A group of New Technology High School students, working together on a school project, has targeted plastic shopping bags and thrown its support behind a young Napa City Council candidate who opposes non-reusable bags.
New Tech senior Anna Yip said the group planned to spend several hours distributing free reusable bags to shoppers in north Napa on Oct. 28.
According to a statement Yip emailed to Napa Valley Patch,
For our school project we were required to do research on a candidate and ballot measure and create a campaign supporting (or opposing) the two. We had to create a plan as to how our campaign would reach our targeted audience before the election date.
In doing research on all of the Napa City Council Candidates and attending City Council Debates, we felt that Alex Pader was the only candidate that had a clear stance on environmental issues. More specifically, he was talking about the issue of non-reusable plastic bags and had his position clearly detailed on his website.
We decided to spend $283.18 on reusable bags with Pader's logo to give away at Bel Aire Plaza near Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. We will reimburse ourselves by hosting a movie night fundraiser in November. Pader donated $100 to support our idea.
Disposable plastic bags are not only bad for the environment, but they are a significant cost to the City of Napa and the Waste Management Authority. A Bay Area study found that disposable plastic bags actually cost 20 cents per bag when you account for the cost of your purchases, garbage rates and taxes for the cleanup.
Many environmental groups estimate the size of the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" to be twice the size of Texas, but according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) "many oceanographic features do not have distinct boundaries or a permanent extent, and thus the amount of marine debris (both number and weight) in this zone would be very difficult to measure accurately...Regardless of the exact size, mass, and location of the “garbage patch,” manmade debris does not belong in our oceans and waterways"[1] Most of the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" is made up of plastics because "some common types of plastics float"[2]
[1] http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/info/patch.html#5
[2] http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/info/patch.html#5
Source: Anna Yip, New Technology High School
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