Talent 21 by: Sam Adamo

Proposal I am going to see how I can reduce the use of plastic bags and start using cloth bags.

Research The next time a grocery clerk asks you if you want a plastic bag for your purchases, do the Eco-friendly thing and say "no". Plastic bags end up as litter that fouls the landscape, and kill thousands of marine mammals every year that mistake the floating bags for food. Plastic bags that get buried in landfills may take up to 1,000 years to break down, and in the process they separate into smaller and smaller toxic particles that contaminate soil and water. Furthermore, the production of plastic bags consume millions of gallons of oil that could be used for fuel and heating.

Research (continued) Hundreds of thousands of sea turtles, whales and other marine mammals die every year from eating discarded plastic bags mistaken for food. Turtles think the bags are jellyfish, their primary food source. Once swallowed, plastic bags choke animals or block their intestines, leading to a slow and painful death. Plastic grocery bags are cheap and convenient for both grocery stores and the consumer. As a result, shoppers use these bags for 80 percent of their shopping trips.

Research (continued) According to the Department of Natural Resources of Wisconsin, approximately 100 billion plastic grocery bags are used in the United States every year. Plastic grocery bags can be seen everywhere; on the side of the road, hanging from trees and bushes and stuck to fences. They are a major cause of roadside litter. Since they are so inexpensive, stores overuse them. Often, one or two bags are sufficient, but the grocery clerk uses twice that many. The more bags are overused, the more damage is done to the environment.

Hypothesis The past 5 weeks I have been using plastic bags to carry my sandwich in. I believe if I can use a reusable carrier, that I can help the Earth.

Experiment MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFriday Went to Wawa, saved 2 plastic bags Ate lunch, saved 3 plastic bags Went to Target, saved 6 plastic bags Went to Staples, saved 1 plastic bag Went to Best Buy, saved 4 plastic bags

Conclusion If I can save 16 plastic bags in a school week, that means you can too. Just imagine, if I could save 16 bags every school week then in one year I would save 832 plastic bags! That is awesome! Only if I could get everyone in the world to do that and use reusable bags. Instead of plastic bags at grocery stores and other places, the world should supply everyone 2 reusable bags. I know that is a lot of money, but imagine how many plastic bags we could save! We would be doing the world a huge favor!

Five W’s and One H The people of the world are affecting the world by using plastic bags. Since they are so light, the wind can swoop them off the ground getting caught in trees, causing a sight that is an eye-sore. Plastic bags were introduced into the world in 1862 in London. Plastic bags are used for containing and transporting goods such as foods, produce, powders, ice, chemicals and waste.

Five W’s and One H (continued) You can find plastic bags everywhere, even where they are not suppose to be. They just now realize that they are horrible for the environment. They get stuck in trees, when they are made they release toxins into the air and that causes air pollution. They block water from going into the sewer. This is an increasing problem that has been going on for more than a century. What people don’t realize is that if they use reusable cloth bags, they wouldn’t just be doing helping the environment; they would be doing the whole world a favor nonetheless.

Cause and Effect CauseEffect Plastic bags are made Releases toxins into the air causing air pollution. Plastic bags getting blown into the ocean suffocating marine life as well as birds People using plastic bagsbad for the environment

Graph Talent 21 Graph.docx

Statement This is a graph on how many plastic bags I have saved over the school week. As you can see that on Wednesday, I saved the most bags. If I can save this many bags in a week, you can too!

Art Painting of Plastic Bags on Trees

Photos Look at this poor baby sea turtle accidentally eating a plastic bag.

Photos (continued) This is a terrible sight. It even hurts to look at it. Do you want your environment looking like this?

Photos (continued) Good Samaritan trying to get plastic down that got caught in a tree.

Photos (continued) Say NO! to plastic bags and help our environment! Your environment is very important it is up to you to keep it beautiful!

Resource Sites 1. ic**-**bags**-**affect**- **environment**.htmlwww.ehow.com/facts_ _**plast ic**-**bags**-**affect**- **environment**.html 2. e-**Affect**-of-**Plastic**-**Bags**-on- our-**Environment**/542678www.articledashboard.com/Article/Th e-**Affect**-of-**Plastic**-**Bags**-on- our-**Environment**/ /**plastic**_**bags** 10/**plastic**_**bags**

Resource Sites (continued) 4. onmental**-pollution-the-harmful- effects-of-**plastic-****bags**.htmlhttp:// onmental**-pollution-the-harmful- effects-of-**plastic-****bags**.html 5. **environment**.com/blog/2008/01/10/ **environmental**-impact-of- **plastic**-**bags** **environment**.com/blog/2008/01/10/ **environmental**-impact-of- **plastic**-**bags**

Extras Fodey Squirrel 179ea1fa3291f gif

Extra (link) Fodey Flower! C:\Documents and Settings\ADAMOS\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\C1RDH7FM\animated[1]. gif

Extra Fodey Ninja C:\Documents and Settings\ADAMOS\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\C1RDH7FM\ninja[1].gi f

Extra (link) Fodey Wizard C:\Documents and Settings\ADAMOS\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5\X3EACKXX\wizard[1]. gif

Extra (link) Xtranormal 9/plastic-bags-vs-reusable-cloth-bags

The End!! Thank you for watching my PowerPoint and remember don’t use plastic bags use reusable bags!