San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area conjure up images of pristine shoreline, beautiful ocean views, and a natural beauty that comes to typify many outsiders’ views of the California landscape. Unfortunately, the amount of plastic waste piling up around the bay, on the shores, and in the tributaries feeding into the sea has raised alarm and threatened the wellness of the area’s fish and wildlife.

For a city which is known for its emphasis on environmental awareness and responsibility, it makes sense that San Francisco is poised to be one of the first cities in the U.S. to ban the plastic bag. Considering that, according to Earthnews, ”the average use time for each bag is 12 minutes, [even though] the petroleum-based bags take hundreds of years to decompose in landfills” this move makes logical sense. A study published recently by the Save the Bay organization put the number of bags littered around the area at around 1 million, a number which is far from sustainable in the long term.

Obviously, getting rid of plastic bags altogether will take more than just a press release or a piece of legislation. I fully support both public and private funding for the distribution and advertising of a city-wide program that would put canvas shopping bags in the hands of every person in and around San Francisco. If we are able to inject the effort with some semblance of solidarity and community activism, I think the results could be truly groundbreaking.

Head over to “The Bay vs. The Bag” to support change in San Francisco.

[image via "how can i recycle this?"]