Hello everyone this is my third action post!
I am basing my action project on the #13 global goal climate action. For my project I am making, and decorating, reusable, recyclable and compostable bags and donating them to a local store currently using plastic bags. I hope my action will help keep plastic bags out of landfills and will encourage others to start using reusable bags.
So far I have bought the paper I am currently constructing the bags. There is a link below on a video that I watched on how to make them. I was able to find paper that is recyclable, biodegradable and made from 100% recycled material which I was very happy about! I’m now starting to construct my bags. Here is a picture of the paper I am using and the first bag that I have made!
I tested the bag and it seems to be pretty sturdy. I am probably going to keep these bags around this size and add some handles to a couple of them. I think my biggest challenge right now is time management. I want to make sure that I have a substantial amount before making my donation. I was able to find some paper bags already in my house that I can use and decorate to help me add to the collection. If anyone has any old paper bags like these that they are not using, I would really appreciate the contribution or I would encourage you to start reusing it!
One of the biggest thing that I have accomplished is deciding which store I am going to donate too! I decided that I will plan on donating the bags to Crossroads Hospice thrift store in Coquitlam BC. Crossroads Hospice thrift store is a local non-profit store that collects unwanted items such as clothes, books, kitchenware etc. and sells them to the public. 100% of the proceeds goes towards Crossroads Hospice Society, an organization that provides compassionate care and support to people with life-limiting illness and their families, and offers support to individuals who are grieving the loss of a loved one.
All of Crossroad’s thrift stores are located in BC and are run by volunteers. I have personally shopped there before and the people were all very nice. I noticed that the Crossroads Hospice thrift store in Coquitlam is currently using plastic bags and since they accept gently used fashion and household items, I figure they would be willing to use my bags. I think this is a good place to target for donating my bags because they are working to make a positive change in the community just as we are. I am personally very family oriented and I think their organization is really helping support families going through some hard times. Because I chose this as my donating destination, I will probably promote Crossroads Hospice thrift store with the bags by decorating them with the logo and colour of the thrift store
In my next post, I hope to have more bags made and to have started the decorating process. Thank you so much for reading and commenting! 🙂
additional sources
Hey Cynthia,
That’s so nice! They will for sure appreciate your donation! I know that you bought the materials for the bags already and you said time management was your biggest challenge but now that we all have a lot of time on our hands I think that problem isn’t the biggest one. I checked Crossroads Hospice Society Thrift Store’s website and it says they are still accepting donations. Due to the current situation though, you might not want to be going anywhere you don’t need to be going. I think that even if it’s just you and your family using the bags, you’re still positively contributing to the environment.
Here are some (hopefully) helpful links 🙂
https://phys.org/news/2018-08-reuse-bags.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA17pEAPl1k&feature=youtu.be
https://www.pinterest.ca/brodymon/paper-bag-decorating/
Good luck!
Shieva Mokhtarnameh