If you’re a resident of California, the most important way you can help is to contact your assembly members and senators directly and tell them to vote YES on SB 568 and AB 298. It takes only a few minutes to make your voice heard with a phone call or email. Your representatives are how you can make your voice heard, so speak up! These links from Surfrider walk you through it, and even give you tips about what to say in a phone call:

• To take action on the bag ban, click here
• To take action on the foam ban, click here

Not a California resident? You can still help. Click here to sign the petition!

The average single-use bag is used 12 minutes before being released as pollution in the environment or waste into the landfill. Less than 5% of plastic bags are actually recycled. Californians use an estimated 12 billion plastic bags a year; before the L.A. County bag ban took effect in 2011, each resident consumed approximately 433 single-use plastic bags per year!
Ninety percent (!) of the polystyrene foam used in the US is thrown into landfills or ends up in the ocean-its light weight and buoyancy allows it to spread widely. As a plastic product, the foam doesn’t degrade and it wreaks havoc on the wildlife it comes into contact with.
Why the bans? They work! It’s a simple, common sense solution to a growing problem. The best part? There’s no downside.
Click here for success stories.