A Note From Dr. Jane

Dear Roots & Shoots members and friends,

Our Roots & Shoots members who participate in beach, stream and park cleanups know that unfortunately, trash is everywhere. And plastic bags are one of the major problems. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that over a billion plastic bags are used each day in the United States. Think what that means on a global scale – millions and millions of plastic bags used every minute!

And, as you probably know, the chemicals from plastic bags pollute our soil and water, and hundreds of thousands of animals die each year when they mistake plastic bags for food or become trapped by them so that they may suffer slow painful deaths. In the tropics, the effects of flooding from monsoons are made worse by plastic bags that clog the drains.

It is time that we all work together to do something about this horrendous situation - and Roots & Shoots is leading the way. Now R&S group leaders in America and Canada have designed a new Roots & Shoots "Reusable Bags" campaign, a joint project designed to reduce – with a goal of eliminating – the use of plastic bags everywhere.

Roots & Shoots groups worldwide can educate family and friends about the need to get rid of plastic bags. You could even petition local grocery stores to offer credits to customers who bring their own bags. You and your group can have fun making bags. You could hold a competition to create the wildest or most compelling design for a bag. Make one that is unique to your group or your town, and promote it as "the in thing" or "cool" to use. And see if you can keep a record of the number of times you use your own bag – which will be an indication of the number of plastic bags that, thanks to you, have not been used. It would be great to know, for example, that Roots & Shoots members have kept a million bags out of landfills, off the streets and so on, by the next newsletter!

I know you will want to join in and plan your own project. Whether you make a commitment to create and use your own bag, or give a presentation to your whole school about the need to get rid of plastic bags, you will be making an important difference!

With love,

Dr. Jane Goodall
Founder, the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace