Save Sea Turtles - Use Reusable Cotton Produce Bags

Plastic bags are harmful to sea turtles that ingest them mistaking them for food. All sea turtles are either endangered or threatened. When they ingest plastic, it causes blockages and results in gases being unable to be released causing the turtle to float and be positively buoyant. When the sea turtle floats and is unable to dive due to ingesting plastic bags, the turtle will starve to death. It takes up to 60 days for a sea turtle to starve to death.


Photo: James Watt

B.E.A.C.H. has been at the forefront of the effort to educate the public about the harm caused by plastic bags to sea turtles and marine life and has led the way in providing and encouraging people to use reusable bags. B.E.A.C.H. was the first organization in Hawai`i to provide reusable shopping bags (which was quickly followed by many stores and other organizations)
B.E.A.C.H. got the first grocery store in Hawai`i to stop providing plastic shopping bags and supported inter island, local and state bills to ban plastic bags. B.E.A.C.H’s plastic bag reduction campaign has been ongoing since 2007.

Photo: Ron Prendergast
Problem: Green sea turtle eating a piece of plastic bag.


Solution: Use reusable organic cotton mesh produce bags for fruits and veggies instead of plastic bags.



100% organic cotton mesh produce bags by Simple Ecology
are now available from B.E.A.C.H.

B.E.A.C.H. has 100% organic cotton mesh and muslin produce bags available. $3 for XS, $4 for M & L, $5 for XL.  The bags are made of 100% organic, unbleached cotton and are machine washable. The weight of the bag can be deducted from the total weight of your purchase by the cashier.
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Save Sea Turtles - Use Reusable Shopping Bags

Other facts:
By using reusable bags for shopping, you are helping the environment by cutting down on the number of plastic bags that end up in the landfill.  Millions of gallons of oil are also saved when plastic bags are not produced. Together everyone doing their part can make a big difference. 

In New York City alone, one less grocery bag per person per year would reduce waste by 5 million pounds and save $250,000 in disposal costs.

Plastic bags carry 80% of the nation’s groceries, up from 5% in 1982.
 

Other reasons to use reusable bags:

Saves natural resources:  Its takes 12 million barrels of oil to make the 100 billion grocery bags that are used every year.

Reduces toxicity of waste:  Plastic bags can last up to 1000 years in our landfills.

Reduces costs:  Grocery stores spend $4 billion per year purchasing plastic bags.



Coral Photograph Credit to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Department of Commerce and Dr. James P. McVey. Dolphins, Japanese Angelfish, Green turtle, and Laysan Albatross photos by James Watt. Humpback whale photo by James Mobeley

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