Jewel Osco has been a staple in the surrounding Oak Park and River Forest community for years. As a grocer that offers produce, groceries, and personal care, it has become the go-to store for most people. Jewel Osco, however, allows its customers to wrap their goods in plastic bags, at no charge. Oak Park has imposed a law that requires customers to pay for a plastic bag if they chose to use one. Why should River Forest be any different? Over one trillion plastic bags are used in the world each day, 100 billion in the U.S. alone. They take over 200 years to degrade, a large cost for something that is only used once. Imposing a plastic bag tax will allow customers to reevaluate their decisions on the use of plastic bags and switch to a more environmentally friendly choice, such as a reusable bag. A 10 or 15 cent fee can be used to fund green initiatives in the local community. Studies have found that after imposing a fee, plastic bags used per shopping trip have dropped 42%. Though it's a small step,  it can help deter our growing climate crisis by choosing to be more green in our consumer habits.