Students collaborate with Subway on campus to reduce plastic bags 

When students in an Introduction to Civic Engagement (CEL 292) class at UAA learned that one million plastic bags are consumed and discarded every minute and that the bags can stay in the landfill for 1,000 years, they decided to civically engage in a concrete way. The result of their efforts is a unique collaboration between the civic engagement students and the Subway restaurant on campus.

Beginning Nov. 10, 2014, the Subway restaurant on campus began providing plastic bags only upon a customer's request.

The CEL 292 project began in spring 2014 with CEL 292 student Sabre Hill. A junior majoring in environment and society, Hill presented a research project on the issues surrounding plastic bags. Hill was subsequently invited to share her research with the fall CEL 292 class and the students enthusiastically decided to pursue decreasing plastic bags on campus.

UAA student Jessica Njaa said, "We are assisting Subway in pursuing their goal to be more sustainable and eco-friendly." An added benefit, according to Njaa, is that the project will "raise awareness on campus of what can easily be done to reduce unnecessary waste."

Carrie Selzer, a student in the civic engagement class, described the efforts to initiate the project. "We collaborated with students in the hallways and in our classes, and then with Chris Wilson, the vice president of Subway of Alaska." She also noted that "support from the student body will be important to keep this project going."

The students initially considered alternatives to plastic bags, but after extensive research decided the only environmentally sound option was to entirely eliminate plastic packaging.

"Subway embraced our effort to reduce the use of plastic bags on campus," said Michelle Fanning, "but patrons of the Subway restaurant at UAA can do their part by not requesting plastic bags."

While plastic bags in Anchorage's parks and streams are unsightly, plastic bags also pose a significant environmental threat that goes well beyond the bags' sheer quantity and life span. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, plastic bags are among the debris having a serious impact on the marine environment. When marine animals ingest plastics, the results can include starvation, infection and injury. Plastic bags also alter the marine ecosystem by smothering plant life.

Civic engagement student Rocky Garcia posed the important question, "How can we continue the effort to reduce plastic bag use after the Introduction to Civic Engagement class has ended?" It's a question the students hope the entire student body will take up as they become more aware of the environmental issues surrounding plastic bags.

According to student Sophie Leshan, "Our mission is to create a more sustainable campus, but there is more work to be done. Other UAA facilities will still utilize plastic bags and it's up to us, as students, to generate the momentum to let these facilities know that diminishing plastic use is something we care about."

Student James Glisson put it succinctly saying, "Ten minutes of convenience can cause a lifetime of disappointment." In the weeks ahead, the CEL students will be encouraging their peers and faculty to "Just say no...to the plastic bag."

November Archive