BOOMERANG BAGS BOSTON
LAUNCHED IN MAY 2017, we are a VOLUNTEER driven group working with DONATED FABRIC to make a DRAMATIC SHIFT in a city we love. TOGETHER we can make CHANGES, INDIVIDUALLY we can make a DIFFERENCE, one less plastic bag at a time. We encourage you to join us - NO MATTER YOUR SKILL SET. If you work, play, live or just LOVE BOSTON we want you to JOIN US.
What is a BOOMERANG BAg?
A Boomerang bag is a sustainably-made cloth bag you can borrow and bring back to a local store.
This is my first ever time regretting to not let my kids handle technology more. As they say it can only go up from here!
WHAT YOU NEED: 2 pieces of different color or print cotton 7”x 9” + 2 pieces of 7” long 1/8” elastic (or thin elastic) + iron + sewing machine. If you want a mask that really hugs under your chin well, make your cotton pieces 8”x 9”. Everything else is the same.
TEXTILE RECYCLING: Don’t forget to keep all your textile scraps and recycle them at Goodwill or Morgan’s Memorial when we are free to roam again.
Please let me know if you have any questions about making, materials or how to survive making a first time instructional video with your 10 and 14 year old.
Stay healthy everyone!
PAPER IS GOOD - CLOTH IS BETTER - TOGETHER WE CAN DO THIS
In Dec 2017, after two full years of working to pass a single use plastic bag ban, the City of Boston passed the ordinance. Currently, Bostonians use 250 MILLION PLASTIC BAGS EACH YEAR. Soon the streets of Boston, the harbor, the rivers and all our waterways will finally see relief from this major cause of pollution. Now that the city has passed the ban our habits and practices need to change. One of the most major concerns expressed about this bag ban was that a bag ban would negatively effect low income residents as well as senior citizens.
Fabric, resources, space, time and people-power are donated to create reusable cloth bags. We are a chapter of Australian-based Boomerang Bags. Thanks, Aussies! www.boomerangbags.org
WE HAVE A SOLUTION!
In May of 2017, we started a local chapter of Boomerang Bags www.boomerangbags.org. Volunteers have been donating cotton fabric, cutting, ironing, sewing and organizing to produce free reusable cloth bags for our neighbors. In return, people get a sense of community and are able to contribute to the community and the environment in a positive and tangible manor. We have donated the first 1300 bags completed to a food bank for distribution and we aim to locate the next 1000 to other sites including senior centers, community centers, schools and other areas people highlight a need.
People can help any way their desires and skills will take them. No sewing skills are necessary. If you are an experienced sewer, we would love you to sew and/or to also be there to problem-solve and be a SEWING or FABRIC CAPTAIN. If you have a community or school group and you would like to help, we can offer guidance to hold your own sew-a-thons.
Where you can find uS
Spring and Summer 2018- we are on the road
Wake Up the Earth in JP
Sat. July 14, 2018: Neponset River Festival at Granite Avenue in Dorchester
Sept. 29-30, 2018 Sew-a-thon weekend at Stitch House
WHAT HAVE WE BEEN UP TO:
Thus far:
started new partnerships with senior groups and schools in spring/ summer 2018
celebrated our year anniversary from our first sew-a-thon in May 2017
secured our first major partner and new home for our first big batch of Borrow and Bring Back bags - Boston Medical Center's Food Bank! More details to come
Sierra Rothberg has won the 2018 "Spirit of the Ocean' award from Women Working for Oceans as part of her effort with this Boomerang Bags Boston as well as Clean Up Boston
launched and supported a club at Boston Latin Academy to expand our efforts
hosted weekend sew-a-thons at the Stitch House in Dorchester in May, June, October and November 2017, Jan, Feb, March of 2018 and was a part of One Boston Day with the Martin Richard Foundation as part of their Service Village in April 2018.
helped propel the plastic bag ban ordinance in Boston that passed in Dec. 2017
collected donated fabric from all over the metro Boston area
had volunteers come from all parts of Dorchester, JP, West Roxbury, Milton, Maine, Providence and Hull
the ages of volunteers have been between 7 to in their 70's and we have even had three generations helping a sew-a-thon. We had grandmas, grandpas, boys, girls, moms, dads, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, and aunties
people have continue to sew, iron, pin and match pieces of the bag between the sew-a-thons, which has been a crucial piece to this all
received food donations from amazing cafes, stores and local food entrepreneurs
spoke before Boston City Council and handed out a Boomerang Bag to each City Councilor and Mayor Marty Walsh
working to get translation in 10 different languages!!!
we have completed
496 new bags to date!
100's of bags in progress
we are in initial talks with the Daily Table in Dorchester which hits all the right notes of aiming to get the bags into the hands of a store in a low-income area where people visit regularly
THE BIG PICTURE
Plastic bags are polluting our city, our waterways and our world!
HOW YOU CAN HELP
There are many ways to help and you don’t need to know how to sew! There are 16 small steps to complete each bag.
Collecting fabric
Cutting
Ironing
Pinning
Sewing
Serging
Coaching others
Coordinating
Outreach efforts
Donating materials and tools
Purchase a High-Quality Boomerang "Bought to Support' Bag ($10- taxes and fees included)
Sign our daughters' Change.org petition asking Boston's Mayor Marty Walsh to Ban Plastic Bags
You can participate at whatever stage you are interested. Full and clear instructions and support are offered at each stage (see how-to below). Folks who are interested in joining the efforts should fill out our CONTACT FORM. Join us in whatever capacity you are able! Let's make Boston shine!
ABOUT THE ORGANIZERS
Boomerang Bags Boston Chapter is a collective of residents and community activists living in Boston, led by Sierra Rothberg of Lusterity, Clean Up Boston and a local Girl Scout leader, Yooree Losordo of On The Dot Books, Mary Grady, a Boston Public School teacher and fellow Girl Scout leader, Vienna Rothberg of Goga and creator of P.L.E.A.S.U.R.E. at MIT, Ann Walsh Chief of Family Engagement at 1647, Cathy Armer who is our word and editor wiz, and Jen Larson a genuine rockstar and parent, who believe that we can thrive as a city that is free of single-use plastic bags. We can come together to create a solution to provide people free access to re-usable bags when they cannot afford them.