| Doing something as simple as using reusable shopping | | | | animals are not dying instantly, they are suffering. |
| bags can save the earth's wildlife. A devastating | | | | Imagine not being able to digest any food and then not |
| number of turtles, birds, whales and other animals are | | | | being able to eat because of it and literally just starving |
| killed yearly due to plastic bags being mistaken for | | | | yourself to death all because of plastic bags and other |
| food like jellyfish. Once a plastic bag is ingested by an | | | | plastic products. Every time consumers go to the store |
| animal, it cannot be digested so it sits in the animal's | | | | they make a conscious decision to either use a |
| gut, preventing other food digestion and resulting in an | | | | reusable shopping bag or not. It is not understandable |
| extremely painful and slow death. | | | | why anyone would still choose to use traditional bags, |
| A plastic bag can literally take 1000 years before it | | | | knowing the harm that they are creating. |
| breaks down so after one animal dies from eating the | | | | Changes Coming? |
| plastic and its body decays, the plastic is left behind | | | | It is not uncommon to find flamingos, platypus and |
| and can be ingested by another animal. | | | | other animals, strangled from getting tangled in plastic |
| Turtle Food | | | | bags and not being able to twist their way out. In |
| Approximately 40 percent of autopsies done on turtles | | | | Australia in 2008, a crocodile was found dead with 25 |
| confirm the death being due to plastic bags stuck in | | | | plastic bags in its stomach. Additionally, pelicans, |
| their intestinal tract. When plastic bags float on the | | | | seagulls and other birds are found daily with the same |
| water, they look very similar to jellyfish which are a | | | | cause of death. |
| favorite food source for some turtles. These deaths | | | | Due to these figures and other environmental |
| can be prevented if everyone would simply use | | | | concerns, many countries such as Bangladesh, Taiwan, |
| reusable grocery bags every time they go to the | | | | China and Italy have either banned plastic bags |
| store. | | | | completely or have issued laws to charge for them, |
| One turtle in 2007 was found to have more than 50 | | | | making reusable bags the primary choice. |
| items in her intestinal tract including nylon rope, plastic | | | | Sadly, in the United States, plastic industries rally hard |
| bags, cling film, balloons and candy wrappers. The less | | | | to resist possible laws or bans, claiming that jobs will |
| plastic that enters into the environment, the safer the | | | | disappear. It is estimated that Americans throw away |
| wildlife will be. | | | | a minimum of 100 billion bags per year. Some cities, |
| Shameful Seas | | | | however are taking their own approach. Places like |
| A Bryde's whale that became stranded and died on | | | | New York City are talking about imposing a six cents |
| Cairns beach in August, 2000 had an autopsy done to | | | | tax per plastic bag dispensed. Many stores already |
| reveal 20 square feet of tightly packed plastic, primarily | | | | offer small incentives to consumers that bring their |
| shopping bags, lodged in its stomach. So many whales | | | | own Eco-friendly bags with them when doing their |
| like this one die in the ocean where the plastic | | | | shopping. |
| eventually is exposed back into the water for other | | | | Small changes are happening but you do not have to |
| sea creatures to feed on, creating a viscous cycle. | | | | wait for city taxes or state laws to make a difference. |
| It is estimated that over 100,000 marine creatures are | | | | Stop using plastic bags today to save the animals of |
| killed each year because of plastic pollution. These | | | | tomorrow. |