Nicodemus Wilderness Project -- Global Registry of Apprentice Ecologists

I come from a small town community. Everywhere you look you see woods, farms, or family businesses. Most everyone cares about the environment in some way or another, whether it be hunting, fishing, or farming. It can be quite depressing when you drive down a country road and see plastic bags show there gaunt forms from trees and roadsides. Such a pristine place is now turned into a dump. Not only are there bags but other trash as well. It is just that plastic is not natural; it is not supposed to encroach on nature. That is why I decided last year to start collecting, plastic bags especially, so that I can turn them into something functional. I have just now started working hard on the project, and I am amazed by my progress so far.
I think my community, and planet for that matter, needs help. Neither one can take care of itself especially when it comes to the forever persistent enemy, plastic. Plastic only biodegrades in the sun, and when it does it just makes smaller pieces of plastic. The beaches in Hawaii can prove as an example of that, because they are littered with those same small pieces almost three inches thick. If they can end up in Paradise then they can also end up in places like ditches, rivers, and woods. All of these places where I live house some kind of animal whether a worm, turtle, or deer. If they happen to ingest that plastic it could do some serious harm, even death. Not only that, but before these plastics and other garbage biodegrade they roam along and have become ugly tumbleweeds. We, as humans, need to take care of our environment; otherwise it might just become an exposed, smelly landfill and I doubt anyone would want that.
My friends and family helped save approximately 600 bags while I crocheted and sewed 5 tote bags, 3 purses, a pillow filled with the leftover material I canâ€™t crochet with, a seat cushion filled with reused packing foam, and a neat jellyfish to hang from a ceiling. It was rather fun because I got to include something that I love doing. Crochet. Plus, I also got to be creative which was where the jellyfish came in at. Some friends even wanted a purse, because they saw how ecofriendly it was as well as durable, mine having lasted for two years now and still going with constant use. I also got to sew an old T-shirt to make a small dog pillow which used up the handles and bottoms of the bags and any scraps that I had. It turned out really great because the plastic does not flatten out like most cotton and poly-fill pillows do. I even taught a couple friends to start crocheting, and one even enjoyed crocheting bags more than regular yarn. Itâ€™s just amazing what regular trash can be turned into. Not only were new things being created but the bags themselves got a new life. They were not recycled, but reused, which saves the air from dealing with the toxic fumes that are emitted when plastic is burned and or made. It also kept those bags and the foam from filling the landfills in my area.
While conducting this project, I have realized just how many bags can be found just by driving down a country road. It has also made me more willing to turn down bags for say, two items, at a store, choose a reusable bag like the few I had made, or even a paper bag. It has just made me realize so many things. After doing this project I plan on continuing to reuse bags, and hopefully get others to participate with me.