‘Could Bali be plastic bag-free by 2018?’ asks teen-run environmental conservation group

Bye Bye Plastic Bags is a social initiative driven by children, to get the people of Bali to say no to single-use plastic bags.

Bye Bye Plastic Bags — Youths have the power to bring the change!

Bali-based environmental conservation organisation, Bye Bye Plastic Bags, say they are part of a global movement, a social initiative driven by youth around the world to say no to plastic bags. Youths have the power to bring the change!

Plastic Bag free Bali by 2018? Founders and sisters, Melati (15) and Isabel (13) Wijsen started Bye Bye Plastic Bags 3 years ago when they were inspired by a lesson in class about significant people in recent history. Source: Facebook/MakeAChangeWorld

The sisters were inspired by significant people like Mandela, Princess Diana and Gandhi

Bali-based environmental conservation group, Bye Bye Plastic Bags, is a social initiative organised by children, driven by the youth to get the people of Bali to say no to plastic bags. Founders and sisters, Melati (15) and Isabel (13) Wijsen started Bye Bye Plastic Bags 3 years ago when they were inspired by a lesson in school about significant people in recent history, such as Nelson Mandela, Princess Diana, and Mahatma Ghandi. 

The sisters went home that day and thought, “What can we do as children living in Bali, what can we do NOW?” 

Bye Bye Plastic Bags was born in 2013 and now has a volunteer team of 25-30 students from all schools around Bali, locally and internationally. The group has become a well known international movement of inspiration, youth empowerment, and of course, saying NO to plastic bags!

(See below, the sisters give their TED Talk)

Source: ByeByePlasticBags.org

“Our campaign to ban plastic bags in Bali.” — Melati and Isabel Wijsen “Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you’re too young or you won’t understand,” Isabel says to other aspiring activists. “We’re not telling you it’s going to be easy. We’re telling you it’s going to be worth it.” Source: Youtube/TED
Many plastic bags are essentially indestructible, yet they're used and thrown away with reckless abandon. Most end up in the ocean, where they pollute the water and harm marine life; the rest are burned in garbage piles, where they release harmful dioxins into the atmosphere.
It’s time to rethink plastic and save our oceans Many plastic bags are essentially indestructible, yet they’re used and thrown away with reckless abandon. Most end up in the ocean, where they pollute the water and harm marine life; the rest are burned in garbage piles, where they release harmful dioxins into the atmosphere. Source: Facebook/ByeByePlasticBags
Their efforts — which included petitions, beach cleanups, and even a hunger strike — paid off when they persuaded their governor to commit to a plastic bag-free Bali by 2018.
Melati and Isabel Wijsen are on a mission to stop plastic bags from suffocating Bali Their efforts — which included petitions, beach cleanups, and even a hunger strike — paid off when they persuaded their governor to commit to a plastic bag-free Bali by 2018. Source: ByeByePlasticBags.org

30 WAYS TO ELIMINATE PLASTIC FROM YOUR LIFE

There will always be things that no matter what you do, you cannot avoid plastic, but you can still make your plastic footprint minimal in comparison. Here are 30 ideas.

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