Bag-it: Goal Met -- Bonus offered!

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Goal Met -- Bonus offered!

Congratulations! In just two days the goal of 30 people reusing their plastic grocery bags was met -- that's really great news. This is so successful and we want to add a bonus to keep people motivated. So, if by the end of March 11 150 people reuse their plastic bags, a bonus will be added to the garden project's $250. So keep going for a good cause! And please leave your thoughts and comments at this blog site. It's important to document your experience about how you reuse and/or how you changed your usage behavior.

5 comments:

JohannaMarch 10, 2012 at 3:50 AM
The sign made a big difference for me. I stopped at Harding's on my way home from work. As I crossed the parking lot, I saw the sign. It reminded me to return to the car and get a bag to reuse.

The cashiers seem excited about the Bag-It Contest, too! I've "bagged-it" three times this week (I consider my shopping habits very European!) and each time the cashier has gone on and on about how well it's going. They're an important part of the cycle -- good to have them on board.
ReplyDelete
Replies
Brooke RosenbaumMarch 10, 2012 at 4:26 AM
What a great contest. Any way you can get this going at Buchanan's Hardings?
I never reuse one-time plastic bags at the grocery store, but that is not because I find them unsanitary or anything. Rather it's because we reuse them at our Garden Supply Store in BH, MI. We've been open for over two years, and have never had to buy new bags for our customer's purchases. Instead, we ask friends, neighbors and family members to save their Meijer, Harding's, or whatever bags for our use. I was doing this just because I'm too cheap to buy bags when they're free, but it's nice to help the environment, too. Great project, guys!
ReplyDelete
Replies
seanoheMarch 18, 2012 at 7:30 PM
I'm from California and was stoked to see Hardings doing this when we stopped by, then I was even more stoked to see who had organized it :) Keep up the great work!
ReplyDelete
Replies
Josie BurckMarch 29, 2012 at 12:27 PM
Hey, 141 people is a lot in my record. It was hard to change people's behavior in this kind of community. The school kids were a great help to us too.
ReplyDelete
Replies

Add comment

Start your own project!

We had lots of comments from people wanting us to start a program at THEIR local stores. But we don't have enough time! So we want to encourage all of you to do it yourselves -- it's easy! Here are some things to consider:

1. Offer an incentive - financial would be a great idea, but it could be something else. This helps people "own" the idea.
2. Use public media and social media (newspaper, newsletters, email, etc.) to spread the word.
3. Identify someone at the store who has the time and the interest in making this a success. This is very important. Someone whose job it is to make sure the community is happy.
4. A community with built-in support. Clubs, community organizations want to help as we learned!
5. There is free online support for downloading signs and giving advice. www.plasticbagrecycling.org please visit and look around.

The Bag-It Contest!

We want to help people change their plastic grocery bag usage habits. So many people use those bags once and then throw them away. Some do reuse them for other things, but those bags can be used again and again, not just once or twice. SO, March 5 - March 11 there is a contest at the Harding's in Three Oaks, Michigan. Bring your PLASTIC GROCERY BAGS back to the store and reuse them. The cashiers will give you 3 cents back for each bag you reuse and a tally will placed on a tally sheet. If 30 people reuse during the week, $250 will be donated by FOTO to the Elementary School's Garden Project. So get out there to Harding's and reuse those bags -- and keep doing it even after the contest is over!