Date: February 6, 2025
Re: HB 25-1052
Thank you for taking my comments. I would like to give acknowledgement of the ancestral lands of over 574 Tribal Nations where we stand on the ancestral lands of 48 Tribal Nations. Today, we have over 260 federally recognized Tribal Nations members that live here in Colorado due to land encroachment, sea level rise, droughts, floods, landslides, and wildfires.
I’m Shaina Oliver, field organizer with Moms Clean Air Force-EcoMadres Colorado Chapter. Over 43,000 Colorado Moms, Dads, and Caregivers are united for our children’s right to breathe clean air protected from harmful air pollution and climate change.
Importantly, I’m a mother of four and my children and I are enrolled tribal members of the Navajo Nation. Descendants and survivors of the Indian Removal Act known to the Dine as “The Long Walk of the Navajo”.
As parents, we strive to provide the best we can for our children, families, and communities. As parents, we know we are the teachers for our children. We know that forming new habits is not always easy, but the bag fee really made people think about the wasteful practice of single-use bags. Now that we are over the transition to reusable bags, this new habit will benefit us collectively in the long run – especially our kids.
The importance of single-use carryout fees has shown us we can thrive through new habits. We see dramatically less single-use carryout bags flying about in Colorado. Importantly, the fees have created opportunities for communities that have introduced important sustainable programs into our communities. From providing reusage bags to litter clean-up programs that have been largely ignored by producers and consumers.
Now, it is yet again up to our communities and local leaderships to ensure we are providing a striving and thriving community for our kid’s future. What an opportunity to have to invest in our children and our community’s sustainability.
Parents of Colorado support the single-use bag fee that will support our communities to be the leaders in addressing and achieving sustainability for our children’s health and well-being. Moms Clean Air Force-EcoMadres Colorado asks you to oppose HB25-1051 repeal on single-use carryout bag fee.