Reusable bag!

The second assignment of the Toastmasters is "organize your speech." I was supposed to make a well-organized presentation, and persuademy audience to take action. Take action!? What kind of action shall I suggest!?? I wondered and wondered, and then...I was reminded of Japanese news. I heard in some areas in Japan, people started not to use plastic bags in grocery stores because their bad effect of the environment. After a few weeks later, I found that The Trader Joe's, which is my favorite organic shop, sold their original REUSABLE bags. Look at the photo! I decided to make a presentation suggesting to use "reusable bags," instead of plastic or paper bags. On November 13th, I got the THIRD AWARD of the best speaker from the Toastmasters because of this presentation☆

I will copy my script of the presentation. I appreciate if you read this script even though it's length!(Don't worry, this is not so long like my wedding presentation script!) But I took much time to research it, ( Basically, I am not an enthusiastic ecologist...) so I bet you will get some interesting information from my script! Let's get started♪

“Paper or plastic!?” “Paper or plastic!?” Even though I had no idea what the clerk meant just after I came to the U.S, now I am asked this question at least once a week. What do you answer usually? “Paper please”? or “ Definitely, plastic!”? Actually, my answer is neither. I say, “No, thanks. I have my RESUSABLE BAG.” A reusable bag is literally a bag you can use many times. So, where are paper bags and plastic bags from and where will they go after you use them? Today, let’s follow their trail from “cradle to grave.”

Does anyone prefer paper? Of course paper bags are from forests. In 1999, 14 million trees were cut to produce the 10 billion paper grocery bags used by Americans. Manufacturing paper bags requires virgin timber because of their greater strength and elasticity. Virgin timber is processed into heat-treated wood chips in a chemical solution. This creates numerous byproducts that pollute waterways and produce air pollution, such as acid rain. The toxicity of the chemicals is long-term and settles into the sediments, working its way through the food chain.

If you are still brave enough to say, “Paper please,” where will the paper bags go after you dump them? They have two possible fates: ending up as waste or being recycled. As waste, paper is bulkier than plastic, taking up more landfill space, and generates 70% more air and 50 times more water pollutants than plastic bags. However, the recycling rate of disposable paper bags is only 10―15 percent. Why? Because it requires facilities and money. Most landfills can’t do this because of the lack of water, light, oxygen, and other important elements that are necessary for the recycling process.

Let’s move on to the other choice. Does anyone usually say, “plastic please?” These single-use, high-density polyethylene bags are manufactured from petroleum, a nonrenewable resource. It’s estimated that nearly 12 million barrels of oil are required to make the 100 million plastic shopping bags Americans use annually. U.S. supermarkets and convenience stores pay $4 billion in a year for those plastic bags.

After you use it? Some plastic can also be recycled, but so far the recycling rate is just 1 to 3 %. Most of them end up as waste. Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide. Billions end up as litter per year. Unbelievably, it takes 20 to 1,000 years for a plastic bag to break down in the environment. Besides littering our urban areas, plastic bags are carried by wind and ocean currents to pristine areas of the earth. And then, hundreds of thousands of sea turtles, whales and other marine mammals die every year from eating discarded plastic bags mistaken for food.

Lately, many countries have been trying to make the environmental dilemma better. Taiwan, Bangladesh, and South Africa now prohibit providing the plastic bags. The Republic of Ireland imposes a 15 cent per bag tax paid by consumers. This tax led to a 90 percent drop in their use of plastic bags and raised approximately $9.6 million for a “green fund” established to benefit the environment. Kenya also imposes tax when they use a plastic bag. Papua, New Guinea may institute doing this. In Germany, they have to pay for paper or plastic bags in stores. Parts of Singapore, Australia, and China are the same. The Japanese government is planning to enact the law about charging plastic & paper bags from the next year. Even here, in the United States, if you go to San Francisco, you have to pay 17 cents per paper or plastic bag!

So, what should we do? There is one Japanese saying: The free one is the most expensive.” Paper and plastic bags are free! So can we use and waste them as much as we want? No way! Now we realize they are not free. Making, discarding, and recycling paper and plastic bags costs much and sometimes could have a bad effect our environment. Many countries are trying to settle this problem! Let’s be brave to say, “No, thanks. I have my reusable bag.” at the checkout stands.

Reference:
・ www.reusablebags.com
・ "The Hidden Costs of Grocery Bags", Lisa Lucio Gough
・Comparison of the Effects on the Environment of Polythylene and Paper Carrier Bags, Federal Office of the Environment, August 1988

What do you think? Are you pursuaded by me to use a reusable bag?
After each presentation, all members of the Toastmasters fill out "evaluation sheets" and hand it to the presenters. As I read those evaluations, some of them said," Excellent! I felt I should use a reusable bag!" I was glad! However, I was exhausted after the presentation. Making a presentation of my unfamiliar topic is so tiring! (Of ourse it's a great learning, though...) I researched a lot, so I think my script is good...but, it was hard to memorize unfamiliar environmental words! I couldn't memorize every number I used, so sometimes I looked a handout I provided to everybody during the presentation. Then, some of them wrote at the evaluation sheets, "Keep paper away from your face! It was not good if the audience can't see your face." I got it...but, I had much information! So, my handout was filled with small words!! I had to have my handout come close to my face!!!
Altogether, I did a good job and got the award, but Iearned it was better to take much more time to be familiar with the topic.

Do you have a question? Oh, you wonder if I use this reusable bag regularly or not?
Frankly speaking...I often forget to BRING my reusable bag...so, I often said,"plastic, please," eventually. I can't meet members of the Toastmasters at grocery stores!!!