TALLAHASSEE, FL – (Aug. 11, 2010) A musical celebrating best friends, a drama dealing with a worldwide strike and a ditty about cleaning up after a doggie are among three entries racking up votes in the final month of a video contest promoting recycling and reuse of free plastic bags. Floridians still have until Sept. 5 to enter A Bag’s Life Video Contest, with the top prize up to $1,500. 

By Melissa Eichman, Bay News 9

http://ht.ly/29cCZ

A statewide summer project is looking for creative ideas to help to get the word out about recycling.

A new recycling contest called 'A Bag's Life' wants your ideas on what to do with all plastic grocery bags.

University of South Florida TV production student Dan Bakst recently entered the contest.

"I thought it would be a fun idea, like having bags as your friends, like a roommate almost," he said.

Got a minute? That’s all it takes, and it could be worth a prize of up to $1,500 in a video contest going on now through Sept. 5.
 
Sponsored by a coalition of recycling partners known as “A Bag’s Life,” the contest invites Floridians to break out their camcorders and create an up-to-one-minute video promoting the recycling and or reuse of free plastic shopping bags like those found in grocery and retail stores.
 

We all know the bumper-sticker adage: Think globally, act locally. Well, think of the small contributions...

Florida's environmental leaders are encouraging citizens to find simple ways to reduce, reuse and recycle.

And a new campaign draws a bulls eye on all those plastic bags we get at the store.

Children stuffed handful after handful of plastic bags into a recycling ship beached at the Florida capitol. They're hoping kids can help get their parents on board to start recycling all those plastic bags they get at the store.

Michael Sole stood in the Capitol courtyard to address more than 500 people who turned out to celebrate the 40^th annual Earth Day.

"Did you know, if every Florida household took an incandescent light and replaced it with an energy efficient compact fluorescent light, there would be enough energy saved to accumulate some 351 million kilowatt hours of electricity?" asked Sole, Florida Department of Environmental Protection secretary. "That could power and light all the households in the great city of Tallahassee for two and a half years.”

Tallahassee community members took part in the global celebration of Earth Day’s 40th anniversary at the Capitol in true “green” fashion on Thursday, April 22. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection hosted the day of events that included a variety of recycling initiatives.

One in particular, a statewide plastic bag recycling awareness campaign called A Bag’s Life, is a collaborative effort between the Florida Retail Federation, American Chemistry Council and Florida Recycling Partnership.

Do you remember the first Earth Day? If you're a baby boomer you may recall the spirit of discovery and awareness that swept the country 40 years ago. Then it was mainly an environmental "teach-in," but today it is a celebration where Pensacolians will act in solidarity with people everywhere. From planting trees to bicycling to work, we will honor the wonders of our world.

A statewide plastic bag recycling awareness campaign called A Bag’s Life, which includes an interactive and educational website (www.abagslife.com) and mobile application with 1,600 recycling drop-off sites by zip code, was launched during Earth Day at the Capitol April 22, with the help of Governor Charlie Crist, the Department of Environmental Protection and the Florida Retail Federation.

Governor Charlie Crist today joined Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Michael W. Sole and nearly 500 students at the Capitol to celebrate the 40th annual Earth Day.

The Governor announced the theme for this year’s celebration as “Easy As One – Ordinary Actions, Extraordinary Results,” an environmental awareness campaign to motivate Floridians to exercise daily environmental responsibility.