FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 01/01/18
Website: http://greenupward.com Contact: Gabriella Jacobsen Email: greenupwardlife@gmail.com Facebook, Instagram, Twitter: @greenupward
Designer gets “thread serious” about reducing plastic waste in our oceans Up & coming designer launches Green Upward Market & Storage Bags as a fully sustainable plastic produce bag alternative Northern Virginia: This January, Green Upward is releasing their inaugural Market and Storage Bags for sale on their website after a successful Kickstarter brought the bags to life this past August. The bags were created in response to our growing plastic pollution problem: “It is now believed that there are 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic debris in the ocean. Shoppers worldwide are using approximately 500 billion single-use plastic bags per year, or 150 bags a year for every person on earth. Over 100,000 marine creatures a year die from plastic entanglement and these are the ones found.” (1) The Market and Storage Bags are a set of fair trade bags that help a shopper sustainably collect, carry, and store produce and bulk foods without needing a separate plastic produce bag. The bags were manufactured in southern VA by a nonprofit that employs Americans with Disabilities. Green Upward believes their bags should be mission focused, and the bags’ goal is to support sustainability in our community. 2% of the bags’ sale are donated to Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture, a non-profit that leads sustainable farming efforts in the D.C. area.
“It all started in a greenhouse just outside of Washington DC. I had just graduated and decided to commit to living a more sustainable life at home and as a designer. I began Green Upward as a commitment tracker for myself, and then when I couldn’t find the eco-designs I was looking for, Green Upward became a platform for delivering truly sustainable solutions. The plants in my greenhouse, and the larger natural world serve as my main design inspiration. Through Green Upward, I promise the eco-community ideas, designs, and products that live up to our values.” - Gabriella, founder of Green Upward The designs’ journey begins and ends with good dirt. The bag fabric is 100% organic cotton: grown without harmful pesticides. The cotton is then woven into the highest quality fabric and dyed with low impact dyes. If the bags is no longer needed the materials are completely biodegradable. This means the bag can be cut-up and composted, and returned to the earth. About Green Upward: Green Upward is a lifestyle, community engagement, and design experiment seeking to rethink what sustainability is in our daily lives. Founded in 2017, and currently based just outside of Washington DC. The experiment is currently focusing on the Market & Storage Bags, but plans to release multiple new designs in 2018. Source (1): Oceancrusaders.org