The Austin plastic bag ban: will it succeed?

I have used reusable grocery bags since I lived in Australia in 2008. I have a freezer bag (with insulation lining) that I take everywhere. I often get odd looks and laughs, but it no longer bothers me. I do it because single-use plastic is horribad for the environment. I do it to reduce the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. I do it because whales eat hundreds of plastic bags in their lifetime. I do it because sea turtles mistake plastic bags for jellyfish. I do it because it saves petroleum.

I do it because plastics ares often very difficult to recycle (compared to aluminum or glass). I refuse to drink bottled water for the same reason: the bottles.

The country of China has the plastic bag banned--why can't America do it? Because Americans love convenience. It's probably our greatest flaw as a people. There are Starbucks on opposite corners in this country. We haven't had to tighten our belts since WWII and the gas crisis of the 70s. Convenience is king. But there is hope.

Starting March 1st, 2013, Austin, Texas, will ban the bag. This is a victory for the environment, but will it stick? Is Austin progressive enough to keep it going? I think it has a good chance, but not a great one.

When I think about the demographics of Austin (and it's recent immigration surge), I don't see environmentalism or conservationism in droves. I see rich white men with UT license plates on their gas guzzlers. I see and working men with trailers full of cleared brush (taking up two lanes on Mopac).

Better idea: sin tax

To be honest, I think an all-out ban on the bags is a bad idea. I think the city council missed a huge opportunity here. They could have taxed the bags. Many supermarkets already do this: simply charge 5¢ or 10¢ extra if the person didn't bring their own bags ("BYOB"). New Jersey is doing this statewide. It could have meant a lot of tax dollars for the city.

When March comes around, there may be a massive backlash. People may resent the fact that they don't have the freedom to use plastic bags anymore. They may take out their frustration on the environment (or environmentalists).

The bacteria argument is irrelevant

What will probably be the rallying cry of the anti-bagism peoples are that reusing bags can kill you (by infecting the unhealthy with E. coli and such). Know what else has lots of deadly bacteria? The surfaces of your fridge, your mobile phone, your soap dispenser. Wash your bags (or just lay them out in the sun).

What the plastic bag ban movement really needs is puppies. One good puppy-choking-on-a-plastic-bag stunt could go a long way. Nothing galvanizes a movement quite like "man's best friend".

Plan B?

If the law is reversed, maybe the city council could take a stab at plastic water bottles?

See also: Austin Recycling: What about Glass?

Government information:

• http://austintexas.gov/bags
• http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/info/plastic.html
• http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/marinedebris101/mdinfo.html
• http://www.surfrider.org/programs/entry/rise-above-plastics

Austin Recycling: What about Glass?

Oct 2013 update: it seems that glass is now a big part of Austin Recycling! Yay!

For living in a progressive, conscientious city like Austin, it is a chore to recycle some things. Some things (like paper and aluminum) seem to be easy to do, but this city is pretty terrible compared to my hometown (population 10,000), which takes just about anything curb-side. My apartment complex doesn't even have recycle bins.

So, I've made plans to create a one-stop database for all the places in Austin to recycle: http://www.steveprutz.com/recycle/ (hopefully will be live soon)

In the meantime, here is my wishlist (call for submissions, if you will) for more information on recycle places for the following items:

• GLASS: 9th Street only? If so, this is a travesty. Update Nov 30 2012: a brief explanation why...
• ELECTRONICS: Best Buy takes a heap of stuff now. There is a spot at the door for CDs and Remotes! Goodwill Thrift Stores also take electronics (even non-working ones).
• METALS:  there's a spot on the extreme southern part of S. Congress, but I am not certain.

Also, here's a bunch of links I found about recycling in ATX, but they're often OUTDATED and UNCLEAR:

• http://www.utexas.edu/facilities/services/recycle/recycleright.html (UT)
• http://www.austincc.edu/faoadmin/recycling.php (ACC)
• http://www.sunsetvalley.org/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={65D10FFC-57D8-4AE3-9E71-A8B2699CDCD1} (Sunset Valley) 
• http://www.austineconetwork.com/directory/all/97
• http://www.austintexas.gov/content/1361/FAQ/3001
• http://www.keepaustinbeautiful.org/CleanSweep
• http://www.statesman.com/life/green/
• http://www.ecology-action.org/where-recycle/locations
• http://www.reddit.com/r/Austin/comments/efpg/where_can_i_recycle_in_north_austin_and_why_is/
• http://www.balconesresources.com/facilities/index.php
• http://www.reddit.com/r/Austin/comments/p1tli/computer_recycling/
• http://www.austinlinks.com/Usenet/centers.html
• http://www.examiner.com/gay-parenting-in-austin/austin-wide-electronics-recycling-drive
• http://www.statesman.com/life/content/life/stories/other/04/22/0422recycle.html
• http://www.imagemicro.com/ewaste.html  

See also: The Austin plastic bag ban: will it succeed?

American Education Reform

I was watching the final 2008 presidental debate, and had to weigh in about the final question: education problems. Both candidates gave dubious responses. OK, let's break this down a tad. For years and years, international surveys (look up Programme for International Student Assessment) have been throwing stats at public schools about how we're ranked below this country and that dictatorship. Here is why: our schools are unfocused; theirs are more focused. Do you think public schools in India have marching bands or tennis teams? Let me elaborate.

The "three R's": reading, writing, arithmetic. These are the basic, fundamental skills that all humans need to know to exist in any society or culture. Many, many of our public schoolteachers are absolutely obsessed with throwing out the traditional curriculum and teaching kids things such as rap music, computer games, Armenian culture, fashion, politics (and the list continues). Basically putting "fun" into school. These topics are not bad, but are they necessary to exist in any society or culture? And, is school supposed to be fun for the teacher?

I remember when I moved from primary school (K-3rd) to elementary school (4th-6th), and my 3-year-younger sister was taking PE with the same teacher I did previously. She got to go swimming at the local university pool with the rest of her class. I was upset. I never did anythingthat fun in PE, other than once using a traffic cone as a megaphone. There were zero PE field trips in my day. Would you rather see your kid in a pool, or accepting a Nobel prize?

One can say that reading is the most important skill that can be taught (other than listening, of course). If you can read, you can crack open any goddamned book and learn about things like quantum mechanics, linguistics, sports, art and geometry. Basically, learning to read well is the key to everything else. So, why are schoolteachers spending time on those secondary skills, like cooking and horsemanship? Don't get me started on music (which has no place in schools, because it exists everywhere else).

To get back to the stats about other countries dominating our 300-million-strong nation of idiots, these stats do have merit. We are ignorant because we lack focus on the fundamentals. While I am not a fundamentalist, and more obsessed with football than finding pi, I know that I could not appreciate or comprehend life without the bare necessities. More time must be spent on the basics (e.g. maybe showing teachers how to make reading more fun?). When the basics are there, the secondary skills fall into place. America has at least 300 million people. Name another country with any number near that, with better schools.