Battle of the bag bans
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It's a battle of the uber-rich -- Aspen vs. Telluride -- to see whose residents can best wean themselves from disposable grocery bags. Both towns have so embraced the bag battle -- aka an educational campaign -- that the competition has been extended through Labor Day. Telluride's Sheep Mountain Alliance and Aspen's Community Office for Resource Efficiency share the same goal: passing ordinances in both towns that will ban or restrict plastic and paper bags. "Disposable bags represent an incredibly wasteful habit that can easily be curbed," says activist David Allen. "Ireland's success in reducing bag use by 90 percent is a perfect example." For every reusable shopping bag that's purchased at the checkout or brought in, participating grocers donate 5 cents to a Green Fund; the fund helps pay for a local environmental project. Best of all, the "winning" resort town -- the one that raises the most money -- gets to crow that it's uber-green as well as uber-rich.
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