MAY / J U N E 2 0 1 3 51 Getting plastic bags banned in Napa took hard work, not wishful thinking There’s a Zen saying that says, “Sitting silently, doing nothing, spring comes, and the grass grows by itself.” Well, that may be so for the grass that so beautifully greens up the hills of the Valley through the winter, but grassroots movements hardly grow by themselves. Napa Valley CanDo’s efforts to bring about a single use plastic bag ban are a case in point. On March 19, Napa’s City Council unanimously approved Napa Valley CanDo’s recommendation to develop an ordinance that will ban most single use plastic bags in retail establishments. A bag ban might have happened eventually without CanDo, but the story of how it has been put in motion now is a lesson in grassroots organizing and perseverance. In early 2010, a small group of members concerned about the environment decided to address the problem of plastic bags. Other cities in California were moving forward with bag bans and there was some interest in Napa, but nobody seemed ready to take action. The group began with self-education. They read, researched and attended conferences. They learned about state laws that impact local jurisdictions, local ordinances being passed elsewhere, and about the efforts of plastic bag manufacturers to bring suit against cities that attempted to ban their products. In 2011 CanDo members met with staff from the City of Napa and the County to learn from them and to inform them of CanDo’s interest in a single use bag phase out. The city suggested a focus on educational activities and promoting voluntary replacement of plastic with reusable bags. CanDo’s “Better Bag Month” was the result. After much preparation, in October CanDo members created educational materials, spoke to community groups, and distributed 2,500 reusable bags purchased by the City and County. They collected pledges from shoppers to use their new bags. They continued community outreach with tables at Earth Day, the Napa Farmers’ Market and grocery stores, and a media campaign. The highlight of Better Bag Month was the viewing of Bag It, a 2010 documentary about the damage done by plastic bags to the environment, wildlife, and humans. Four hundred people attended an Opera House screening. The film was also shown to numerous school groups. All this was the work of committed volunteers. If only a little education and a new reusable bag were enough. Unfortunately, counts taken prior to and after Better Bag Month showed that the impact of the bag give-away had been minimal; it wasn’t enough to change the habits of the majority of shoppers. But CanDo’s volunteers didn’t give up. They kept monitoring the progress of ordinances in other California cities and counties. Prior to the November city council election, CanDo members made sure each candidate was asked publicly about possible support for a plastic bag ban. Like the “Eveready Bunny” of advertising fame, CanDo kept on going and going and going. 2012 brought continued public outreach and almost one thousand signatures were collected on a petition directed to local elected officials in support of a plastic bags ban. CanDo members spoke at a City Council meeting making the connection between a proposed ban and the City’s Sustainability Plan. They wrote letters to the editor of the Napa Valley Register, continued to table at community events, and drafted a sample ordinance for the City to consider. They developed a PowerPoint presentation to share with the Napa Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Association, and the Napa County Board of Supervisors. They met with Visit Napa Valley to express concerns about plastic bag litter and its negative impact on tourism. Members worked with Napa’s mayor to get on the Council agenda and talked privately with individual council members to be sure they had the latest information. Then, in early March, the Napa Valley Register ran an editorial in favor of a ban, and on March 19, the Council chambers were filled with community members who were ready for a bag ban. It may have seemed to casual observers like a spontaneous outpouring of support, but CanDo volunteers knew it was much more. Their three years of diligent work came to a powerful and positive conclusion as all five council members raised their voices in favor of an ordinance banning single use bags. Like the small group of CanDo volunteers who started the process years before, council members had become knowledgeable about plastic bags and commonsense ways to eliminate them. They proved once again the famous words of Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” To learn more about Napa Valley CanDo and the many ways you can help our communities thrive, go to www.NVCanDo.org, email NVCanDo@gmail. com, or phone 707.252.7743. don’t grow by themselves by hilary zunin and grania lindbert
NVLife_MayJune_2013
To see the actual publication please follow the link above