Characterized as a “$%&*-storm we’ve started”, by Surfrider Oregon Field Coordinator Charlie Plybon, is a little something that began as the local Portland Surfrider Chapter’s “Ban the Bag” campaign, which now has taken Oregon into hyper-drive on professing its disdain for the plastic plague statewide!
Here’s a rough time line: Portland Surfrider gathers 5,000 (not an over-night task, mind you, even in progressive Portland) toward their single-use plastic bag ban targeted at Portland-proper. The buzz grows and…lo & behold, State Senator Mark Hass, D-Beaverton, wants every store in Oregon to do the same: Ban The Bag. Wa-BAM!
Toward that goal, Hass is leading the charge on a bill, Senate Bill 1009, that is up for a hearing Tuesday in Salem that would outlaw single-use plastic bags at the retail level. The “hyper-drive” part of this is that this is a THREE WEEK BILL – T-H-R-E-E WEEKS! That is just nuts – how can any self-respecting plastics lobbyist dole out enough multi-martini lunches and freebie boondoggle junkets to the Greek Isles, etc, etc, etc in that miniscule span of time?? (For perspective, a California plastics bill now being considered is being given a two year [TWO YEARS?] lifespan – ugh!)
I love this Sen. Hass quote about SU plastic bags: “They contribute to litter, are minimally recycled, regularly gum up recycling sorting machines, harm marine life and are made from fossil fuels. I don’t think people understand the true cost of these bags,” …‘nuff said, homie.
Ahhh – the concept of “True Cost”, tru dat!! Nice job of bringing it all back home Mark! Therein lies the inherent, inbred, insipid “nature” of plastics – especially the single-use demons. AND a politician with his spinal cord attached to his brain stem - heretoforeunheardof – it’s all coming together in O-R-E-G-O-N!
Article Link Zone:
Both articles mention Surfrider’s 5,000 signatures toward the ban:
OregonLive article ... Statesman Journal article
The Stateman article quotes Gus Gates Surfrider’s Oregon Policy Coordinator.
You can participate in an online poll about the ban here.
So, DIG IT…and stay tuuuuuned.