Need Funding?

• The New England Grassroots Environment Fund (“the Grassroots Fund” for short) offers seed grants of $250 to $1,000 to community groups with newly evolving projects. In partnership with the Fund, we have developed a simple template to make it easy to apply under the Mass Green banner. Seed applications have a rolling deadline, so submit an application when you are ready.  Expect a decision within 3 weeks of submission.
  
• Download the Mass Green Network / Grassroots Fund application template here
  

Powerpoint Presentations to Support Bag Laws

• Powerpoint cannibalized from presentations #1-3 below, and using greenhouse gas calculator (tailored to Springfield)
  
• Powerpoint presentation for a Bag Law #1 (prepared by community activists in Framingham, this has been used by many groups since as a template for their own presentations)
  
• Powerpoint presentation for a Bag Law #2 (another excellent presentation, prepared by community activists in Plymouth)
  
• Powerpoint presentation for a Bag Law #3 (a third approach, prepared by community activists in Bedford)
  
• Powerpoint presentation introducing the problems of plastic and the available alternatives (used in Williamstown)
  
• Mass Green Plastic Bag Cost Calculator (Plug in the population of your city or town to see how eliminating plastic bags will reduce CO2 emissions and consumer costs)
  
• How Long Does Plastic Remain in the Environment? (a powerful graphic on marine debris from Wood's Hole)
  

Flyers and Other Publicity Materials

• Quick Facts on plastic bags and polystyrene (from Lee, Lenox & Stockbridge)
  
• Why ban plastic bags? (from Provincetown)
  
• Bag FAQs (from Wellfleet)
  
• Trifold flyer (from Provincetown)
  
• Fact Sheets and scientific reports on environmental effects of plastic bags
  
• Letter to Municipal Officials (from Boston)
  

Tips for Municipalities with Representative Town Meeting

• Lessons from Framingham
  
• Sample phone script when calling Town Meeting members
  

Working with Business Owners

• Business owners waste management survey (from Wellesley)
  
• Business owners waste management questionnaire
  

Preparing to Meet the Opposition

• Pro-Bag Arguments #1: The American Progressive Bag Alliance
  
• Answering the APBA (a letter prepared by community activists in Wellesley)
  
• Pro-Bag Arguments #2: The American Forest & Paper Association
  
• Answering the Libertarian argument that bag laws assault our freedom (by Ken Stone, Plymouth)
  
• Answering the claim that reusable bags cause disease
  
• Answering the claim that paper bags are just as bad as plastic
  

Do Bag Laws Really Make a Difference?

• Absolutely. Click here for environmental impact studies.
  

Community Bag Law Toolkit

MassGreen.Org

WORKING TOGETHER FOR JUST AND SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES