Assembly Member Kellner Distributing Green Bags at Farmers Market
I ran into Assembly Member Micah Kellner at the Roosevelt Island Farmers Market on Saturday morning. He was distributing free reusable tote bags and tweeted about it as well. Mr. Kellner explains the importance of using these “green” tote bags instead of plastic bags for your grocery shopping on his blog.
The average American family uses 60 plastic bags in only four trips to the grocery store, but using just one tote bag instead eliminates 1,000 plastic bags from our waste system. Single-use plastic bags accumulate and persist on our planet for over 1,000 years. Plastic bags dont biodegrade, they photodegradebreaking down into smaller and smaller toxic bits that contaminate soil, waterways, and enter the food chain. New Yorkers throw out 5.2 billion (thats billion with a b) plastic bags each and every year, causing irreversible environmental damage.
Last year, I distributed over one thousand free tote bags made from 100% recycled plastic bottles in my district and they became quite the fashion statement on the Upper East Side. I blogged about that effort in October of 2008, and I plan to do an even bigger push this year in my district….
I used my reusable tote bag that day saving at least 8 plastic bags with the one tote. The bag is very easy to carry and can be folded into a tiny size. 
