Thank you Sam Shropshire! – For your extraordinary stewardship!

Back in 2007, Annapolis Friend, Sam Shropshire, did a marvelous thing. He raised the country’s awareness about the harm of plastic bags to marine life and our planet by seeking to curb their usage with radical legislation.

This week those early efforts by Sam in Annapolis in 2007, which drew national attention, came full circle with the help of County Councilwoman, Lisa Rodvien, and others. The plastic bag ban (with exceptions) is as of Jan 1, 2024, now in effect. Thank you, Sam, for the historic role you played in this achievement for our environment!

Read the story in this week’s Baltimore Banner and in the New York Times news of 2007.

Baltimore Banner by Rick Hutzell, Jan 2, 2023 “Anne Arundel plastic bag ban is less than it seems. And more”

Hutzell also provides this link (with a great photo of Sam) part of the 2007 national coverage in the New York Times, “Pressure Builds to Ban Plastic Bags in Stores” by Ian Urbina,

Friend, Barb T, shares this note “Sam now lives in Saudi Arabia where he initially traveled to edit a translation of a book into English about commonalities between Islam and Christianity. More recently he has founded and is director of the Muslim Voice for Peace.  He visits the US and Annapolis periodically and brings various Muslim teammates to our Annapolis Meeting.” Barb warmly adds, “Sam welcomes outreach from Annapolis Friends and feels, now, like a “Muslim Friend”.

[The articles in the Baltimore Banner and the New York Times are behind paywalls but are available in our county libraries; copies of both stories will be placed in the Meetinghouse on the main Bulletin Board.]