Bring your own bag

This past February, state Rep. Sam Yingling and I wrote and testified for a proclamation to declare that in Illinois, April is Bring Your Own Bag Month. Luckily, House Resolution 39 passed, and it will continue to be part of my efforts to raise awareness about the importance of bringing your own reusable bag when shopping. This effort is important to me because I've learned that convenience and business are what is most important to many people, not our environment. I've learned that recycling is not working to prevent litter because otherwise I would not have written this proclamation.

I've learned that recycling and roadside cleanups put all the responsibility on me and not the retailers who give out plastic bags for free and the manufacturers who make plastic bags. I've learned that plastic bags consume nonrenewable resources, endanger our wildlife, clog our storm drains and litter our waterways and highways. I've learned there just aren't enough of us doing the right thing to reduce our waste in general and not enough of us bringing our own bags when shopping.

I realize there are bigger problems we need to tackle in our state and world, but plastic bag litter has an easy solution. By proclaiming April as Bring Your Own Bag Month, we have a chance to change our behavior, honor Earth Day, support the environment and think about our choices.

Please bring your own bag and reduce. Thank you.

Abby Goldberg

Grayslake