GRAB Launch

bristol | the environment | event notice Thursday September 18, 2008 08:27 by viral

Gloucester Road Goes Plastic Bag Free

Celebrate the Launch of the GRAB Campaign and Celebrate the "Best of Gloucester Road" Saturday 20th September 2008

Find out how Campaigners and Shop Keepers on Gloucester Rd in North Bristol have made their high street plastic bag free. With nearly 60 shops signed up we are inviting Bristol to come and Celebrate their local high street with amorning of freebies, markets, music and much much more!
The people of Bristol are invited to join traders and campaigners celebrating the launch of plastic-bag free shopping on Bristol’s Gloucester Road on Saturday, as shops pledge to go plastic-bag free. This Saturday the 20th September.

The event, which has been organised by the Gloucester Road Alternative Bag campaign (GRAB) with the help of shops on the Gloucester Road, will include live music, a craft market, food tastings, a photo exhibition, bag painting and other activities [1].

The Gloucester Road campaign are alsolaunching their website to celebrate the unique variety offered by the Gloucester Road’s shops at www.lovegloucesterroad.org.uk [3].

More than 50 traders (see list below) are supporting the move to go plastic bag free and will be encouraging shoppers to invest in one of GRAB’s environmentally-friendly Fairtrade Gloucester Road cloth bags [2]. Bags made from compostable potato starch or paper will also be available at a small charge.

GRAB Campaigner Gaby Solly said:
“Saturday is all about celebrating the start of plastic-bag free shopping on Gloucester Road. We’re really pleased that so many traders have pledged to phase out plastic bags from their stores. Every single one of them is doing their bit to help reduce the pollution problems caused by unnecessary plastic bags.”

She continued:
"Gloucester Road is famous for its rich variety of independent shops, café’s and pubs, and this is a great opportunity for them all to promote their street.”

Marcus Wells from the Breadstore said:
“We’ve been really encouraged by the support we’ve had from our customers when we did a trial run charging for bio-degradable bags. Every one was really supportive. The GRAB campaign is a great partnership between shoppers and shop keepers and I hope it will prove a great inspiration to other communities who want to do the right thing.”

Bristol’s shops give out 1.5 million plastic carrier bags a week - and 13 billion are issued across the UK every year. Most end up discarded, littering the countryside and polluting rivers where they pose a threat to wildlife. Many end up out at sea, damaging marine life.

Dr Mark Browne, a marine ecologist from Bristol, explained:
"In the environment plastic debris is progressively breaking down into smaller pieces which means there is a greater chance of it being eaten by animals. As plastic fragments into smaller particles, it can accumulate in the tissues of an organism. There is increasing concern that toxic chemicals from plastic may transfer from plastic to the food chain. Reducing litter and using reusable bags help protect marine habitats and wildlife from the hazards posed by plastic debris."

Saturday’s Gloucester Road celebrations will run from 10am - 2pm with live music from Bristol’s Gaswork Singers, the Ten Pound Suit Band and other bands programmed by The Golden Lion Pub.

Shops who have signed up to the campaign will be hosting special events, with free tasting at some shops, barbecues, and special offers on the day. Shoppers will also be able to take part a special “Spot the Wrong Un” Gloucester Road game.

There will be a photo exhibition about the Gloucester Road’s shops and traders, stalls with local and ethical crafts, information about the campaign, and GRAB bags will be on sale [4].

Contact:
Gaby Solly (campaigner) 07947 577503
Rowan Matthiessen (campaigner) 07737 244318

Notes:
[1] Further details of event and background to the GRAB campaign available online at www.lovegloucesterroad.org.uk

[2] Two sorts of re-usable GRAB cloth bags are available, with one made from fair-trade organic cotton, available in two sizes and hand-printed locally at Greenteeprints using eco-friendly water based inks; the second is made from recycled fabric by the Silai for Skills project in Easton, printed with the GRAB logo by Greenteeprints. The GRAB logo was designed by local textile artist, Sophie Swindells

[3] www.lovegloucesterroad.org.uk has been created for the Gloucester Road Alternative Bag campaign by Lisa and Tom at 18a Productions on Gloucester Road.

[4] Photos by Sean Malyon and Text by Mark Rowe were originally created for an exhibition at Bristol’s Records Office in 2006.

Gloucester Road businesses signed up to the pledge so far include:
18a Productions
Amnesty Books
Area 51
Bamba Beads
Billie Jean Clothes
Bishopston Books
Bishopston Hardware
Bishopston Post Office
Bishopston Tiles
Bishopston Trading Company
Bobby’s Newsagents
Born
Brewer’s Droop
Bristol Tools
Café Delight
Cartridge Right
Cibo’s
Coffee#1
Comfort’s Hairdressers
Craftworks
Crawfords Newsagents
Dave Giles Butchers
Direct Dry Cleaning
Express Shoe Repairs
Filmbank
Gardener’s Patch
Gloucester Road Craft Market
Guerrilla Galleries
Happy Island Jewellers
Harvest
Horfield Post Office
Iota
Joe’s Bakery
Katze
La Ruca
Mad About Sarnies
Make
Nailsea Electrical & Gas
Pearce’s Hardware
Pembury Cycles
Planet Pizza
Playfull Toys
Repsyco
Rooted Records
Rosebud Florist
Sage
Scoopaway
Simply Furniture
Sood’s Chemist
St Peter’s Hospice
T & PA Murray Ltd Butchers
The Blue Lagoon
The Breadstore
The Flower Shop
The Golden Lion
The Law Shop
The Photo Company
The Real Olive Co’
Totally Toys