Heather

This post is second in the Earth Week 2008 series.

Heather, we haven’t talked in a while, but I think of you every time I hear about San Francisco’s landmark decision to ban plastic shopping bags in the city. I remember you trying in earnest to get our local Trader Joe’s to at least pull the canvas bags they sold out of their bottom shelf hiding place and prominently display and promote their use. 

That was only 4 years ago, back when a few of us were radically preaching reusable shopping bags to those we knew.  How much things have changed in a few short years!

These days even Wal Mart has jumped on the bandwagon. Readers, if the $1 price doesn’t outweigh the megastore’s global resource plundering ways, then maybe a $54 couture grocery bag will at least make you feel as if you’ve paid through the nose to destroy the planet so that you can, uh, save the planet. Wait…

But, I digress. The point is that, yay, Heather, people really are starting to change their ways on a large scale. Massive cultural change starts with grassroots efforts like yours, so way to go for having the cajones to try to Change the World.

Since then, it looks like you were selected for UC Berkeley’s Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Sustainability (CACS) and have worked as an energy conservation intern developing an Energy Education program that will

“implement energy efficiency projects in four buildings on campus. The plan will focus on engaging the staff, faculty and students that use these buildings in order to understand how much energy they consume and how they might change their habits. They hope to be able to share proof of significant energy conservation at the end of the semester and to foster Cal's culture of sustainability.”

High Five on that!  and onward...