OUR MISSION
Green Endeavors promotes the replacement of plastic and paper bags with sustainable, reusable sacks. Currently, the American agenda allows for convenience by way of disposability over environmental responsibility. Our resources and landfills are not without limits; it is time to take action! The goal of Green Endeavors is to go beyond recycling and to produce less waste. We believe that by encouraging
PAPER, PLASTIC OR NEITHER ?
14 million trees are cut down to supply a year’s worth of paper grocery bags. This is according to the American Forest and Paper Association based on the fact that we use 10 billion paper bags each year and one 15 year-old tree can make about 700 bags.
While it takes four times the energy to produce a paper bag as opposed to a disposable plastic bag, it takes thousands of years for plastic bags to decompose. Disposable plastic bags also contain toxins that harm our planet and can not be easily recycled.
Non-woven Polypropylene bags can be reused countless more times than both paper and disposable plastic AND are nontoxic, washable and lightweight. Plus, they pay for themselves, because many stores pay you to carry your own bag.
THE FACTS
1. When 1 ton of paper bags is reused or recycled, 3 cubic meters of landfill space is saved and 13 to 17 trees are spared! (According to sierraclub.org)
2. When 1 ton of plastic grocery bags is reused or recycled, the energy equivalent of 11 barrels of oil are saved. (According to sierraclub.org)
3. Reusing a permanent grocery bag is the best way to reduce energy intensity. According to the scholarly study entitled "Reuse versus recycling: A look at grocery bags" by Robert W. Fenton (Resource Recycling, March 1992).
4. Reusing as an alternative to paper and plastic is not only supported factually, but it just makes sense. Reusing bags eliminates the consumption of resources necessary to produce new bags and the energy it takes to recycle old ones.
GET STARTED
Start reusing bags! Almost every grocery store sells reusable bags OR you can use cloth bags you may already have around your house.