THUNDER BAY – Students at Pope John Paul II School and St. Martin Elementary School have banded together in a Bag Bonanza, an effort to keep plastic bags out of local landfills and waterways.
The youngsters held a contest to see who could collect the most reusable bags, and then their older colleagues designed and created stands to house them, which will be placed in locally owned grocery stores where shoppers can use them as alternative to plastic.
Celeste Carrier, a Grade 4 student at St. Martin, said plastic bags are an environmental disaster.
“A lot of plastic bags have been going in the ocean and breaking up into little pieces. A lot of the animals have been dying and we’ve been seeing a lot more dead zones (according to) scientists,” the 10-year-old said on Friday, after the stands were unveiled at Pope John Paul II School.
“All the animals that lived there are dead or gone, because of all the plastics at the bottom of the sea.” Celeste said she’s hopeful their efforts can spread.
“I think it could do a really big thing if people actually notice it,” she said. “Reusable bags don’t break that easily if they do go in the ocean – and they really shouldn’t.”
School-mate Juliet Stamler, a Grade 3 student at St. Martin, said the project, which was conducted in cooperation with Eco Superior, is an important first step.
“The bags do go in the ocean and affect animals,” she said. “The way we got students to bring in (reusable) bags was encouraging them with a pizza and Persian party.”
She estimated she brought in 33 reusable bags alone to contribute to the project.
Isis Budiselic, a Grade 8 student at Pope John Paul II School, said her class helped build the stands and she’s hoping it encourages the public to think twice about using plastic bags while grocery shopping.
“Single-use plastic bags are not good for the environment at all,” she said.
It’s all about changing attitudes and also teaching younger students about the importance of protecting the environment.
“Because when they’re older and have kids they may teach them to reduce and reuse, so it’s not putting any stress on the environment, keeping plastic out of the eco-system,” Isis said, adding she’s worried about the world she might inherit.
Teacher Taryn Kachur, a teacher at St. Martin School, said they got the idea from Plastics No More Thunder Bay.
“We thought it would be a great fit for our school, the concept of building boxes and having reusable bags available for shoppers to take and use instead of purchasing the single-use plastic bags,” she said.
“As a school we are very passionate about the environment, fundraising and community outreach.”
The goal is to expand the project beyond locally owned grocery stores and into larger, national chains, such as Superstore and Wal-Mart.
