Okay, so this is a boast of a sorts or maybe it is just an opportunity to brag about my home girls in Alabama. I was home during the summer and I was sitting on a dock over Weeks Bay, drinking beer with a bunch of girls from high school. One thing led to another and we got to talking about politics and green things. I am such an oddity in my political and green views for my friends that they can't help their curiousity. I am like a strange creature in the zoo. Questions always get asked about my opinion on something, and let me tell you if you ask my opinion you'll get it. I'll probably tell you even if you don't ask...
Anyway, we were talking about plastic bags. I was telling them that even if they don't believe in climate change. There were lots of reasons to avoid plastic. My example was if you are worried about gas prices then eliminating oil based disposalable products was probably something they should consider. That got their attention. I asked if they knew how many gallons of oil were used each year to simply manufacture disposable plastic bags. Needless to say 12 billion gallons wasn't the number they were thinking.
I saw a conversion on the most profound religious level. Immediate commitments of change abounded. Most Southern Baptist ministers would have even been impressed!
Of course it's easy to say it. It's another thing to do it. I encouraged all of them to read my blog on Sotheast Green. I am always the shameless self-promoter. One friend, Mary, did do it and this is where it becomes really exciting.
Mary told her mother when she got home and her mother went out immediately and purchased cloth shopping bags. The next time Mary went to Wal-Mart she took the bags. Of course the check-out girl was bewildered. Here in Atlanta you see more and more folks carrying their own bags not so true in Mobile. The check out girl asked why Mary had the cloth bags. (I guess she needed a little more training from her store manager if she didn't know.) Mary being the good convert told the story of what had happened out on the dock that hot summer day and once Mary finished explaining why she was carrying them the four women behind her immediately bought bags for themselves. Now that is pretty powerful! You go girls!
