MNN - Mother Nature Network

13-year-old Abby Goldberg was tired of seeing plastic bags littering her hometown of Grayslake, Ill., and hearing about the destruction the bags can cause in the environment. So she made it her school project to get a local ban on single-use plastic bags in her area. When that ban was threatened by a statewide bill that would essentially ban plastic bag bans, Abby took her fight online and got enough signatures on her online petition to persuade Gov. Pat Quinn to veto SB 3442, the “Plastic Bag and Film Recycling Act,”  which would have prohibited communities in Illinois from enacting bans on plastic bags.

 

Quinn, who vetoed the bill, credited Goldberg with raising awareness about the implications of the proposed law, and thanked Goldberg for her work to protect the environment in Illinois. Earlier this summer, Quinn met with Goldberg personally when the 13-year-old girl delivered her petition to the governor in Chicago.

 

“I’ve learned that no matter what your age, you can make a difference,” Goldberg said in a news release issued by Change.org. “Governor Quinn heard a loud and clear message from more than 170,000 people that local communities should have the right to enact plastic bag bans in Illinois. I’m very proud of everyone who came together to call for a veto of this bill.”

 

Congrats Abby. And I hope Big Oil is shaking in their boots over this 13-year-old who is not afraid to back down.  

 

For the latest update on Abby's petition, check out Change.org.

 

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