globalbriefs Bag Ban
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California’s ongoing ban on single-use plastic carryout bags, approved by 52 percent of voters, is setting a notable precedent for other states. A coalition of environmental groups, grocers and others are collaborating, and Mark Murray, of Californians Against Waste, welcomes elimination of the 25 million plastic bags that pollute California every day, threatening wildlife. In 2007, San Francisco first banned plastic shopping bags, setting off a movement that led nearly half the state, including its biggest cities, to do the same. Although the legislature passed a statewide ban on plastic bags two years ago, paper bags are still for sale at grocery stores and other outlets for a nominal fee.
Clean Jeans
Laundry Machines Boost School Attendance
Junior Achievement Take the Kids to Work
The Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Foundation (TODASTW) is holding its annual national event on April 27, offering new toolkits and activity guides based on this year’s theme of Dependability at DaughtersAndSonsToWork.org. The group assists businesses, families, schools and organizations throughout the year initiate their own special work day for children and mentees. Each year, more than 3.5 million American workplaces open their doors to about 39 million employees and their children on TODASTW Day. “Human resources and marketing professionals are typically responsible for creating this day within their companies,” says Carolyn McKeucen, the foundation’s executive director. “We provide templates and automated planning elements to save them time while ensuring success for planners and participants.”
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California Outlaws Single-Use Plastic Bags
Kids in middle schools with attendance problems may simply lack clean clothes to wear. An experiment by the Whirlpool company has taken on the issue with significant results. The Whirlpool Care Counts Program donated 17 pairs of washers and dryers to school districts in St. Louis and Fairfield, California. Kids with attendance problems were asked to bring their laundry to be cleaned while they were in class. Each student had approximately 50 loads of laundry done at school during the year, and more than 90 percent increased their attendance, with at-risk students attending almost two more weeks in class. Whirlpool is now expanding the program. Compared to factors such as economic opportunity, unemployment and institutional racism, laundry might seem inconsequential, but for a 10-year-old facing stacked odds, having nothing clean to wear could be the deciding factor in whether or not they want to face their classmates that day. Seventh-grade teacher Alison Guernsey, in Fairfield, says, “One of my students had more or less withdrawn from school completely. After we started the program, he was more excited about coming and started to actively engage in class. He didn’t feel like an outsider anymore.”