Re Shake the Habit

SUNY Fredonia is at it again! This year we aim to “(Re)Shake the Habit” by holding several contests
within our local community to see who can create the best homemade reusable bag. As ever the aim of our campaign is encourage citizens to conserve resources and protect the planet by avoiding the use of plastic bags and encouraging the reuse and recycling of plastic bags.

Why Is the Habit So Bad?
While they seem harmless, plastic bags actually cause a lot of damage. According to the Pacific Regional Environment Program (SPREP) it is believed that over 90% of all the garbage floating around in the ocean is plastic leading to the deaths of one million marine animals each year. More than 500 billion plastic bags are produced each year and the United States is responsible for one fifth of them.

(Re)Shake The Habit Is Holding A Contest!
Why pay such high cost? Reusable bags are a cheap alternative to such an expensive habit. Many
environmentally conscious stores have reusable bags that their customers can purchase and that is GREAT! But being eco-friendly does not have to cost anything; that’s why this year we are “(Re)Shaking the Habit”by encouraging people to make their own bags.

During Earth Week (April 16-20) we will be hosting several contest venues one in Dunkirk, one in
Fredonia, one on campus, and one at each of our Dunkirk-Fredonia Middle Schools- in which local
residents can enter their homemade reusable bags as part of a contest give-away. While the bags are
being judged, we will acknowledge our generous sponsors and present a screening of the award-winning documentary ‘Bag It!’, which discusses the issues surrounding our use of plastic bags. We hope to   local community about the cost of using plastic in a fun and engaging way by encouraging people to make their own reusable bags from recycled materials.

Updates about the contest will be up soon!!!!