harvey hopes Westies will get behind the eco-initiative and look at ways of reducing or eliminating plastic bag use in Waitakere.
"Plastic shopping bags are recognised worldwide as an environmental hazard and many cities and countries have already banned or taxed them," he says.
"It's only right that Waitakere, New Zealand's eco city, addresses the issue on its own doorstep and leads the way for other Kiwi cities to follow.
"Whether you're a resident or retailer, it only takes small, practical steps to make a difference. It can be as simple as taking a reusable bag with you when you shop, or offering your customers a plastic bag alternative.
"New Zealanders use more than one billion plastic shopping bags every year. That's about 250 per person. If everyone committed to using just three fewer bags a week, that number would halve."
After the launch, giveaway bags will be available from WestCity's customer service counter and Waitakere City Council's civic centre (6 Henderson Valley Road, Henderson) and its Waitakere Central, New Lynn and Massey libraries, while stocks last.
If you miss out this time, you will have the opportunity to secure one in November when Bags Not! partners with The Trusts to launch a second run of free campaign bags into the community.
 Limited edition art bags coming soon!
Waitakere is renowned for its innovative collaborations with its arts
community - and the Bags Not! campaign is no exception.
The distinctive designs of four prominent artists - Judy Millar, Dean
Buchanan and Anna Crichton and Reuben Paterson - will soon be released
on a series of limited edition reusable PET art bags in support of the
Bags Not! campaign.
Only 1000 of each design is expected to be released for sale, so watch
this space for news of their launch!
| Click
image to enlarge |
| | A 'Plastic Bag Palace' entry from Green Bay School |
Bags Not! at Trash to Fashion ©
The plastic shopping bag has always been a popular material for creating fashion garments for Waitakere's
Trash to Fashion© Awards - so much so that this year's event has a category dedicated to it.
Forty of the best plastic bag couture pieces from the Bags
Not!-sponsored 'Plastic Bag Palace' category will be paraded on the
catwalk during the award shows at the Trusts Stadium on September 12 (at
7pm) and 13 (at 2pm).
"Every year, plastic shopping bags are among the most common materials
used, so we decided to add the challenge of confining them to one
category and signal our desire to reduce the use of plastic shopping
bags in our city," says
Councillor Judy Lawley, chair of the council's Culture and Community
Committee.
The overall theme for this year's event is 'Our World'.
We want designers to celebrate the beauty of our world and to consider
how we need to take care of it," Cr Lawley says.
"Every year I am stunned at the creativity of these young people, not
just from a fashion perspective but also their commitment and
understanding of the underlying environmental philosophy of the event."
Check out the Bags Not! display stand at the shows and grab a free
reusable bag from the campaign team, who will be on hand to answer
questions and provide helpful tips on reducing plastic bag use.
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