Persuasion letter to use recyclable grocery bags

THE HOMEWORK FOR MY BUSINESS CLASS. I LIKE IT...

Momentum is building across the USA to reduce the consumption of plastic and paper bags due to their effect on the environment. You can make a difference in preserving our planet's resources and decreasing the amount of added pollution.

Now, I don’t want to sound all grim, but did you know that annually, the US uses about 100 billion plastic bags at an estimated cost of 4 billion Dollars? It requires roughly 12 million barrels of oil to make that many bags. In addition I’m sure you have heard that plastic is not biodegradable! It merely breaks down into smaller pieces of plastic. In a landfill, plastic bags take up to 1,000 years to degrade, and as litter, they breakdown into tiny bits, contaminating our soil and water.

At the website for the community offices for resource efficiency (www.aspencore.org) I found a compelling list. They stated that shopping with reusable bags promotes a number of positive environmental practices including:

1. Reducing oil consumption
2. Reducing energy use (manufacturing, transportation and disposal)
3. Reducing public trash pollution
4. Reducing waste disposal costs
5. Reducing trees cut down for use in paper bags
6. Reducing your personal carbon footprint (CO₂ emissions)
7. Promoting wildlife, particularly marine, welfare
8. Supporting a green industry
9. Supporting sustainable business practices

My suggestion is simple: change your routine by putting a few reusable bags in the trunk of your car when making a trip to the store. This way you automatically avoid asking for plastic or even paper at the check-out. Hey, if the Europeans can do it, so can we?