For the Birds

The fuel-oil spill in San Francisco Bay is still being cleaned up, and the number of birds affected is supposedly around 2,000, of which 1,400 are already dead. A high tide just after Thanksgiving may push the spill even further into the wetlands. Hundreds of people who wanted to help the birds were turned away because there was no one to train them.

But there's some good news for both the people and the birds because, as of tomorrow, large grocery stores in San Francisco will no longer be allowed to use plastic bags. Plastic bags aren't as scary as 58,000 gallons of fuel oil, but they are equally destructive in their own way:

The 180 million plastic bags city officials estimate are handed out in the city each year end up as litter on city streets, clog storm drains, harm wildlife, and contaminate and jam machines used in recycling, Macy said.

And then there is the giant patch of plastic floating in the Pacific Ocean that scientists are monitoring, estimated to weigh 3 million tons and cover an area twice the size of Texas. The patch is about 1,000 miles west of San Francisco, but plastic dumped in the ocean here can end up there.

Kudos, then, to City Hall for forcing us to do something for the birds every day rather than just when a terrible accident demands our attention. Don't want to wait for your own local government to act? Here's a link to 9 Ways to Use One Less Plastic Bag.