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LTLT Launches Environmental Health Project for Earth Day

On April 21, 2008, at Main Street Coffee and Tea in Franklin, NC the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee (LTLT) will launch their “Support the Land Trust not the Land Fill” environmental health project.  This project centers around the sale of a re-usable shopping bag and the promotion of educational information relative to the negative environmental impact of single use plastic and paper shopping bags.  All proceeds from the sale of the bags go to The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee.  LTLT is grateful to United Community Banks and Endless River Adventures for sponsoring this project. 

Main Street Coffee and Tea is located at 26 E. Main in downtown Franklin.  Owner Sandy Pantaleo proudly serves organic shade grown fair trade coffee provided by Counter Culture - another great team for a healthy environment.  For this Earth Day kick off, thanks to the generous donation of Counter Culture, Sandy will give free house coffee to anyone who brings in or purchases a re-usable mug – one more way to lighten the landfill load. 

The LTLT bags are created by ChicoBag and come in an attached stuff sack that fits easily in your purse or clips handily onto your key chain or backpack so you always have it with you for whatever you may need to carry.  We suggest using your bag when you go to the many great farmers’ markets in the area where you can buy fresh locally grown food.  The bags will be available for sale through LTLT and at many area locations.

Here are some eye-opening facts:
Top Facts - Consumption
   •The average American uses between 300 and 700 plastic bags per year.  By using reusable bags instead of single-use disposable plastic bags we can save tens of thousands of barrels of oil per year.
   • If everyone in the United States tied their annual consumption of plastic bags together in a giant chain, the chain would reach around the Earth not once, but 760 times!
   • Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide. That comes out to over one million per minute. Billions end up as litter each year.
   • According to the EPA, over 380 billion plastic bags, sacks and wraps are consumed in the U.S. each year.
   • According to The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually. (Estimated cost to retailers is $4 billion)
   • According to the American Forest and Paper Association, in 1999 the U.S. alone used 10 billion paper grocery bags, requiring 14 million trees to be cut down.
   • According to the EPA, the production of paper bags creates 70% more greenhouse gasses and 500% more water pollution than that of plastic bags.

Top Facts - Environmental Impact
   • Over 8,617 bags were reported picked up statewide during 2007 Fall NC Big Sweep (not all counties reported)
   • According to the US National Park Service, plastic bags last 10 to 20 years in the environment before they decompose.
   • Plastic bags don’t biodegrade, they photodegrade—breaking down into smaller and smaller toxic bits contaminating soil and waterways and entering the food web when animals accidentally ingest.
   • Hundreds of thousands of sea turtles, whales and other marine mammals die every year from eating discarded plastic bags mistaken for food.
   • Plastic bags are among the 12 items of debris most often found in cleanups, according to the nonprofit Center for Marine Conservation.

The Franklin-based Land Trust for the Little Tennessee (LTLT) works to conserve the waters, forests, farms and heritage of the upper Little Tennessee and Hiwassee River valleys which includes all of western North Carolina west of the Balsam Mountains which includes Jackson, Macon, Swain, Graham, Clay, and Cherokee Counties.  Since 1999 LTLT has helped conserve over 10,000 acres of land including 35 miles of Little Tennessee River frontage, multiple headwater streams in the Balsam, Cowee and Nantahala Mountains, and a number of family farms including the largest working farm in NC west of Asheville.  We strive to protect land that is important for its value as wildlife habitat, productive farmland, recreational use, scenic beauty, or historic significance. Everyone who lives in or visits our project areas benefits from the permanent conservation of these resources.  For more information about LTLT call 828-524-2711.