On Monday, the Maine Merchants Association announced the “Got Your Bags, Maine?” initiative to encourage increased reusable bag use. Following a resolution passed by the Legislature last Spring, Maine Merchants Association, Maine Grocers Association the state Chamber of Commerce, Natural Resources Council of Maine and a growing number of Maine retailers and grocers have joined forces after being brought together over the summer by the Maine State Planning Office. The public education and outreach effort is aimed at encouraging Mainers to increase the usage of reusable bags for shopping and decrease the use of single use paper and plastic bags.
“The kick off of this campaign is a monumental achievement and we are thrilled to see the state of Maine taking leadership on this issue….” says Suzette Bergeron, owner of Bulletin Bag [.com] based in southern Maine. We first got involved in Maine’s campaign against wasteful paper and plastic when former Representative Ted Koffman put forth a bill to put a fee on paper and plastic in 2007.
The initial bill was modeled after the hugely successful program implemented in Ireland. While the bill failed to reach the house floor, it led to Bulletin Bag’s statewide ‘Nurture Nature’ design contest where we worked with Representative Koffman, DEP commissioner David Littell, teachers, students, corporate sponsors and news outlets to educate the community about the importance of bringing your own bag. “Since this initial push in 2007 we’ve seen a significant shift toward reusable bags among Mainers, and we’re excited to see this taken to the next level,” says Bergeron.
The program will do well to take notes from businesses in the town of Damariscotta, where an effort started last year by the Lincoln Academy Climate Action Club (see our blog about this) has helped increase local use of re-usable bags. The club’s president, Chloe Maxmin, says the effort has worked. They started with 1,900 bags, and maxim says they have just 150 left. Bulletin Bag is fortunate to have worked closely with Chloe and the CAC from the start of their incredible project!
The Maine Merchants Association estimates there are over 7,000 Maine retailers distributing 700 million plastic bags and paper bags every year. They have set a goal of reducing paper and plastic bag distribution by 33% among (hopefully) 1,000 participating retailers by 2013.
The Got Your Bags, Maine? outreach program includes a toolkit of best practices that retailers can deploy in order to meet the reduction goals. The campaign will be promoted via the web, traditional and social media. Retailers and grocers statewide sign on to become a participating member, promote how they are using reusable bags, and track progress.
“Maine grocers and retailers recognize their leadership role in promoting the use of reusable bags and the responsible reuse of disposable check out bags. We are proud to be part of this unique coalition that seeks to build upon the good work already underway,” said Shelley Doak, Executive Director, Maine Grocers Association.
John Reny, President of Reny’s Department Stores, says he doesn’t expect paper or plastic to disappear any time soon but it’s important to give customers a choice, so they decide for themselves whether to use reusables. We here at Bulletin Bag beg to differ, as the national (and international) trends point towards education as a first step in eliminating the dreaded plastic grocery bag. Stay tuned …
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Remember, bring your reusable bags with you when you shop. Need more reasons why? Check out this catchy video from Good Magazine!
