Making a Difference!

I am so excited about one of my most recent accomplishments, so I couldn't hold in my blog post for long. On Friday of last week, I learned of an initiative called Earth Hour (the same as the poster below this post). I don't know why I had been oblivious about it for so long, but thank goodness I found out! Upon researching the movement, I decided that I would contact some of the mayors in Maryland.

I wrestled with the timing of my notification all weekend long. I kept telling myself,"If I send them letters (e-mails are the eco-friendly way *wink*) now, they won't have enough time to prepare." So, I let the weekend go by without drafting a letter. Monday and Tuesday went by before I decided that it wouldn't take them much time to notify their citizens that they would disable non-essential lights in their respective jurisdictions.

On Wednesday night, I began to write. After drafting a letter, I e-mailed it over to my friend Keren who's very knowledgeable about public policy having worked on prestigious campaigns. She sent back my letter the next morning with one change, and subsequently I e-mailed my list of mayors.

The reason for my excitement is the responses that I have received. We had a couple of cities that were already on board for Earth Hour, but I received emails of thanks notifying me that councils are taking the steps to prepare their cities for Earth Hour.

I don't know if you've ever aided in a good cause, but I can tell you that it sure feels great to make a difference! If you would like to learn about Earth Hour, visit the website to learn how you can make a difference in your community. www.earthhour.org

With love,
Tia

Earth Hour 2009

Here I am!

I know that I have not been updating my blog in a timely manner, but I have just cause. I have been collecting photos, which will later be posted, for a very special blog entry.

I have done a few things in these past few weeks to further my awareness and to also increase the exposure of the pageant by using my title locally, and hopefully nationally. I recently did a photo shoot with one of my favorite photographers in which I was adorned with my crown and sash. This was my first time having ever worn a crown and sash. Wow!

I felt honored to not only have and be able to wear the crown, but to also know that I have a title that will help me further contribute to a cause that I have always been so passionate about. My little sister who has been a pageant titleholder and successful pageant princess was in attendance to assist me. I love her!

Lets just say, yesterday was a good day! And not to mention it was St. Patricks Day! I picked the best day to do a photoshoot for such a green cause! I even wore green eyeshadow!

XO

Tia

P.S. In case I am negligent in updating my blog before next week, please remember to turn off your lights for Earth Hour 2009! This occurs on March 28 @ 8:30 pm anywhere in the world. Make it a party, have a candlelit dinner, have a block party or just sleep! www.earthhour.org

Help Us Help Ourselves...

Human nature never ceases to amaze me. I have always wondered how one can comfortably continue on a road of self-destruction. For instance, think of the people who smoke or do drugs knowing of the harsh effects it causes their bodies; or take my bad habit of drinking coffee: although I know that it is causing my teeth to become stained, I just can't stop. That leads me to what's been boggling me this week.

This particular issue has been in the news for the past few years with increasing exposure. The subject: paper or plastic at local grocery stores. Well, you all know what I say, "Neither, please! I brought my own bag!" In recent years, many grocery stores locally and nationally have began to market reusable grocery bags and some have gone as far as banning the plastic bags. I do commend the stores that have the plastic bag recycling stations; however, environmentalists would much rather do away with the little buddies to reduce the energy needed to recycle the mostly HDPE 2-type plastics, and to stop them from indefinitely making it to our landfills when not recycled. (I wish I could have kicked this off, but I'm sure I'll do other great things.) Here's an article about what sparked this new trend:

Morning Edition, March 27, 2008

In San Francisco, the age-old question "Paper or plastic?" was answered one year ago this week. The city banned hard-to-recycle plastic bags in grocery stores, and so far, that translates into 5 million fewer plastic bags every month. Now, other cities are considering similar bans, and companies are
developing alternatives to disposable bags.

San Francisco politician Ross Mirkarimi didn't know just what a stir he was going to cause. On March 27, 2007, the city passed his bill to eventually ban plastic bags from all the city's grocery stores and pharmacies. And now, cities across the United States, including Boston, Portland, Ore., and Phoenix, are considering similar bans.

"This has probably been one of the most interesting wildfires of common sense, and I'm delighted and proud that San Francisco was the first city in the United States to have kick-started this," Mirkarimi says.

And not just in the U.S. Mirkarimi says Paris and London contacted him and now have passed similar bans.

In the U.S., the ban has had a few unintended consequences in the marketplace. North of San Francisco in the small town of Oroville, one manufacturer of plastic bags actually got a boost in business.

Roplast Industries makes large, thick, reusable plastic bags. They contain more plastic than the flimsy, single-use bags, but in the long-term, says Roplast President Robert Bateman, they're better for the environment.

The company's bag "will hold five or six times as much as the standard disposable bag," he says. "And it is reusable. It can dramatically change the amount of plastic used."

Of course, those thicker, heavier plastic bags are still plastic. If you don't like that idea, Roplast has another choice — compostable plastic bags. Compostable plastic may seem like a contradiction in terms. But Bateman says it makes sense to use plastic that degrades.

Critics point out they degrade but they don't biodegrade. That is, they break down, but they just break down into smaller bits of plastic.

Just up the highway, in the town of Chico, Andy Keller has another idea — the ChicoBag, an environmentally friendly nylon-fiber carrying bag that folds up into a tiny wallet-sized stuff sack. When the ChicoBag is held in the palm of your hand, it looks like a really, really tiny sleeping bag.

"People carry them in their back pocket or their purse or their cup holder or the glove compartment of their car, and it allows them to have a bag whenever they need it," Keller says.

California's grocery store industry would like to keep its plastic bags. They're cheaper than paper, and the industry says it wants to offer customers choice — paper, plastic and reusable bags. The plastics industry has been more aggressive, trying to halt plastic bag bans before they can start.

The Bay Area city of Fairfax last week abandoned its bag ban under threat of a lawsuit by the plastic bag industry. Fairfax has about 7,000 residents, and Mayor Mary Ann Maggiore says there's no way it could handle a lengthy lawsuit.

The plastics industry said it would sue on environmental grounds. Sharon Kneiss of the American Chemistry Council says that, by banning plastic, Fairfax was giving a tacit endorsement to use paper bags, which could hurt the environment.

"Bans on plastic bags are not a good environmental choice," she says. "Bans aren't the answer, recycling is the answer."

The town of Fairfax, though, isn't giving up. It's made its ban voluntary, and Maggiore says that most shopkeepers have stopped handing out plastic bags. On top of that, advocates in Fairfax plan to take on the plastic bag industry again. They expect to put the issue on a ballot in June.

Not only are other states considering joining this great bandwagon, but some are considering charging you to use plastic bags. Yes, you heard that correctly: they are considering charging you from 10 to 20 cents per plastic bag that you use, so beware on your next shopping trip or just purchase one of their reusable bags, which range from 99 cents to $1.00. The reusable bags hold twice as many items as the plastic ones and are much more sturdy. If you ask me, going green is always the cheapest, logical option.

Here are some of my favorite sites for purchasing a stylish market bag.

http://www.chicobag.com/ (pictured)

http://www.eartheasy.com/store/proddetail.php?prod=2111-1 (pictured)

http://www.uncommongoods.com/item/item.jsp?source=family&itemId=15718

http://www.uncommongoods.com/item/item.jsp?source=family&itemId=16439

http://www.uncommongoods.com/item/item.jsp?source=family&itemId=16576