- What is A Day Without a Bag?
- Who are our partners?
- What can our partners do?
- What is the media hook?
- What are the media events?
- What are the goals for A Day Without a Bag?
What is A Day Without a Bag?
A Day Without a Bag is a countywide (Los Angeles County) day of education and grassroots action on December 18th. Holiday shoppers and retailers are challenged to forego single-use, plastic shopping bags for the day in favor of reusable bags.
Who are our partners?
A growing number of municipalities (including 22 from last year, such as the City of Los Angeles, the City of Long Beach and Los Angeles County), community groups, environmental organizations and selected retailers have agreed to be partners in our A Day Without a Bag event.
What can our partners do?
Our partners consist of Coalition Members, Retailers and Bag Vendors
Coalition Members (municipalities, community groups and environmental organizations) can help to double the number of city proclamations and increase participation this year, by providing outreach for A Day Without a Bag through web, e-mail, print, and word-of-mouth campaigns to their members, volunteers and communities. In addition, coalition members can provide site captains at bag giveaway locations on December 18th.
Retailers: Join last year’s A Day Without a Bag retail, grocery and supermarket partners (Ralphs, Food 4 Less, 99¢ Only Stores, Fred Segal and Bed Bath & Beyond) by creating an in-store program at one of the following four levels:
- Friendship
- Promote A Day Without a Bag by not giving out single use bags — either paper or plastic — on December 18th.
- Promote the event with POP/storefront displays, on your website, in e-mail or print ads
- Recognition:
- Friendship members will receive an in store 8.5x11 display and a certificate of participation.
- Advocate Sponsorship
- Promote the event with POP/storefront displays, on your website, in e-mail or print ads
- Distribute free reusable bags by one of the following:
- Give out up to 500 bag units of free reusable bags while supplies last — one per customer,
- or...
- Provide free reusable bags to customers making single-day purchases totaling a certain amount at limited outlets.
- Recognition
- Advocate Sponsors are listed on our website, Annual Report and in wrap-up materials.
- Patron Sponsorship
- Promote the event with POP/storefront displays, on your website, in e-mail or print ads
- Distribute free reusable bags by one of the following:
- Give out 500 - 2,499 bag units of free reusable bags while supplies last — one per customer
- or...
- Provide free reusable bags to customers making single-day purchases totaling a certain amount at limited outlets.
- Recognition
- Patron Sponsors are listed our website, Annual Report and in wrap-up materials.
- Patron Sponsors are also listed in in any POP displays or flyers, Currents (Heal the Bay's membership newsletter) and Press Releases.
- Patron Sponsors are eligible to be highlighted at media events/interviews.
- Major Sponsorship
- Promote the event with POP/storefront displays, on your website, in e-mail or print ads
- Distribute free reusable bags by one of the following:
- Give out 2,500 - 5,000 bag units of free reusable bags while supplies last — one per customer
- or...
- Provide free reusable bags to customers making single-day purchases totaling a certain amount at limited outlets.
- Double any existing in-store reusable bag rebates or offers at all outlets countywide.
- Recognition
- Major Sponsors are listed our website, Annual Report and in wrap-up materials.
- Major Sponsors will have logo placement on the web, POP displays, flyers and will be highlighted in articles on Day Without a Bag in Currents (Heal the Bay's membership newsletter), Sea Stars (Heal the Bay's volunteer newsletter), weekly e-Newsletters and Press Releases.
- Major sponsors are listed in any Facebook/MySpace/Blog promotions of Day Without a Bag.
- Major Sponsors are designated to be highlighted at media events/interviews.
Bag vendor partners: Join last year’s coalition members by participating through programs:
- Donate reusable bags to be given out on December 18th (join at Advocate, Patron or Major levels, providing 250 to 10,000 units, for tax credit and sponsorship recognition).
- Promote (or double any existing) rebates or offers for sales on reusable bags leading up to, or on December 18th.
- Market A Day Without a Bag through POP, online, print and word-of-mouth promotional campaigns to customers, employees and communities.
- Volunteer at giveaway sites on December 18th
What is the media hook?
A Day Without a Bag tells “A Greener Holiday” message, putting a fresh twist on the typical year-end shopping stories. Retail partners offering a gift (reusable bags) to shoppers to give back to the environment, will be promoted in the weeks and days prior, through viral and traditional media campaigns, as well as through hosted media events.
What are the media events?
On December 18th, Heal the Bay and its coalition partners will organize two media events, with the support of celebrities and elected officials, at special interest and high-traffic locations in Los Angeles County. At these media sites, as well as multiple, additional satellite sites, participants will receive free, reusable bags, education about single-use, plastic bags and opportunities for action.
What are the goals for A Day Without a Bag?
As a vehicle for raising consumer awareness about personal choices, A Day Without a Bag focuses on education, rather than advocacy. With the New Year approaching, the event’s short term goal is to educate Southland shoppers to make resolutions to adopt more sustainable practices, year round.
The event’s long term is to reduce the use of disposable, single-use plastic bags throughout the state by empowering shoppers, and the community at large, to take simple, direct actions to eliminate unsightly debris and save taxpayer dollars:
- More than 6 billion plastic bags are used in L.A. County each year.
- Disposable bags cost our fiscally strained cities up to 17 cents per bag for disposal (not including environmental costs).
- Plastic bags are made from fossil fuels. Americans use over 380 billion bags every year, throwing away this precious, non-renewable resource.