{"id":58,"date":"2019-04-03T09:08:14","date_gmt":"2019-04-03T09:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iris.siue.edu\/biowire\/?p=58"},"modified":"2022-07-01T17:18:30","modified_gmt":"2022-07-01T17:18:30","slug":"bring-your-own-to-better-the-environment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iris.siue.edu\/biowire\/2019\/04\/03\/bring-your-own-to-better-the-environment\/","title":{"rendered":"Bring Your Own to Better the Environment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Bring Your Own Glen-Ed, <\/a>or BYO Glen-Ed is a local group dedicated to advocating for eco-friendly policies on a personal level. They seek out alternatives to using plastic bags and plastic straws including using recyclable materials or skipping the use of certain plastics altogether. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The group has a pledge consumers can download saying that they promise to never again use plastic straws and a \u201cStraws Upon Request\u201d card to give to businesses to encourage people to rethink the use of straws, which may harm turtles and other wildlife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another major issue for the group is the use of single-use plastic bags. BYO Glen Ed member Sheila Voss said that there are many causes for concern when it comes to the environment. Starting locally makes the most sense, and focusing on plastic bags is a good option because it\u2019s something almost everyone comes in contact with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe chose to zero in on single-use bags because they have now become a ubiquitous part of our daily lives,\u201d Voss said. \u201cWe don\u2019t even think about [creating waste]. It is our new default. Instead, the most sustainable option should be our default, and the least sustainable should be the most costly and inconvenient.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The overall mission for BYO Glen-Ed is to \u201ceducate the community through educational displays at the Goshen Market, LeClaire Fest, and at meetings of community organizations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Founder Stephanie Malench has dedicated herself to being as eco-friendly as possible through her business. According to the group\u2019s website, BYO Glen-Ed is \u201ca coalition of citizens and community groups seeking to reduce the harm single-use plastics have on our health, the environment, and the local economy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the focus on plastic bags, the group has decided to expand its reach to reusable containers, straws, and cutlery. All these things impact the world in ways we might not even recognize, but while the actions of an individual may seem small and insignificant, over time the impacts can go a long way toward making the planet more livable for future generations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The group has a proposed ordinance that they encourage local municipalities to use. It would apply a 10-cent fee to every plastic bag used at large retail stores. The revenue from these fees will go to the company, which would use the funds to purchase reusable bags to give to customers. Voss disputed the notion that this fine would have an adverse effect on lower class shoppers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA study by UPROSE in Brooklyn found that the behavior change was the same and the use of single use bags went down equally (between low- and high-income shoppers),\u201d Voss said. \u201cThe UPROSE study also found that low income communities were more concerned with the negative impact of plastic bag pollution in their neighborhoods then they were about the fees.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bring Your Own Glen Ed hopes to present this plan to governing bodies in Edwardsville and Glen Carbon and work out a final ordinance that could be passed. According to Voss, they hope to have the ordinance implemented 3-6 months after it passes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBoth municipalities need to take ownership of this opportunity, make it their own and shepherd it through the formal approval process that all new ordinances need to go through in order to pass,\u201d Voss said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For readers interested in more information on ways to help spread the word, BYO Glen-Ed can be reached by email at info@bringyourownglen-ed.org.
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