Impact

It's not too late!!! Help Save our Planet!

Here are a few fun facts in regards to why we are urging you to make the very important choice to put down your paper and protect our Earth today! It isn’t too late. In fact, we are just getting started!

Many commercial gift bags are either made of, or coated with non-recyclable plastic material, to make the packaging more shiny and attractive, not to mention water-resistant. There is no denying that they are far more convenient for gift giving, especially for the wrapping-impaired, but the toll it takes on the planet is not worth it.

The slick, plasticized surface on the bags often find their way to a landfill.

Plastic bags don't biodegrade, but “photo degrades”. They end up inour oceans. Incidentally, it appears much like a plankton, and is then consumed by fish.

The production of Paper bags causes 70% more pollution than Plastic.

The recipe for making paper bags starts with 1 part pulp, 400 parts WATER. That's a lot of water.

The United States wastes over $ 5 billion dollars in wrapping paper a year.

The cost to recycle plastic bags so outweighs their value that most recycling facilities will not take them, leading more and more to just be thrown out with the rest of the trash.

In New York City, one less gift wrapped holiday season per person would reduce waste by two million pounds and save $100,000 in disposal costs!

Public agencies in California alone spend over $300 million on coastal litter clean-up per year.

Thanks to their light weight, bags are the debris most likely to fly away from landfills, settling instead in trees, storm drains, beaches, and the ocean.

An estimated one million birds and 100,000 turtles and other sea animals die of starvation each year after ingesting discarded bags which block their digestive tracks.

It requires 13% more energy to produce one single paper bag than to produce two plastic bags.

In landfills, paper bags produce over twice as much atmospheric waste as plastic, making them questionable at best as the superior choice for the environment.

In 1999 more than 14 million trees were cut down to produce 10 billion paper bags that were used by Americans that year!

The facts are staggering and we could go on and on as to why it is so imperative that you stop using paper as soon as possible, especially paper with plastic coating.

Gift Bags Gone Green™ bags save trees.

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL ABOUT CARBON EMISSIONS?

Carbon dioxide emissions are the most prevalent greenhouse gas, representing about 82% of greenhouse gases. To prevent global warming, we have to find a way as individuals and businesses to reduce our CO2 emissions. And we have to do it now.

In 2006, alone, the U.S. produced 130,083,000,000,000 pounds of CO2.

HOW DO CARBON EMISSIONS AFFECT GLOBAL WARMING?

Carbon dioxide is emitted when fossil fuels — such as gasoline, oil, and coal — are burned, and it traps heat in the atmosphere. We produce more CO2 than the environment can process, raising the temperature of the planet.* If the earth's average temperature increases even a few degrees, gigantic changes can happen. Glaciers can melt. Oceans can get too warm, causing fierce hurricanes. Basically, it's a different world than the one we know.(**)

WHAT CAN I DO?

Assess Your Carbon Footprint Awareness breeds change. The average American household emits 55,000 pounds of CO2 each year. Find out how big your impact is on the planet and start reducing it today. For an easy calculator: Click here to start

Use Alternative Energy Electricity production is the leading source of carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion. Switching to green power, made from sources like wind and water, can dramatically decrease your household's carbon footprint.

Take Public Transportation

If the number of Americans taking public transit to work increased by 10% we could reduce CO2 emissions by almost 6,000,000,000 pounds per year.

Recycle

For every pound of office paper recycled, CO2 emissions are reduced by 4 pounds.

Reuse

The Gift Bags Gone Green™ line of bags invite you to use them again and again. Invest in products that help you shift from a "disposable" to a "reusable" way of life. It feels good.

Gift Bags Gone Green™ bags save water.

Gift Bags Gone Green™ bags save gas and oil.

Gift Bags Gone Green™ bags help air pollution.

Gift Bags Gone Green™ bags help our oceans.

Gift Bags Gone Green™ bags help our sea creatures.

Gift Bags Gone Green™ bags help our families!