The following was submitted by: Jennell and Brian Kvistad, Blossom Grocery, Lopez Island; Steve and Terri Mason, Shaw General Store, Shaw Island; Verne Howard, Kings Market & Friday Harbor Market Place, San Juan Island; Stephanie Buffum, Friends of the San Juans, San Juan Island; Charlotte Clifton, Anderson’s General Store Inc., Guemes Island; Stephen Trinkaus, Terra Organica, Inc., Bellingham; Robb Krehbiel, Environment Washington.

It’s April 2010.  A gray whale dies and washes up on Arroyo Beach in West Seattle.  Scientists perform a necropsy and discover that inside this majestic creature’s stomach are 20 plastic bags.

Nothing we use for a few minutes should end up in the belly of a whale.  And that is one of the many reasons why we need to reduce the number of plastic bags getting into our environment.

Few in Washington are as closely connected to wildlife as those living in and around the San Juans. We see whales, seals, salmon, and birds along our shoreline daily. As witnesses, neighbors and stewards to this bounty, it makes sense that our community should take a leadership role in protecting marine wildlife by eliminating single use plastic bags.

Evidence is mounting, showing the full extent of the plastic problem in the Salish Sea. Not only do these bags choke wildlife, but they also break into small pieces, posing an even greater threat. These small pieces of plastic concentrate deadly chemicals like PCB. This is horrible, especially since Southern Resident Orcas and Chinook Salmon have some of the highest concentration of PCBs in their bodies compared to other populations along the West Coast.

Businesses and environmentalists alike can agree that single use plastic bags are unnecessary. As grocery and retail store owners, we don’t need to provide plastic bags to customers at check out. Many people bring their own reusable bags and others may opt for paper sacks.  This keeps plastic out of the environment and saves businesses on overhead costs (which are passed on to the consumer anyway). We know that running responsible businesses means that we have to be good stewards of the environment. Part of this is eliminating unnecessary waste.

Bellingham set the standard when their city council voted unanimously to eliminate single use plastic bags at the point of purchase at retail stores. Now, the state is looking at following Bellingham’s lead. In the coming days, leaders in the House of Representatives, including Rep. Jeff Morris, will be voting on a similar bill that would apply to the whole state.

As community groups and concerned businesses, we are calling on Rep. Morris to take a strong stance to protect Puget Sound’s wildlife.  We urge Rep. Morris to vote in favor of the current bag reduction bill in the legislature.