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How old do you have to be to fight a massive, environment-destroying industry? Younger than you think.
Abby Goldberg, a 13-year-old from Grayslake, Ill., started a petition on Change.org to veto the "Plastic Bag Film and Recycling Act." The title of the bill sounds deceptively benign. What could be so bad about requiring more plastic bag recycling facilities? The problem is that it would take away the power of towns to implement their own strategies for reducing waste, including bans on bags. Why recycle plastic bags when towns can ban them altogether?
Goldberg's petition received over 170,000 signatures. Earlier this summer, she personally delivered the petition to Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, who vetoed the bill on Sunday.
According to a Change.org press release, Goldberg said, "I couldn’t sit by quietly while big plastic tried to push this bill through my state...I care too much about animals, our environment, and our future natural resources to be silent. That’s why I took action, and why I’m so thankful that Governor Quinn took a stand for the environment in vetoing this bill.”
-- Krislyn Placide
READ MORE:
Youth Producing Environmental Change Through Film
Ditch Plastic Bags In Style
Are Plastic Food Containers Too Toxic to Reuse?
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