PLASTIC BAGS.
“So, you go to the supermarket, you go and checkout the food that you bought.
You see the person packing your bag of chips into one bag… and then your box of cookies in a second one.
But wait, your super-duper deluxe size ice cream goes into a third.
WAIT! We’re not finished! They take a fourth…fifth… sixth… seventh…. !!“
Well, why is taking home so many plastic bags so bad?
The answer is that plastic is basically made from oil. It is a petroleum product!
As you might already know, the burning of oil releases CO2, which is a greenhouse gas…
which leads to the dangerous subject of global warming! :O
It is calculated that the production of 5 plastic bags creates 1 kg of CO2, or 2.2lb!
San Francisco has developed a plan to ban plastic bags, they have calculated that by cutting 100 million plastic bags a year the city will save 1.5 million litres of oil, and eliminate 4.2 million kilograms of carbon dioxide!
And do you know how many plastic bags are produced in the world every year?
4 to 5 trillion.
[to be continued…]
–R4M!
Reducing 4 More! 
wait, if plastic is really made from oil, then plastic would cast alot more…..it doesn’t make sense….
Cynthia - January 17, 2008 at 1:02 am |
This is an interesting article.
Ethan Wong - January 17, 2008 at 1:05 am |
Cynthia-
That is a really good point!
After conducting further research, here are some links that you might find useful:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/04/70_of_americans.php
http://www.reachoutmichigan.org/funexperiments/quick/plastic.html
After reading some articles, it was said that since the price for oil is increasing, the price of plastic is also actually rising.
reducing4more - January 17, 2008 at 1:20 am |
plastic isn’t REALLY made out of oil, but the mechanic production of it is oil-powered, so indirectly, it’s made out of oil. yeah.
so i guess quan has you guys scrambling to win the lexus challenge?
devon! - January 16, 2008 at 9:11 pm |
Devon-
No, plastic is really made from petroleum, and since plastic bags are made from plastic, they are made of petroleum.
The most common material plastic bags are made from are polyethylene, which is a thermoplastic substance. Thermoplastic is a type of plastic.
reducing4more - January 16, 2008 at 9:50 pm |
yo man this stuff his hella awesome
imma get all my Gs to recycle now
G Baby Fresco - January 16, 2008 at 10:56 pm |
wow this site is really well done and i cant believe how much CO2 i am releasing unknowingly. Thanks for informing me!!
derrick - January 16, 2008 at 11:18 pm |
this site is really interesting and helpful
Madelinec - January 17, 2008 at 10:40 am |
this was an awesome and informative article. i’ll try to reuse old plastic bags or bring paper bags next time i’m in a grocery store!
sss96superstar - January 17, 2008 at 6:17 pm |
Yeah for the record these people are right
those things no made from oil
Jessica - January 17, 2008 at 7:51 pm |
That’s a great point. Why would the city throw away all that money?
Kripa - January 17, 2008 at 7:52 pm |
we have to start recycling. we have tp help the envirnment
twilight - January 17, 2008 at 7:52 pm |
Interesting, especially how areas like California are banning them; but the rest of the country refuses to follow suit. Moreover, if one city can save 1.5 million litres of oil, imagine how much more it would be if the entire world — especially major countries — also did so; it may put the issue of peak oil a little further down the horizon instead of it being right on our doorstep.
Raj - January 17, 2008 at 7:55 pm |
that was koolio. btw theyy DONT use one bag of chips for ONE bag…you gotta sort it out…and would you rather CARRY EVERYTHING one by frikin one?
matthew. - January 17, 2008 at 7:55 pm |
Raj- what you said was especially true. Some countries in the world have already taken action such as China, Taiwan, and the UK! Some areas in the U.S. have started, but not all!
Matthew- Of course they don’t use one bag of chips for ONE bag. It was just an exaggeration to show a point! Unless of course, the bag of chips was extremely huge.
reducing4more - January 17, 2008 at 7:59 pm |
someone told me that some CLOTHES are made out of oil like plastic:P
is that true?
madelinec - January 17, 2008 at 9:24 pm |
Yes, some clothing are made of fibers which create plastic, such as nylon and polyesters. I’m sure that you have seen many clothing (particularly stretchy clothing) are made of these materials. So in a sense, particular clothing are made of petroleum.
reducing4more - January 17, 2008 at 10:04 pm |
I am not going to use plastic bottles anymore.
I will recycle.
Asif Noorani - January 22, 2008 at 7:34 pm |
this is a great project.
jerry - January 22, 2008 at 7:35 pm |
yay. -_-
matt - January 23, 2008 at 9:13 pm |
that is awesome 😀
matt - January 24, 2008 at 10:39 pm |