Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi Announces Reusable Canvas Bag Giveaway and Press Conference on Plastic Bag Reduction Ordinance: SAN FRANCISCO (March 26, 2007)— Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi and the San Francisco Department of the Environment will give away free reusable canvas shopping bags at a press conference on Tuesday March 27, 2007 at 12 Noon on the front steps of City Hall. Supervisor Mirkarimi has introduced an ordinance to ban non-biodegradable plastic bags in the City’s pharmacies and grocery stores and require them to provide compostable paper or plastic bags. Passage of this legislation will make San Francisco the first City in the United States to prohibit large grocery stores and pharmacies from giving out plastic bags. Around the world, countries and municipalities have identified plastic bag over usage as a menace that is littering the streets, consuming fossil fuels, harming wildlife, and contributing to global warming. Similar bans have been implemented in South Africa, Taiwan, Bangladesh, and Paris. "You're talking about 12 million barrels of oil that are used nationally to produce 30 million plastic bags in the United States," Supervisor Mirkarimi said. "It's up to local governments to not wait for the federal government to get its act together." San Francisco’s plastic bag reduction ordinance will be voted on by the full Board of Supervisors following the press conference in room 250 of City Hall at 2PM. Board President Aaron Peskin, and Supervisor McGoldrick, Daly, Ammiano, Sandoval, Maxwell, and Alioto-Pier have co-sponsored the ordinance. |-----------+------------------------------------------------------------------| | WHAT: Canvas Bag Giveaway & Press Conf. On Plastic Bag Reduction Plan | |-----------+------------------------------------------------------------------| | WHEN: Tuesday March 27, 2007, 12 Noon | |-----------+------------------------------------------------------------------| | WHERE: Polk St. Steps, City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Pl. SF, CA take Muni to Civic Center Station & cross UN Plaza to City Hall |-----------+------------------------------------------------------------------| Artist Judith Selby Lang will be organizing a plastic bag sewing circle in front of City Hall at noon tomorrow. In conjunction with the 2007 Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival, April 14-24 Ms Lang will be creating a replica of the Ryoan-ji Garden in Kyoto made entirely out of recycled plastic bags. Visit her blog at: http://blog.greenmuseum.org/recycle-ryoanji/?page_id=2 For more information please call 415-554-7630. -- Office of Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 282 San Francisco, CA 94102 (415) 554-7630 (phone) (415) 554-7634 (fax) ross.mirkarimi@sfgov.org