To: President Donald Trump, The United States House of Representatives, and The United States Senate

A simple stepping stone to sustainability

Enact a nationwide bottle and bag bill to reduce waste, increase recycling, create funding for youth nature programs and also create many green jobs.

Why is this important?

Recycling and sustainability have long been a great concern for me because it is a simple thing to do but it can make a huge difference. The facts are clear from the 10 states with bottle bills that many jobs are created (The Container Recycling Institute's documented study estimates a national bottle deposit law will create 100,000 jobs), litter is dramatically reduced (cuts costly taxpayer-funded roadside and waterway clean-ups), and recycling participation improves significantly with financial incentive (20% participation rate rises to 80% almost overnight with container deposit law and bag tax implementation).
A National $.25 Single-use Use Bag Tax would give $.05 back to retailers to enable them to do free or low-cost reusable bag promotions. $.10 would go directly into a grant program established by local communities to fund community building but chronically underfunded programs for youth and others in mentoring, animal and nature therapy and education, sustainable community gardens, the arts, and a wide range of non-profit and school groups that are really making a difference and need to be expanded instead of cut. The final $.10 would go to land and sea plastic pollution clean-up efforts and awareness campaigns.

Hundreds of tons of carbon are prevented from being released by using recycled over virgin materials in container production. Reduced consumption of bags is also a greenhouse gas saver.

Taxing an industry that is creating a burden on society is not a new idea; adopting a nationwide bottle and bag bill is common sense. A federal law would require that all states have their own container deposit and single-use bag tax/grant programs in place by September, 2013.

I will be riding my bike from Montana to Washington,D.C. to deliver the signatures on this petition (please follow Wren's Ride on Facebook and Share! ) I am hoping to create a happy Mother's Day for Mother Earth by having a groundswell of support and convincing our corporate and government leaders to take clear and swift action to set our nation on a more sustainable and peaceful path.
(Please see the World Bank's new PSA "4 Degrees Hotter by 2100" urging immediate action regarding greenhouse gases and climate change)
Thank you for your support, together we can make a difference!