SABA—GEBE will be taking its Reusable Shopping Bag Supermarket Challenge to Saba this week to promote the use of reusable shopping bags instead of plastic shopping bags. Saba shoppers could win Naf 100, - on the spot from their favorite local supermarket if they shop with any reusable shopping bag during the GEBE Supermarket Challenge.
Participating supermarkets are Big Rock Market, Corner Imports, D & A Supermarket, KawVaw Supermarket, and My Store Supermarket. Each shopper will only be allowed to win once, so they are encouraged to tell their friends and family as well.
The Saba Conservation Foundation has endorsed the campaign and will be working alongside GEBE to also increase the awareness of the dangers of plastic in the environment. Dave Levenstone will be kicking off the awareness on his radio program with a number of quizzes where listeners can win a reusable shopping bag and conservation package.
Plastic shopping bags usually end up caught in trees littering the environment and can kill marine life because they are mistaken for food. Instead, GEBE is promoting the use of reusable shopping bags, which can be used over and over again as part of the company’s environmental program aimed at Saving Some Green.
Used twice a week for a period of two years, each GEBE reusable shopping bag can replace up to 1664 plastic shopping bags in its lifetime. The 10,000 bags that GEBE distributed could therefore mean a total plastic bag reduction on these islands of 16 million bags. The bag is for the conscious shopper who like GEBE takes the environment into account. GEBE distributed 10,000 reusable shopping bags in January 2009 to its customers on St. Maarten, Saba, and Statia. GEBE is also planning to launch the Supermarket Challenge in Statia.