01 Aug Interfaith Environmental Network endorses “Ban The Bag”

You're Invited to Ban the Bag! In an effort to live out our common call of environmental stewardship, the Interfaith Environmental Network (IEN) supports a resolution currently being proposed by the Central Texas Zero Waste Alliance (CTZWA) which would authorize the City of Austin to ban the use of single-use plastic and paper bags. Mayor Leffingwell recently authored a blog about his support for eliminating single-use plastic bags, the CTZWA resolution will push for more. 

Single-use bags, both paper and plastic, represent a huge threat to the environment. This threat is not only related to the sheer volume of bags that end up in landfill, but also to the resources needed to produce, transport and recycle them, and the emissions resulting from these processes. Single-use bags are also well known for their interference in ecosystems and the part they play in flood events, where they clog pipes and drains.

With the adoption of this resolution in the form of a city ordinance, Austin will be joining other cities across the state and the globe that have recognized the severity of this issue. Cities in Texas that have already adopted similar ordinances include Brownsville (effective January 2011), Ft. Stockton (effective September 2011), and Padre Island (effective January 2012).

In an effort to minimize any undue burden this may cause to Austin’s low income residents, the IEN further advocates that the City develop a mechanism for directing solid waste disposal cost savings secured by the ordinance to a program providing  reusable bags to this population. IEN further calls on the City of Austin to incorporate this ordinance in the city’s Zero Waste Master Plan.

IEN Steering Committee, 2010.

IEN’s endorsement statement, 

On August 18 at 9:30am the IEN Steering Committee welcomes you to attend a press conference at City Hall where the CTZWA resolution will be announced. Learn more about other events related to this initiative here. To provide feedback to the IEN Steering Committee, or ask any questions, please use the email form provided here on our website. 

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The Interfaith Environmental Network of Austin (IEN) welcomes those in faith communities in Central Texas who are interested in linking religious values and spirituality with environmental stewardship concerns. Join us in living out the common call to environmental stewardship and caring for the creation.