While so many people in Los Alamos are outwardly appreciative of the environment that surrounds them, at their core they are far more devoted to the plastic bags they use to carry their groceries home. The contradiction between what people believe and how they act has proved to be very frustrating to me and the other students I am working with. In the five years since the last movement against plastic bags, consumption of disposable items such as straws, cups, and, of course, bags has remained unchanged. Since then, activists have been working hard to promote a more sustainable lifestyle within the community to no avail. In 2014, a similar initiative to ours was presented to County Council, but, in the end, did not pass. However, time has shown that education simply isn’t effective in reducing the consumption of single-use plastic bags. When we discussed the initiative with County Council candidates, for instance, many still offered the same response: “Los Alamos isn’t ready for a bag fee, so for now we should focus on educating the town.” Now, we’re continuing to make our demands known by attending Environmental Sustainability Board meetings, collaborating with the Zero Waste Board and spreading the word of our cause.Īlthough our petition is steadily accumulating signatures, I am struck every day by how difficult it has been to gain support within the community. Later, we created an online petition in support of a 10-cent plastic-bag fee in Los Alamos stores, on which we need 1,000 signatures. By taking this measure, we hoped to be better informed on how the county government would respond to our demands, allowing us to organize our movement to be as efficient as possible. Our bag-fee initiative began in late April, when we attended a forum organized by the League of Women Voters to allow community members to meet candidates for the County Council election. In a community where so many residents feel strongly about the preservation of their trails, rallying public support couldn’t be difficult. In fact, much of my time outdoors today is spent picking up aluminum cans, candy wrappers, and broken glass bottles. Even in areas miles away from roads and buildings, evidence of human presence can be found. Who could be opposed to such legislation? The consequences of trash pollution in Los Alamos couldn’t be more obvious. Which is why, when my friend Kevin Parkinson and I decided to advocate for a plastic-bag fee in Los Alamos County, I wasn’t too worried. Nowhere else in the world have I encountered so many people in one town who shared the same level of appreciation for the outdoors as Los Alamos residents do. Nothing seems to give me more satisfaction than smiling hello to an unknown passerby on a trail and being greeted with the same warmth in return. One of my favorite aspects of the outdoors, however, is the people I find there. The sunshine, clear air, and sense of absolute freedom keep drawing me back to the trails no matter how exhausted, busy or sunburnt I may be. Born and raised in Los Alamos by two trail-loving parents, I’ve been exploring the canyons, mesas and mountains surrounding me for as long as I can remember.
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