Unlike some people that only NABO (No Action Blog Only) , I’ve decided to actually do something about reducing the use and our dependency on plastic bags. I’ve bought a pretty pink Cold Storage canvas bag and left it at my office for when I need to go shopping during my lunch breaks!

I’ve also bought 3 other canvas bags for my maid to bring to the supermarket. See, if I can’t convince my mother and my family to “inconvenient” themselves for our environment, I’ve convinced my maid that she needs to bring canvas bags to the supermarket from now on

The pink canvas bags were sold out at the Cold Storage near my office so I got for my maid funky Orange, Black and Green canvas bags! They’re really pretty too~

Of course, I’ve already started using black canvas bags from Dorothy Perkins and blue ones from Cotton On to carry my office jacket and other misc things I can’t put in my own bag. My favourite still has to be the canvas bag from IONA (IOVA?). I’ll take some pictures of my collection of canvas bags soon I guess. These canvas bags are not only good for the environment, they are really cheap (from free to $1), they’re light weight and they definitely look better than plastic bags!

If I haven’t already convinced you to start using canvas bags, don’t worry, soon the whole world will ban plastic bags and Singapore will just have to follow suit then. So it’s definitely better to get used to these sexy canvas bags now then have to forcefully get use to living without plastic.

Btw, am I allowed to coin the term “No Action Blog Only” a.k.a. NABO ?

No related posts.

 Japan Times – Japan banning plastic bags

China banning plastic bags

Another resource

But concerns that the estimated 30 billion plastic shopping bags utilized every year are contributing to global climate change when incinerated have prompted the government to call for restraint.

“Our country consumes a huge amount of plastic shopping bags each year,” said the State Council, China’s cabinet. “While plastic shopping bags provide convenience to consumers, this has caused a serious waste of energy and resources and environmental pollution because of excessive usage, inadequate recycling and other reasons.“

But like candy wrappers, chewing gum, cigarette butts, and thousands of other pieces of junk, millions of the plastic bags end up as litter. Once in the environment, it takes months to hundreds of years for plastic bags to breakdown. As they decompose, tiny toxic bits seep into soils, lakes, rivers, and the oceans, said Cobb.

    * The production of plastic bags requires petroleum and often natural gas, both non-renewable resources that increase our dependency on foreign suppliers. Additionally, prospecting and drilling for these resources contributes to the destruction of fragile habitats and ecosystems around the world.

* The toxic chemical ingredients needed to make plastic produces pollution during the manufacturing process.

* The energy needed to manufacture and transport disposable bags eats up more resources and creates global warming emissions.

When plastic bags breakdown, small plastic particles can pose threats to marine life and contaminate the food web. A 2001 paper by Japanese researchers reported that plastic debris acts like a sponge for toxic chemicals, soaking up a million fold greater concentration of such deadly compounds as PCBs and DDE (a breakdown product of the notorious insecticide DDT), than the surrounding seawater. These turn into toxic gut bombs for marine animals which frequently mistake these bits for food.

Please don’t try to convince others that plastic bags aren’t a problem to the environment. Try to convince yourself it is.

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I understand why many would have such strong resistance against the government’s attempt to make Singaporeans more aware of being environmentally friendly. I am not a zealous environmentalist and I am guilty of not bringing my own bag to the supermarkets. Although, I do make an effort not to take plastic bags if I have less than 5 items.

When I was studying in Australia, I don’t recall Aussie government or supermarkets imposing such tactics. But I do remember many many shoppers bringing their own green canvas bags to ‘Coles’ (Aussie equivalent of NTUC). It was quite weird at first, what motivates these people to bring their own canvas bags to the supermarket instead of having the “convenience” of getting plastic bags free? I vaguely remembered that my mother was denied an extra plastic bag from the Aussie supermarket. You know how in Singapore, we always tell them to give extra plastic bags when we’re buying heavy items in case one plastic bag isn’t strong enough to hold? Well, the supermarket lady refused to give an extra plastic bag and my mother was mildly irritated.

Maybe, just maybe, there are other alternatives that would be as effective as charging one dollar for every plastic bag on a specific day of the month. But I suspect educating Singaporeans, especially the older generations like my mother or your mothers, would not suffice. Simply because, the mindset of their generation is to ignore what they don’t know, to not find out what they don’t know, and to not care about what they know.

I am sure many supermarket aunties would find bringing bags to the supermarket a bigger hassle than destroying the Earth. The latter requires less effort – just go about your normal lives asking for more plastic bags.

Perhaps we should start offering paper bags instead – which is a smaller baby step than asking people to bring their own bags. But in the long run, we’ll run out of paper to make paper bags.

Plastic bags aren’t only nuisance waste, when we incinerate the plastic, it produces many harmful chemicals into the atmosphere. Do we really want our children and their children to be paying for the price of us not making an effort to bring bags to supermarket? Do we?

This more or less confirms my suspicion that Singaporeans are Republicans at heart fighting for a Democratic government (this is with reference to U.S. politics).

Earth dying? Cannot be la, they keep saying everyone going to si (die).. Si Si Si so many years, the Earth still fine what! Waste my money and time on stupid plastic bags.. Even if the Earth die is many years later, that time I already shang qing tian (go up to heaven), why I care so much now?

Let me end this post with my favourite environmentalist comedy song act I saw on TV a couple of years ago…. From Melbourne Comedy Festival 2006 Gala Night

Tim Minchin’s

BRING YOUR CANVAS BAGS TO THE SUPERMARKET

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It’s 8.15am in the morning and I was reading a few blog posts before I head off to work. and. I. see. this. blog.

http://adamzhang.com/bring-your-own-bag-campaign-is-ridiculous/

RIDICULOUS?

I’m so going to write a long essay to point out whose the ridiculous one. PLASTIC BAGS are BAD for the environment!

OBVIOUSLY, Singapore hasn’t been doing a good job educating Singaporeans the evils of Plastic Bags. Typical Singaporeans only know how to complain of the inconvenience it is for us to bring plastic bags.

Complain, complain, complain.

Soon the Earth we live in is going to die, but of course, why should we care? It’s only going to be dead during the times of our children and our grandchildren and perhaps, if lucky, our great grand children.

Selfish, selfish, conceited, little humans.

No, I’m not trying to lecture the blogger who wrote that post, because many other Singaporeans share his sentiments. But why are these Singaporeans so under-educated!!

*sigh*

I’ll come home tonight to write the long essay on why and what can we do to change Singaporean’s mindsets. I’ll just have to ponder about it in office.

*edit: sorry adamzhang, if I sounded too harsh. It’s really important for everyone to play a part to saving our Earth. And maybe it’s just infuriating to read about Singaporeans caring more about a little convenience than of the environment*

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