Expectations are high for 2019. Governor Inslee is holding forth on some serious carbon reduction legislation he wants to see and there is an emphasis on environmental issues all up and down the spectrum, from orca to electric cars, and it all seems to be synchronized. The latest climate change report has drawn a clear line that people everywhere, even the folks who have been in long, blind denial, are starting to notice. 2019 seems like it will be the year when you will have to choose sides.

One of the upcoming state-wide measures that will be introduced is a reusable bag initiative that includes a ban on single-use plastic bags. Those of us who live in the 22 Washington communities that already have similar initiatives in place are of the opinion that it’s about time and that it’s a logical thing to do. Easy. Completely painless. A step that, while it won’t solve all of our plastic problems, will most definitely solve the plastic bag problem, amirite?

Expect pushback. The plastics industry, faced by the American Chemistry Council, is going to bite, scratch and kick against the truth of the issue the whole way. It strikes me as ironic, that an organization so focused on the “future,” should argue so pointedly to hold on to the past. You can buy a lot of irony for $31 million.

I think this is going to be fun. I’m looking forward to 2019.