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To close out the year in Ms. Egbert's AP Environmental Science class at Leonardtown High School, we were assigned to devise an "action plan" that would inform the public of a pressing environmental issue or concern. Upon learning about the assignment back in March, I immediately thought about a daily practice that often has unseen environmental consequences—grocery shopping.

We have all become accustomed to the plastic bags that are found at the end of every checkout counter in our local grocery store or supermarket. But as we are quickly tossing groceries and other purchased items into our bags, we fail to realize the impact we are having on the environment with each plastic bag that we place into our cart. According to the EPA, Americans use 380 billion plastic bags each year. This number is astounding when you consider that only one to three percent of bags are recycled. So where do all of those plastic bags go if they are not being recycled?

Unfortunately, many discarded plastic bags find their way into our rivers and oceans. In doing so, they pose a threat to many species of aquatic life. Turtles, whales, dolphins, and seals can be lethally harmed by the presence of plastic materials in the water. The elastic plastic can entangle sea species, leaving them virtually immobile and incapable of escaping from its clutches. Land species are not safe either. Birds often mistake torn-apart plastic bags for food. The toxic chemicals found in plastic deliver a lethal dose of poison that leaves birds lying lifeless on our beaches and shorelines.

Plastic grocery bags serve one purpose and one purpose only: they transport goods from store to automobile and from automobile to home. After that, they typically end up in the garbage where they wait to be transferred to a landfill. Plastic bags do not decompose quickly in landfills. In fact, the EPA estimates that it could take up to 1,000 years for all of the plastic bags used each year to completely decompose. Many plastic bags actually "photodegrade," a process by which smaller petro-polymers contaminate the soil and waterways.

So what is the solution to our addiction to plastic? Montgomery County in Maryland has instituted a five-cent charge on each plastic bag used by a shopper. In 2001, Ireland instituted a tax on bags, and they have reduced their overall use of plastic bags by 90% since implementing the new policy. While this may not be the solution for southern Maryland, it should be a part of a much larger debate about environmental protection and preservation. But a better solution would be to alter our habits. Reusable bags are much better alternatives to the environmentally-harmful plastic bags that we have come to know.

Consumers should do more to educate themselves about their own environmental footprint, and retailers should work harder to expose shoppers to alternatives. Encouraging loyal shoppers to convert to reusable cloth bags through incentives or rewards would be a great start. As our country begins to rethink and reform energy policy, it is time that we begin to take better care of our environment at a national, state, and local level. Eliminating our dependence on plastic bags would be a giant step forward. It's easy to do, and it would help provide future generations with a healthier planet.

Aaron B.