Plastic Bags and Bottled Water

Here are two news clippings of interest to Kodiak residents. We can we do something similar in Kodiak. Anyone interested in starting a grassroots effort?

NEWS: FAIRBANKS APPROVES PLASTIC BAG TAX
The Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly has approved a 5-cent tax on plastic bags to reduce litter. Money from the tax will go directly into a fund reserved for recycling programs as they develop. The ordinance is intended to cut waste and create an economic incentive toward reusable bags. The bag tax automatically applies to a few dozen major retailers across town.
Source: The Associated Press (Sept. 2009)

NEWS: CITY OF SEATTLE STOPS BUYING BOTTLED WATER
Seattle joins a growing list of cities that either discourage or ban the use of city funds to buy bottled water. The City of Seattle will no longer buy bottled water in order to cut down on waste, says Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels. In doing so, the city could save up to $58,000 a year. The mayor's spokesman added that Seattle has one of the best municipal; water supplies in the country, and that in terms of financial and environmental costs, "It's a pretty clear choice that using city water is a much better choice."
Source: The Seattle Times (March 2008)

Thanks to Marion Owen!