Philly bloggers push for plastic bag ban

Philadelphia area bloggers are on a one-day blitz today to push for a plastic bag ban in the city.

The idea comes from Beth Funari and Julie Hancher, who write the Green Philly Blog.

Beth got her start in the green world as a kid. She was appalled by litter. Now, she writes, "My philosophy is that you don't need to go full-throttle tree-hugger to be a better citizen of the earth. Awareness of how we use everyday resources is one of the first steps to making a difference."

Julie says she knows she can't change the entire world on her own, but "I believe I can help others to start taking small actions."

And now they want a big action: a ban on plastic bags in Philly. City council had considered one, but the measure failed. Last year, Councilman Kenney said he might take another crack at the legislation this year, but so far, no go.

"Yet, Mayor Nutter has declared consistently that Philly is going to be the #1 greenest city in the US," Beth and Julie write in their post today. "We, Green Philly Blog, were frustrated when with this defeat 3 years ago, but decided to unite our amazing Philadelphia Bloggers to address this issue on their blogs, social media outlets and in person. Together, we can reach a wide audience of Philadelphians."

They're urging other bloggers to take up the cause today, so keep an eye on their blog to chart progress.

Also, they've started a petition on the social media site, www.change.org, which I wrote about recently in this column. As of a few minutes ago, the petition had 38 signatures.

Nicole Jones signed and wrote, "I work and shop in Philadelphia. I see so many plastic bags littering the already dirty streets."

Lauren Leonard wrote, "Hate plastic bags, love a clean, green city!"

Other cities have tried for fees or bans, with mixed success. The industry pushes back hard, naturally, in some cases filing legal action. It promotes plastic bag recycling as an alternative.