As part of the national day of action to reduce carbon emissions (www.350.org), on October 24, the Village of Tarrytown and its Environmental Advisory Council will launch its “Reusable Shopping Bag” campaign to reduce the use of plastic bags.
Between 500 billion and one trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide each year, with Americans alone tossing out some 100 billion of these bags, the equivalent of 12 million barrels of oil. Reusable cloth shopping bags will be distributed free to residents and small businesses in Tarrytown and decals with the slogan "Did you remember to bring your reusable shopping bag?" will be distributed to Tarrytown merchants to post on their doors.
The Reusable Shopping Bag campaign is part of the Sustainable Tarrytown Action Plan, designed to lessen Tarrytown’s impact on the environment. An analysis of the Village’s emissions from 2007 forms the basis for the plan and demonstrates areas where energy saving improvements should be made. Other actions taken include the recent purchase of 2 all electric vehicles and a hybrid senior bus, the installation of bike racks and a new biking map (available from Village Hall and online at www.tarrytownenvironmental.org) and the passage of legislation banning gas powered blowers from June 15 to September 15. In addition, workshops on energy savings, green building, green giving, gardening, composting and recycling have been held, and a community garden is being actively explored.
Tarrytown’s campaign is made possible through a generous grant from the Westchester Community Foundation, a division of The New York Community Trust.
