By Stephanie Grinnell

Staff Writer

A new contest geared toward children in grades three through seven across the state of Maine called Nurture Nature encourages them to design artwork for reusable grocery bags called Bulletin Bags. 

Suzette Bergeron of Scarborough is the founder of Bulletin Bags, a concept that combines two of her passions, marketing and recycling. The company was incorporated in January. 

Bergeron said the reusable bags are made from a combination of recycled soda bottles and environmentally friendly hemp, which makes them thin and light, but also strong. She said the material is less bulky than canvas and stronger than cotton.

Bergeron said the average family of four uses two or three plastic bags per person, per week and said canvas bags often turn people off because of their bulky feel. The fabric for Bulletin Bags is manufactured by a company overseas that uses fair trade and labor practices, which means the fabric is not manufactured in sweatshops, she said. 

“You can’t find a product that has no impact on the environment, but this is the best possible option at this time,” she said.

One side of the contest winning Bulletin Bag will feature sponsors, which will allow Bergeron to give away some of the bags for free. The headline sponsor of the contest is Shaw’s Supermarket, based in Rhode Island, with stores across New England. Shaw’s Community Marketing Manager Rick Tremblay said Shaw’s has a history of environmental awareness and is happy to support the contest. He said he was contacted by Bergeron about the Nurture Nature contest and upon evaluating the program, decided to become a sponsor. 

Trembaly said Shaw’s has carried its own line of reusable grocery bags for years but has seen an increase in the demand during the past year. He said he is hopeful someday to use mostly reusable bags in all of the Shaw’s stores.

“You would hope eventually people would start doing that,” Trembaly said. “But you have to get in the culture of using them.”

Bergeron said getting children involved is a one way to affect change in their parents. The first 1,000 children that sign up for the design contest will receive a free bag displaying the winner’s design.

“They can use that bag to be a reminder to their parents. Any environmental step helps raise awareness. These are really small changes we all can make,” she said. 

Bergeron said she has been using reusable bags since her children, now 11 and 12-years-old, were younger. 

“I find it easier to use the reusable bags,” Bergeron said. “Once you set yourself up with a system, you can use tricks to remind yourself to bring (the) bags.”

She said she places her reusable bags on the doorknob after she unloads her groceries so she will remember to take them back out to her car before her next trip to the grocery store.  

Bergeron said the use of plastic bags is an issue around the planet. 

“The issue is huge and it’s everywhere,” she said. “Cities and states and countries are trying to pass laws with a fee for plastic bags or banning them.” 

The fee program has been successful in Ireland, she said. 

“Within one year’s time, they moved 90 percent of people to reusable bags,” Bergeron said. 

The contest kicked off officially this week, and Bergeron said she is sending out kits to interested groups of children, including 4-H groups, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and local schools. The kits include information about why reusable bags are more environmentally friendly than paper or plastic as well as contest entry forms and rules. 

The contest ends on April 30, eight days after Earth Day, which is April 22. It is coincidence Earth Day is near the end of the contest but Bergeron said anything she can do to raise awareness about the fragility of the environment helps. Earth Day began in worldwide in 1990 as a way for people to demonstrate the need for a sustainable environment. For Earth Day 2008, events are planned across the planet, with a focus on global warming, according to the Web site ww2.earthday.net.

The winner of the reusable bag design contest will be announced May 15 and all submissions to the contest must be received by April 30. The winning designer will receive a $100 prize and Bergeron said other environmentally friendly prizes will be awarded. 

More information about the Nurture Nature contest can be found at www.bulletinbags.com or by calling Bergeron at 839-4220. Contest entries will also be available is Shaw’s stores.

Contact Stephanie Grinnell by calling 282-4337 ext. 213 or email news@intheregister.com