plastic bags

There's a lot of talk about plastic pollution in our oceans and by plastic bags, but what is anyone doing about it? The 5 Gyres Institute is launching a Last Straw Plastic Pollution Solutions Outreach Tour, conducting beach & watershed cleanups all over the East Coast from Boston to Charleston. The 1400 mile bike tour is hitting up major cities to discuss problems (and solutions!) for the plastic plague. The 5 Gyres tour is coming to Philly on October 15 - and you won't be bummed out by their visit. (Find out more about the awesome upcoming visit and how YOU can win free stuff, after the jump!)

The Philly Fringe Festival is back and playing local artists with cutting edge theatre performances & diverse cultural experiences. I kicked off my Fringe Fest experience with Of Plastic Things & Butterfly Wings, an environmentally themed performance. Centered around a

Philly residents have a lot on their mind - will the Eagles squeak out a win again this Sunday, will the Phils make the playoffs, how long will the beautiful weather last? However, we continue to feel pleased to hear that Philadelphians also care about the city's plastic bag use. When someone signs our plastic bag reduction petition we ask that they list a reason why this initiative is important to them. Here's just some of the reasons Philadelphians are saying prompted them to sign the plastic bag petition:

What's more interesting than the amazing comments of support we've seen about the plastic bag ban is the opposition. I LOVE dogs. I have my parent's daschund (whom I trained as a mini hot dog) as my iPhone background. I adopt pit bulls (and other breeds) for an hour (per session) through the Monster Milers program at PAWs. And I stop strangers on the street to ask and pet their cute canines. Dog owners, I hear you. Your dogs shit. A lot. And you prefer (free) plastic bags to clean up their poo. I get it: Love: Dogs! Hate: Poop. So what would you do if plastic bags were banned or if there was a fee?

  Do you have plans for September 9th, friends? Save the spot on your calendar and come by to say to us too, at 7th Annual Greenfest Philly! And best of all, it's F-R-E-E! The Clean Air Council's Greenfest Philly will have fun for greenies (new & seasoned) of all ages! Live music, organic food vendors, family-friendly arts & crafts, and recycling only begin to describe it! Here are some of the things about Greenfest '12 we're excited about:

It's been a month since our "Ban the Philly Bag" - Plastic Bag Ban Awareness campaign on July 26th. Our petition has remained open and we're still gathering signatures. Bringing attention to the plastic bag issue was step one of this campaign. We've been doing a lot behind the scenes over the past month. But after discussing the previous plastic ban vote's failure with those who were campaigning in 2009, we need your support - first and foremost. Mark your calendars: We're happy to announce we'll be at the Clean Air Council's Greenfest Philly on Sunday, September 9th to say hi to you all, and discuss why this ban is crucial for Philadelphia. BONUS: We'll even have a sweet raffle prize for those who sign the petition. How can you help? (Check out how AND the sweet “Empire State of Mind” parody, after the jump!)

Happy Friday! Hope you'll been outside soaking up some of the last rays of August this weekend (or last night, a la Diner En Blanc). Here's a few green links & news you may have missed:

Happy Shark Week! The Discovery Channel's yearly celebration of sharks began last night. Last year we took a week to embrace ocean themes, including the truth of Shark Finning. We'll continue the tradition and explore more aquatic green-isms this week... Nothing is more pristine than taking in nature, sitting on the beach and looking at the ocean... even if it's the lame Jersey Shore (compared to Hawaii...) After spending the past week at the Jersey Shore with my family, I was highly disappointed to not be allowed in the Ocean for 2 days due to trash and a "high bacteria count" of the water. If the water wasn't safe for me to take a swim, what's going on with the marine life in the rest of the oceans? Did you know that one of the largest 'landfills' on Earth lies in the middle of the Pacific Ocean? (Find our more about this plastic pollution garbage, after the jump!)

We're so excited to about yesterday's success! We had the Plastic Bag Ban petition shared by fellow Philadelphian bloggers all over yesterday. So many people were discussing #BanPhillyBags on Twitter (even though Twitter melted down midday!)  It was picked up by Sandy Bauers on Philly.com and Philly Mag! (We also had a few other mentions, both lovers and haters.)  There were thousands of people that saw our message and picked up an issue that had been dismissed since 2009. But, we Just Started. Yesterday begun our movement with such a big bang that we wanted to leave the petition open to encourage more signatures before sending to Mayor Michael Nutter, Director of Sustainability Katherine Gajewski, the Office of Sustainability & Philadelphia City Council. We'll send the letter next week, but the petition will remain open until the plastic bag ban has passed. How can you help? Please keep sharing the petition and your personal stories!  If a 12-year-old in Chicago can do it, we can do it! The most inspiring part of yesterday was reading the enthusiastic comments on our Change.org petition. Here are some highlights: