Using a tote bag instead of plastic shopping bag. Using a reusable tote bag is so much more convenient than a plastic bag a tote bag can last for years and it can simply be washed if too dirty. Every year each individual gets hundreds of plastic bags from stores and if every individual was to use a reusable bag instead, we’d be eliminating tons of waste from the environment. Plastic bags alone kill up to 100,000 marine animals every year! Research from Centers for Biological Diversity shows the leatherback sea turtle confuses plastic bags for jelly fish and they try to eat them. This matter has caused 1 of every 3 leatherback sea turtle to be found with plastic in their stomach, unfortunately they are not the only species being negatively effected by plastic bags which is extremely heart breaking. As stated in Earth Day Network only about 1% of the 4 trillion plastic bags used worldwide annually are recycled, and people of The United States throw away about 100 billion plastic bags every year! Each plastic bag takes up to 500 years to degrade in a landfill if we don’t take action now our planet is never ever going to recover from all this awful human activity. -Tara G
