Part of my role with @WIAwesome will be a regular report on the happenings at RMOW council meetings with a closer look at a topic that grabs my attention.

So last night your Whistler municipal council did the following:

1. Initiated a user pay parking consultation and engagement process. Looks like there will be free parking in lots IV and V until at least September.
2. Awarded asphalt tender to Alpine Paving. Asphalt used on RMOW projects must be made outside of Whistler. Blackcomb Way will be paved.
3. Adopted the mail-out ballot. Now you don’t have to leave your couch to vote!
4. Reduced allowable idling period for vehicles from 3 mins to 1 min.
5. Spent $800K of RMI (Resort Municipality Initiative) provincial transfer funds for Festival Events & Animation (FE&A) efforts: @crankworx @granfondocanada @jazzonmountain @warriordash. Check them out.

A very long and interesting night; and plastic is what caught my attention. Council looked again at how Whistler can help address thin film plastic bags and the environmental problem they present. The discussion focused on whether the RMOW should be educating or legislating. Bruce Stewart of Nesters Market represented the grocery store sector and presented their continuing education and plastic reduction effort. AWARE presented their reasons for supporting a municipal ban on thin film plastic. Council debate was vigorous but it’s pretty clear the ultimate elimination of thin film plastic is a widely shared destination. In the end council chose education over legislation.

AWARE president Claire Ruddy saw the writing on the wall when she presented before the final vote. Although, she was clearly in favor of legislation she added an amendment eventually included in the final motion… the RMOW will monitor the success of the education effort. So after a healthy debate and some cooperative community effort it seems we’ve got a workable solution. Whistler will educate, monitor and analyze the success of the plastic bag reduction effort in six months.

I read the preceding to the love of my life and apparently,“informative but boring… where’s the editorial?” So the editorial is I think plastic is a disaster. It is a symptom of a throw away existence. I have never been one for legislating morality… but for some reason I lean that way on plastic. I have a friend Kris Krug (@kk), who just got back from Midway Atoll. He was helping Chris Jordan film a documentary on the effects of plastic on the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Remote ocean birds with their bellies full of “bic” lighters, condoms and pens has inspired me to speak up, adjust the way we live and maybe be a tiny part of the answer.

+kk photo - Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/kk/

So with Midway as inspiration and since the RMOW has decided to not ban plastic … I hearby ban thin film plastic bags. If you use thin plastic you will be in contravention of the Crompton Ban and you will be subject to a beer fine. Have a look at the trailer for Midway… should be a great film.