It's no surprise that plastic bags are absolutely detrimental to the environment and the fragile ecosystem. It takes anywhere from 400 to 1,000 years for plastic bags to biodegrade. Instead of breaking down into the soil when a bag is littered, it just continues to break into smaller toxic pieces, contaminating waterways and the soil. This is where a seemingly harmless bag becomes a murder weapon for the animals that accidentally eat them. An animal that eats a bag and dies from it will biodegrade while the bag does not, so that same bag will continue killing more animals. It wraps around their intestines and chokes them causing them to suffer a slow and painful death claiming the lives of an average of 1 billion seabirds and mammals each year. Plastic bags also cause an average of 100 million deaths to marine life annually that also mistake it for food. Almost 90% of the debris found in the ocean is plastic.

Instead of getting a new plastic bag every time you shop, you could be using a cloth bag or a bag made from recycled material over and over again. This would benefit all sides of the spectrum including the retailers who would save a tremendous amount of money because it costs the U.S. alone an estimated $4 billion to produce these 1 billion bags a year. What's worse is plastic bags are made of polyethylene which is a petroleum product and the production of these bags causes an incredibly large amount of pollution and energy consumption. With each plastic bag that is made, the petroleum used could drive a car 11 meters. All of this is incredibly unnecessary!

We can make a huge difference in the world we are living in one step at a time. Imagine how many species will be saved by making a simple change. It's time we take pride in the beautiful world we live in and use smarter and safer methods in our lifestyle that affect all of us and our children. We are all a part of this Earth. We are born here and we will die here, going back into the circle of life. So, when we destroy the Earth, we are destroying all that we are. I don't want to see another animal dead because of my neglect to face an inconvenient truth. We as humans are conscious of our actions so we should be taking the opportunity to change our ways. It is our responsibility to do our part and set an example to get the ball rolling one beautiful state at a time! Please help me address this issue and put a ban on plastic bags among all retailers in the state of Colorado. This is where I need your help in the power of numbers; Sharing this petition with anyone and everyone is the key to a speedy success so don't be shy to keep posting this on your Facebook, Email, Twitter, or even putting the website link on your Instagram bio. Social media in this case can have a really powerful and positive effect so please share this opportunity to everyone you can and encourage them to do the same. It is so appreciated and your precious planet and it's beautiful creatures will thank you. Let's be the change in the world we wish to see; it starts here!