I was in Washington DC last week for the On-Demand Show and the Publishing XChange, and with a little free time and warm weather, I took a walk around town and ventured into a Barnes & Noble. I bought a couple of books, and the clerk asked me if I wanted a bag. I said yes, and he pointed out that there is a 5¢ surcharge on disposable bags in the District of Columbia. I was unaware of this, but further investigation has found that since it has been instituted, plastic bag use in DC has dropped by more than half. (Some of the proceeds of the surcharge go to clean up the Anacostia River.) Other cities and localities are starting to follow suit; Brownsville, TX, for example, is imposing a $1 bag fee. (Whilst I am in the habit of taking my own reusable bags to the grocery store and other shops here at home, I tend not to take them when traveling to other cities. I shall have to rethink that.) Speaking of plastic bags, just in time for Earth Month, PBS is airing a film called Bag It, an eco-documentary that follows the life of a plastic bag, and details the impact of plastics in general, and plastic bags in particular, on our lives, our health, and our environment. A 58-minute version will be airing on PBS stations in April, and the feature-length version will be screened as part of Whole Foods’ Do Something Reel film festival, as well as at other screenings around the country.