By Gary Walker

Frustrated by the failure to pass a statewide prohibition on plastic bags as well as the onset of the broader concerns of global warming and a societal reliance on fossil fuels, a group of determined environmental advocates met at City Hall Sunday, Oct. 10 as part of a global day dedicated to sustainability.

Organized by Transition Culver City, a local conservation and sustainability organization, the community gathering was designed to give concerned residents and local merchants a forum to engage in discussions regarding the use of plastic and to create a groundswell of support for a local ban on the polymerized material.

The event, which organizers called a community think tank, drew approximately 50 people, who listened to and gave their own opinions on how to best reduce the use of plastic bags.

While topics such as global warming and the importance of less reliance on fossil fuels was also discussed among the attendees, the possibility of generating community action for a local ban on plastic was an idea shared by many, as well as how the public can encourage local businesses to move away from selling plastic bags and offer reusable merchandise instead.

“I think (a ban on plastic) has to be started on a local level,” said Anna Cummins, who recently moved to Culver City. “To expect the federal government to step in on these issues is going to take a long time and I think that Culver City is an ideal place for a ban.”

According to the California Integrated Waste Management Board, approximately 6 billion plastic bags are consumed in Los Angeles County each year. Because plastic bags do not biodegrade in the ocean, they pose a threat to marine animals that can confuse the bags with food and can ingest them, leading to choking, starvation or suffocation, the board said.

Several who attended the forum expressed surprise and disappointment over state Sen. Curren Price’s (D-Culver City) Aug. 31 vote against Assembly Bill 1998, which would have prohibited the sale of plastic bags throughout California.

In an interview a week after the bill failed in the state Senate, Price explained his reasons for voting against AB 1998. “During this past legislative session, I was unable support Assembly Bill 1998, which would have eliminated single-use plastic bags in most grocery stores and require these stores to charge consumers at least a nickel for paper bags,” Price told the News. “The reasons for my opposition had nothing to do with the intent of the legislation, but rather its unintended consequences on small businesses in my district, as well as its potential impact on seniors and the working poor.”

The senator received the maximum per-election contribution of $3,9000 from Hilex Poly Corp. Hilex Poly is a subgroup of the American Chemistry Council, the largest organization that lobbied against AB 1998.

Andy Schrader, who works with the Clean Seas Coalition, did not mention Price by name at the community forum but pointed out that seven state lawmakers received campaign contributions from the American Chemistry Council or one of its affiliates.

He said he thought it was difficult to achieve a statewide ban on the sale of plastic due to its convenience and therefore, it’s up to individual cities, including Culver City, to take action that on a municipal level.

“Because we weren’t able to get a bill passed at the state level, it’s really important to get one passed at the local level to provide a groundswell [of support],” Schrader said.

Others say an approach that is more broad-based would be more effective. “To me, it makes sense to institute something on a broader, regional scale as you can to try and make it less confusing for everyone,” Maria Rychlick, the interim president of Westside Cities Council of Governments said. “When changing consumer behavior, you can never go too quickly.”

Rychlick’s organization, to which Culver City belongs, does not advocate for any particular issues. It provides a forum that examines topics and policies of regional importance.

Schrader said passing as many local ordinances as possible is an overall goal in order to pressure state lawmakers to create new legislation. “If you have a different law in every city, then it makes a state law more essential to pass,” he countered.

Cummins concurs. “I think the beauty of local action is that you can often have mandates and local ordinances that are stronger than what would happen if we waited for it to happen on the state or even the national level. There it can often be watered down because you have so many stakeholders involved,” she noted. “Here in Culver City, we have the opportunity to do something more progressive.”

Meghan Sahli-Wells, one the organizers of the event, is disappointed that Culver City’s governing body has not taken action on a municipal plastic bag ordinance while other neighboring municipalities have. “There’s interest [here],” Sahli- Wells, a member of Transition Culver City, said. “There are many other cities that are on board with this and that fact that it’s not even on the table [in Culver City] is sad.”

Malibu, San Francisco and Palo Alto have instituted municipal bans. Manhattan Beach passed an ordinance prohibiting the bags in 2008, but the law is currently on hold due to a lawsuit by the group Save the Plastic Ban Coalition.

While she believes that educating the public on the dangers of plastic is critical, the time has come, Sahli-Wells believes, for legislative action. “It’s very important, but [education] has not taken us far enough,” she stated. “That’s why we need to have a municipal ban.

“It’s not only one of my goals, but that’s also the expectation of a large group of people who came here today,” she continued. “That’s what brought them here today and that is the action that they are motivated to take.”

Shelly Wright said local businesses and national companies like Wal-Mart should be encouraged to phase out plastic, a move which would bring them “goodwill public relations” as well as provide them with incentives to use other merchandizing methods, like allowing customers to bring their own bags. “If it’s done properly, it can grow exponentially on its own,” Wright, a marketing representative, said. “[Businesses] that make a decision not to use plastic can not only gain new customers but they can also get a real retention of their current customers.

“There’s a real sense of loyalty that comes from people who feel that their businesses are doing good in the world.”

Downtown Business Association President Ken Kauffman did not return phone calls for comment. Kauffman is also one of the proprietors of Rush Street, a downtown Culver City restaurant.

Wright said local merchants could sew their logos on canvas bags instead of plastic bags. “That’s extended marketing,” she explained. “On the larger level, you get businesses committed to it and they put sponsorship dollars toward getting their name of the bag and their known as one of those ‘do-good’ businesses in the community, which bring customers into them that otherwise might not do so.

“In marketing, we’ve seen this work time and time again. But you can’t just come up with a good idea and hope that it works,” Wright added. “It can fail if there is no support around it. You have to have that grassroots effort behind it.”

Sahli-Wells said she invited all five councilmen as well as local merchants, but none of them attended the forum.

“We hope that the council will eventually come on board, but until they do, it’s our job as citizens to keep the pressure on,” she concluded.