The Shopping Bag Heard Round the World
The Shopping Bag Heard Round the World" project demonstrates that every individual and town can play a major role in the fight against global warming.
About You
Location
Project Street Address
Project City
Project Province/State
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Your idea
Field of Work
environment
If Field of Work is “other” please define in 1-2 words below
2007
Year project started (or projected start date) (yyyy)
2007
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What is the primary problem your venture is trying to address and how are you addressing it (or planning to address it)?
The SHopping Bag Heard Round the World" is a special project of the Lincoln Academy Climate Action Club. Our goal is to demonstrate the global power of local initiatives through a demonstration project in our town. Our field of battle is the reduction of the use of plastic bags in our town, Damariscotta, Maine. We will do this through an educational and merchant outreach program that 1) provides cotton shopping bags imprinted with a student-created logo to merchants in return for 2) merchant commitment to incentive plans that reduce customer use of plastic bags, while 3) we simultaneously educate townspeople on why the reduction of plastic bags is a critical environmental goal. Using new and old media, we will alert our State, our nation, and the world to our achievement. We will set an example that can inspire and motivate others. BACKGROUND: I founded the CAC in 2007 because I wanted to motivate my school and my community to take a stance against climate change. I had a deep passion to do my part in saving the environment, and I wanted to share my enthusiasm with the people around me. I believe that the climate crisis is the defining issue of my generation. But at my school, no one even seemed to know about it. My goal was to make a difference and to help other students realize that they could make a difference. Last year we launched four advocacy campaigns. 1) We successfully implemented a school-wide no-idle zone for buses and cars on our campus. 2) We institutionalized a battery recycling program in our school, delivery over 3000 batteries to a recycling station. We are now extending that program to the entire community. 3) We initiated work on an energy audit of our school that has led to the installation of power-down software on school computers as well as the establishment of a board level committee to reduce the school's carbon footprint. 4) We began a 'paper vs. plastic" campaign designed to reduce the use of plastic bags in our town. That campaign has met with some success, but now we must take it to the next level. That is the purpose of our "shopping bag heard round the world" project. PROBLEM: People all over the world feel powerless to make a difference in the fight against global warming and pollution. We want to show that one small town can make a big difference as its actions inspire and motivate others. We choose the problem of plastic bags because it is emblematic of the kind of unnecessary but ubiquitous product that contributes to global warming and pollution. One million plastic bags are used each minute around the world. Plastic bags release poisonous materials into the soil, which can damage water sources. This is most frequently seen in the landfills where un-recycled plastic bags are thrown. Plastic bags photo degrade in landfills, which means that sunlight breaks the bags into tiny pieces. Each fragment of the bag releases extremely toxic chemicals into the soil which then contaminate water sources. It can then take the plastic bags up to 1000 years to biodegrade. Three percent of the world’s plastic bags end up as free floating litter. Millions of sea turtles, whales, and birds die because of plastic bag pollution. Then, as the animal’s bodies decompose, the plastic is released back into the environment where it can kill other animals again. In the US less than 5% of plastic bags are recycled and only 1% of plastic bags are recycled worldwide. Manufacturing plastic bags requires tons of natural gas and petroleum. The pollution from this oil is extremely harmful and causes many health and environmental problems. Using plastic bags only increased our dependence on foreign, and limited, fossil fuels. Just manufacturing plastic bags uses 4%-8% of the world’s oil. Plus, 12 million barrels of oil are used to produce the plastic bags that the U.S. consumes annually. The stores in our town, like most towns in the developed world, rely on plastic bags. SOLUTION: The CAC will buy cotton shopping bags that we will give to merchants in return for their participation in incentive programs designed to reduce the demand for plastic bags among consumers. These programs include fees for plastic bags, paper alternatives, discounts for shoppers who use eco-friendly canvas alternatives, or the total elimination of the plastic option. Each merchant is being asked to sign a pledge card that signifies their commitment to the campaign. Through a weekly column in our local paper and other means (emails, handouts, local television and radio, elected officials) we will educate people as to why they should reject plastic bags. We will use old and new media to make the efforts of our town an example that can be heard around the world. As tiny Damariscotta joins San Fransisco, London, and China in this effort, we will make the case that every individual and every small town has a giant role to play in the fight against global warming.
Name Your Project
The Shopping Bag Heard Round the World
Describe Your Idea
The Shopping Bag Heard Round the World" project demonstrates that every individual and town can play a major role in the fight against global warming.
Innovation
Project Description
The Shopping Bag Heard Round the World" project demonstrates that every individual and town can play a major role in the fight against global warming.
Unique and different
Our project is unique in many respects: 1) Ours is a demonstration project intended to educate and inspire people all over the world. Not only do we want to reduce the use of plastic bags in our town, but we want to use old and new media to show our State, our country, and our world that folks in a small town can get together to make a difference. We have already demonstrated some success in this strategy. For example, our Club won the Lorax Challenge, which brought publicity to our efforts. We were featured on local television. The local paper has given us a standing column for our educational outreach efforts. The Sundance Channel has filmed our work on this project for an episode of their show "Big Ideas for a Small Planet", to be aired in their 2009 season. 2) Our work is also unique because it cuts across old boundaries and brings people together who are united in a larger mission. Our work extends beyond the confines of our school to our community, with the clear goal of influencing the larger community and world. We are students working closely with merchants and townspeople. Our emphasis is on communication, solving problems, and education, rather than on confrontation. For example, I developed a short video and a fact sheet on the consequences of plastic bags which I distributed to the merchants this summer. Club members have met with merchants. We have tried to understand and address the obstacles to change that they perceive. We have already brought demos of a canvas bag alternative with a town logo we created to several merchants and received their pledge to work with us. (These visits were filmed by Sundance.)We also plan to work with elected officials. At least one state legislator in Maine has already proposed a ban on plastic bags and set ambitious goals for the reduction in their use. We have the support of local candidates for the legislature. I have also created a separate website called "First Here Then Everywhere" designed to feature local initiatives that have the potential to inspire and motivate others. IT is aimed at teenagers around the world. I am developing links with other prominent websites on related subjects. Our work in Damariscotta will be featured on this website
Project plan
November 08-January 09: Continue to meet with groups of merchants to obtain their participation and pledges. Begin town wide education through newspaper articles, speakers, fliers, emails, etc. We also plan to research canvas bags and decide which type we want to purchase. We are looking for a medium-sized, durable canvas bag that is convenient for all types of shopping. Some merchants were also interested in alternative bags, such as potato or soda bottle bags. The club is going to help the merchants in this research process, and then they can decide which size, shape, etc… they prefer. However the research for this project is exclusive of the research for the merchants. Club members and I also have to create a logo to print onto our bags. We have prototypes at the moment, but we have not decided on the final design. I hope that we complete bag purchase and logo design by early March 2009. Then, from March though the summer of 2009, we will circulate our canvas bags throughout our community and continue to educate customers about the cons of plastic bags.
Partnerships
The Shopping Bag Heard Round the World project has led the Climate Action Club to form many new relationships. We have gained tremendous support from our school administration, faculty, and student body. This support helps us achieve more in our school and have more outlets and resources for our community work. Secondly, the club's Paper vs. Plastic campaign has led to new partnerships. Our main goal with our PvP (paper vs. plastic) campaign is to reduce the use of plastic bags in our town. In order to achieve this goal, we have been working extensively with local merchants. These partnerships help us create an environment in which we can work together to reduce the use of plastic bags. Club members have gone to stores in town to talk with the merchants. We have jointly discussed the path we want to take for our PvP campaign, and we have a solid foundation on which to continue our project. Our partnerships with local merchants are vital for The Shopping Bag Heard Round the World project. With their help and support, people will remember to use canvas bags when they shop. The club also plans to collaborate with merchants to create incentives for customers to use canvas bags. Lastly, and most importantly, our relationship with the community is vital to this campaign. Everyone is connected to everyone else where I live. This close-knit—and working class—community provides us with the perfect environment for our campaigns. The club has been featured in the local paper and number of times, and we now have a standing headline for a bi-monthly article. These outreach tools help us inform the community about our projects. They also help us establish solid partnerships with the people who are the central part of our project. The Climate Action Club has also form alliances with local and national organizations. We are partners with the Midcoast Green Collaborative, a local organization that is dedicated to raising awareness about global warming and creating a green economy. The club worked with MGC to perform informal audits on our school. The Climate Action Club is also allied with Citizens Offering New Alternative, a local group devoted to empowering to against social injustices. We were a part of CONA’s display at the local Green Energy Expo. The club is also involved with the Natural Resources Council of Maine. We attended their annual meeting last year, and we have worked with them to save Maine’s north woods. The club has also developed partnerships with the local media. Because of our work in the school and community, we have developed a relationship with a reporter from the local newspaper (Lincoln County News) and the local TV station (WCSH 6). These outlets enable us to reach out into the community to inform others about our projects. I recently attended the Maine Youth Leadership conference at the University of Maine. I was nominated by my school to to attend this conference, and I represented them and the Climate Action Club while I was there. I forged new relationships with other young leaders. My goal is to create a network of local young environmentalists, and I achieved part of this goal at MYL. Lastly, the Climate Action Club has formed relationships with two national organizations. We have formed an informal partnership with Youth Venture. Since we received a $1000 grant from them and won the Lorax Challenge, Youth Venture has offered us many new opportunities, including this competition. Also, when a few club members and I went to Florida as the grand prize for the Lorax Challenge, we met other enthusiastic young environmentalists. We became really good friends, and we now have a social network around the country. Lastly, the club has a relationship with the Sundance Channel, based in Los Angeles. They came to Maine to film the Climate Action Club and me ‘in action.’ This opportunity has helped us forge new partnerships, and it will enable us to make many more.
Impact
Impact
We will educate our community on two fronts: first we will raise awareness in our town and around the world that even a small town can make a difference in the fight against global warming based on its ability to inspire and motivate others. Therefore it is each person's responsibility to do all that they can. Secondly, we will reduce the use of plastic bags in our town and educate our fellow citizens on the environmental consequences of plastic bags.
Effectiveness
The club's work—including the paper vs. plastic campaign—has served our school, community, and state. This amounts to thousands of people. Through our outreach work, our campaigns, and our recognition, people are hearing about our work and being inspired by our actions. The Shopping Bag Heard Round the World project will specifically serve our immediate community. We have established solid partnerships with the local merchants and townspeople. This credibility will help use implement our project more effectively and efficiently. With the money that we receive from this grant, we hope to circulate about 1000 canvas bags around our town. This will give 1000 people the opportunity to fight global warming, be aware of their behavior, make a difference, and participate in a community-wide campaign. These 1000 people will have the ability to influence and inspire others to take the same action, thereby reducing the use of plastic bags in our town. Not only will these 1000 people benefit from our innovation, but the whole community and state will be galvanized to follow our lead.
How do you engage and impact the community?
Our club engages the community in several ways. First, we try to educate through newspaper columns and articles, emails, videos, sharing scientific analysis, and face to face discussion. Second, we try to understand the points of view of different groups in our community. We want to understand what obstacles they face as we move toward the reduction of plastic bags in our town? We also want to understand how we can help. For example, when we first began our campaign, we met with the merchants. At that time we discussed the club's role in identifying a canvas shopping bag alternative and developing a town-wide logo for the bag. The idea was that the merchants would purchase the bag for their stores, and customers would buy them. Since that time, the economy in our area has been hard hit by the financial crisis. Unemployment is rising steeply, with one of Maine's largest employers, LL Bean, announcing the layoffs of 23% of its workforce. Tourism is down, with 17% fewer cars on the Maine Turnpike over Columbus Day weekend. People are running out of money to heat their homes with wood prices up 50% and heating oil up 45%. Twenty five percent of our local population is senior citizens, most of whom live on fixed incomes. So...as a result of this turmoil I now believe that our club should buy the bags and GIVE them to the stores to GIVE to customers. We would insist that the stores buy into an incentive plan to increase the likelihood that customers will use the bags. We also want to give bags to students in our school to bring home to their families for shopping purposes. I believe that giving away the shopping bags will buy us good will and lots of attention. This will allow us to get across our larger message about the reduction of plastic bags and about the role of each individual and small town in fighting global warming.
As I have described, our project has two goals. First, there is the immediate goal of reducing the use of plastic bags in our town. Second is the larger goal of illustrating and communicating the message that every individual and every town has a major role to play in fighting global warming. No matter how small and insignificant you think you are, you have influence and responsibility. If each of us behaved in line with this truth, we would be so much closer to constructive solutions to the climate crisis. In order to measure the impact of the reduction of plastic bags, merchants reckon that each canvas shopping bag--if fully utilized--can eliminate the use of two plastic bags per person per day. Based on current science, I calculate that this will save 4.8 x 1010 lbs of CO2 and an energy savings of 398,930,400 BTU’s. It means 671,600 less bags in our landfill each, with fewer bags to leach toxic chemicals into our soil and harm local wildlife and marine life. We will observe local behavior, check in with merchants, invite email and written feedback from townspeople, and track letters to the editor. In these ways we will try and track local changes in behavior. Measuring the impact of our larger educational and motivational goals is obviously a bit more difficult. We plan to track the responses we get to our websites, columns, and articles. I will also be tracking the number of web partnerships I can build, sharing our web content with other teenage social change, and environmentally oriented websites. The growth of media attention to our work is also an important indicator of our wider impact.
How do you measure this impact?
This field has not been completed
Obstacles
The biggest obstacle we have encountered so far is cost. In the current economic environment, the merchants are reluctant to invest in canvas bags because they believe that customers will be reluctant to pay for them. We think we can jump start this process by initially providing canvas bags to the stores for free distribution, while asking that merchants implement incentives not to use plastic. However it is vital to accompany the distribution of our bags with education tools. We want to customers to understand the impact we are having and the difference we are making together. The club will need to organize a town event where we educate the public about our project. This will take a lot of time and careful planning. We also need to make sure that we have the appropriate amount of support from the school and community. Without the help of our town, this project will not make a significant difference. But I am confident that our community will actively participate in our project and realize the impact of their eco-friendly actions.
This Entry is about (Issues)
Sustainability
Financing source
(or how do you expect your initiative will be financed)
As I will discuss below, most of the Climate Action Club’s work depends upon non-financial resources. This year we are fortunate to have a $1000 grant from Youth Ventures. We will be using this money for other projects: to extend our no-idling and battery/cartridge recycling programs, to fund educational opportunities for Club members, to bring speakers to our school, to install vending misers on our vending machines, and to purchase and produce demonstration canvas bags for our shopping bag project. However, the “Shopping Bag Heard Round the World” requires a substantial cash outlay, if we are to be able to fulfill our goal of providing merchants/customers with canvas shopping bags. Our strategy for raising this money is to apply for grants. We are also exploring the extent to which some of the merchants will be able and willing to contribute. However, the difficult economic (and specifically, retail) climate has made this more difficult. We hope to find a local supplier of a highly bio-degradable and /or recyclable bag who will participate in the project and work with us to offer the bags on a discounted basis.
Aside from financial sustainability, how do you plan to grow and sustain your project?
This field has not been completed. (200 words or less)
Finance details
At the moment, the Climate Action Club has around $1100 in its bank account. $100 was given to us in kind donation, and $1000 is from the Youth Venture grant. This money is set aside for other club projects, not The Shopping Bag Heard Round the World. We also received a donation of around 50 bags from a local company. Unfortunately the bags have the company’s logo on it, so they are not useful for this specific project. However we will make use of them in the future. There are over 20 members in the club, 7-8 of which are core members. There 2-3 core members in each of our subcommittees. These people are responsible for delegating work to other committee members. I usually help the committee delegates what needs to be done, how to do it, etc… so they are on the right track. Then I let them work on their own to achieve the goal. However I am involved in all committee and club meetings. The club members who are not core members help with the outreach, communication, research, feedback, action of the projects. Everyone contributes to our success. As I explained before we have many partners—13 to be exact.
Creative funding
Thus far we have raised $1000, based on the grant I wrote for Youth Venture in the summer of 2008. This grant will support a range of our Club's projects this year. We have had a good deal of media coverage, all of it free. I expect that will continue to be the case. To jump start the shopping bag project, we need seed money to help us buy the initial round of bags in bulk. A high volume purchase means that we can get each one at a low price.
Other non finance needs
In addition to the funds we need to purchase the canvas bags, our Club depends upon a wide range of non-financial resources. Fortunately, our work in these areas over the past year has really paid off. All the non-financial resources we need are ready and willing to participate. First among these is, of course, student involvement. We have over twenty students committed to club activities and ready to help. We also have support from our teachers and administrators. The graphics art instructor and his students has already helped us to produce a demo bag with a logo designed by club members. We have merchant participation in our initiative. We have a great deal of community support. Thus far we have been successful in securing local, state, and national media coverage—something that is vital to fulfill our goal of inspiring and motivating other students and towns.
The Story
Motivation
I have been actively fighting the Plum Creek Company in our state since I was twelve. Plum Creek is the largest real estate company in the nation. They proposed massive developments in Maine’s North Woods, the largest tract of undeveloped land east of the Mississippi. I am passionate about Moosehead Lake and the North Woods. I have snowmobiled in the North Woods every since I was a little go. When you snowmobile in this area (Moosehead Lake), you go to the most beautiful places on earth. You travel up mountains, through dense forests, and over vast lakes. The vistas are breathtaking, especially in the winter. My snowmobiling experiences (and the fact that I live in rural Maine) inspired me to fight for environmental justices. I am motivated everyday to save this planet when I look out the window. I am passionate about saving nature and inspiring others to do so as well.
Plum Creek’s plans for hundreds of expensive second homes and two resorts would disfigure that sacred wilderness forever. My involvement in this fight led me to a broader awareness of the need for environmental advocacy and especially the urgent need for action in response to the climate crisis. When I was thirteen, we held my Bat Mitzvah in our back garden. I stood up that morning and pledged my spirit to the cause of saving the beauty and integrity of the natural world.
These commitments inspired me to start the Climate Action Club at my high school. I wanted to make a difference in our school and community to fight global warming and save the environment. There was no club or other mechanism at our school for students to express their commitment to and fight for the environment. There was little awareness of these issues. I know that the global warming will ultimately be solved by my generation. We have the responsibility to save our planet and stand up for nature’s rights. I realized this in the middle of the north woods and at my home in Maine. But some of my peers had not realized this significant message yet. I wanted to share my insights and passion with them. I wanted to galvanize a green movement at my school. I wanted to not only provide my peers with an opportunity to become educated about the issue, but I wanted them to have the opportunity to be directly involved in the fight against global warming.
I believed a student club was necessary, because I believe the climate crisis is the defining issue of my generation. I founded the Climate Action Club because I wanted to motivate my school and my community to take a stance against climate change. I had a deep passion to do my part in saving the environment, and I wanted to share my enthusiasm with the people around me. My underlying goal was to make a difference and to help other students realize that they could make a difference.
When the Climate Action Club met for the first time, I knew that I had already achieved one of my major goals. I had brainstormed advocacy projects for the club to work on throughout the school year with my parents. My goal was to complete at least one or two of them before the school year ended. We achieved this and much more. I The Climate Action Club has had a big impact on our school and town. It is one of the only student-run clubs at Lincoln Academy. We have done things that no other group of students has accomplished.
I know that as students we have all become better leaders because of the passion I wanted to share with others. Though I am normally a very shy person, I forced myself to push through the barriers that I encountered, and I set my own course. It definitely paid off. People recognize the work that we are doing, and they are inspired by what we do. This is the best thing that the club has achieved, and I am extremely proud of it.
The Climate Action Club has opened up numerous opportunities for me and the club members. It has introduced the need to mobilize around the climate crisis to our school and our town. It has changed the thinking of many people in our school. Our head of school is now committed to energy efficiency. Recently, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees told my Mom that his graduation speech this year was going to be on the theme of “going green” thanks to the work I have done, and how it has raised his awareness. Kids in my school talk about green issues all the time now, and they want to make a difference. Our town newspaper follows our work, and folks in the town are always asking me about it. They want to help. Most of all, I think we have shown that high school students can make a difference--that we can, and must, save the world. Winning this grant for my club would be a huge message of affirmation for our club members, our school, and our town. The award will enable us to do even more next year and have an impact across the whole state of Maine. It will send the message that yes, this is urgent and important—even a small Maine town cannot escape its responsibility to the planet! If we can make a difference and be recognized for it, it will be obvious that every single person on earth can make a difference.
Awards
My leadership work on behalf of the Climate Action Club, and the Club's achievements, have been met with support and recognition for which I am very grateful. Our newspaper, The Lincoln County News, ran several major articles about the Club. In 2007 I was honored by the Natural Resources Council of Maine at their annual meeting and received a book for our school library. In December 2007 I was the only high school student to testify against Plum Creek at public hearings with over 700 citizens present. My testimony was featured in the Portland Press Herald and other papers. My school recognized my leadership by nominating me for the Maine Youth Leadership Conference held in May 2008. In July, my grant request to Youth Ventures was successful, as the CAC was one of 59 ventures across the country to receive a grant of $1000 for our work this year. Soon after, I was notified that we were one of only five teams in the country to win the Lorax Challenge and a trip to environmental boot camp in Florida. We were then featured on local TV. Later, the Sundance Channel chose me and the club for an episode of their show "Big Ideas for a Small Planet".
Broader context
I believe that the next phase of the youth environmental movement will see a shift from the nationally focused organizing efforts like 1Sky and StepItUp, to a richer tapestry of local and national initiatives. We need mobilization at the local level that is initiated at the local level, not just from the national leaders. Then these local initiatives need to become more transparent to one another and to the wider world. This means lots of back and forth links between the local, national, and international conversations and activities. Our project represents this next generation grassroots kind of initiative. I see us forging partnerships with StepItUp and other similar larger organizations and networks. The key message that has to go out to the world is that every person can and MUST make a difference. It doesn't matter where you live or how insignificant you think you or your town might be. If Damariscotta can reduce plastic bags and make a difference, well then anyone can-- and everyone should.
Ongoing
I am currently a junior in high school. I will graduate in a year and a half. My goals for this year and next year are to help current—and future—club members become self-sustaining and effective leaders. I currently lead all club meetings, and I come up with projects, research grants, organize trips, etc… I have a specific vision for the club since I started. But I want to impart my knowledge onto the club members of the future. I want to provide a platform on which others can become actively involved in the current climate crisis. I want the club to be successful, effective, and efficient after I graduate. Like I said, my main goal is to motivate and inspire others. I see the club has an opportunity that will allow future members to make a difference. Once I leave my high school, I am going to continue my environmental activism. My experience with the Climate Action Club has taught so many precious values and ideas. I will cherish this experience for the rest of my life, and I will also use it as a learning experience and building block for my future activism. I know that I want to fight to save our planet for the rest of my life. It is a true passion of mine, and I want to devote my life, hear, and soul to this cause.
What is your age?
Please select one
How did you hear about this competition?
? I heard about this contest through Youth Venture. I want to enable the Climate Action Club to make the biggest change possible. For this specific project—The Shopping Bag Heard Round the World—funding is desperately needed. I know that if we receive this grant, the club can make an enormous difference, mobilizing and inspiring others.
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