Why Irish eyes are smiling

Did you know that every minute the world uses more than half a million plastic bags, most of which end up in landfills or as litter? There’s hope: Saturday’s New York Times reveals how the Irish love for green surpasses clovers and leprechauns. In 2002 Ireland passed a tax on plastic bags, whereby customers who want them must pay 33 cents per bag at the register. A few weeks after the law passed plastic bag use had dropped by 94%, and within a year plastic bags had become "socially unacceptable. " Nowadays fabric bags in Ireland seem to be as widespread as Guinness. This year the Irish government also plans to ban conventional light bulbs, and only make low-energy long-life florescent bulbs available.

American presidential candidates wanting to tout their green credentials would be wise to endorse a similar policy. Getting rid of plastic bags and inefficient light bulbs is one of the easiest ways we can cut down on the country’s oil use and greenhouse gas emissions.