After volunteering in a Belgrano soup kitchen for two years, Patricia Frankel came to realize that while those she served each night left with full stomachs, their difficult lives remained fundamentally unaltered.

Working group (Photo / Lautaro Aránguiz)

“We realized that food is important, but it doesn’t generate a change in the person’s life,” she said. “It continues the person’s dependency.”

Frankel saw so many of her fellow porteños trapped in a vicious cycle of homelessness, hunger, violence and poverty, and she wanted to find a way to help them break out by enabling them to support themselves. In Frankel’s eyes, this move to self-sufficiency would require a transition into the working world.

Thus Frankel and her husband Alfredo Schwarcz decided to start Ecobolsas last year, a project that helps a group of street kids earn a small income while promoting environmentalist ideals.

Every week, a group of homeless youth meets at the Coghlan train station to design and decorate canvas shopping bags. They then sell their creations as an alternative to the ubiquitous plastic bags that are distributed at every grocery store, fruit stand, and pharmacy in Buenos Aires.

In the beginning, Ecobolsas only had two participants. Now, a group of eight or nine show up regularly, learning design techniques from volunteers, mixing paints, and creating their bags.

Frankel, who lives in Coghlan and works as a kinesiologist, said that she sees Ecobolsas as an opportunity for “resocialization” for those who show up every week. The participants, who are mostly male, range in age from late teens to mid twenties, and often sleep in train stations or under viaducts. The majority of them have suffered turbulent, dysfunctional home lives.

Young boy sewing an Ecobolsa (Photo/Lautaro Aránguiz)

“There’s a lot of violence, a lot of alcoholism, rapes, abuse,” Frankel said. “Living in the streets is terrible, so usually there’s a terrible situation at home.”

The young participants are often quite closed off when they begin working at Ecobolsas, distrusting of physical contact and reticent about their situational and emotional difficulties.

At first, many of them had trouble adjusting to the relatively structured atmosphere of Ecobolsas, as they live in what Frankel called an “anarchic manner”. But over time, they adjusted to the schedule of weekly meetings and orderly work environment.

Indeed, on the last Thursday in June, a group of regular participants sat around a picnic table chatting casually in the bright winter sun while painting their bags, occasionally walking around to talk to one of the volunteers on the scene or inquire about a particular colour of paint.

Walter Ramon, 19, first joined the group in 2009 because he was enticed by the opportunity to learn a new skill. He has since returned to school, and hopes to have a career in the army.

“She [Frankel] said we could learn to make the bags and paint and design and do something for the environment to eliminate plastic bags,” he said. “What I like is preparing the paint and painting. Before I didn’t know how to, but I learned. To me it doesn’t matter how many bags I produce or sell. What interests me is making the bags neat and presentable.”

Ramon said that the friendships that he has developed with other participants is one of his favourite parts of working at Ecobolsas.

Ecobolsa and its maker (Photo/Lautaro Aránguiz)

“When I need something, they can help,” he said. “When they need a hand, I can give it to them.”

Frankel sees this growing sense of camaraderie as a positive development, as well.

“The presence of the people is not constant,” she said. “They are very reserved with their problems. But they’re forming a bit of a group now, and this is something that gives order to their lives.”

In addition to socialization, making sure the participants sell their work is important. The first objective of the group is to generate work for the down-and-out, and when the bags do not sell, Ecobolsas is not attractive to them, Frankel said.

Ecobolsas offers bags in different sizes ranging from $10 to $20, which they sell as they work at the Coghlan train station from 10am to 2pm every Thursday. They also occasionally sell the bags at political events, or in the medicine faculty at the UBA. Special purchases boost sales as well. Late last year, a Buenos Aires company bought 350 bags to distribute to their employees as Christmas presents.

The design supplies have all been donated by various community groups. Ecobolsas workers generally buy the blank bags at half price, and then keep the profits from the sale, although due to significant donations, they are often able to buy the bags for less than half.

In addition to helping the homeless youth get on their feet, Frankel said she is happy to promote environmental consciousness in Buenos Aires, an awareness that porteños are sorely lacking.

Working table @ Coghlan Station (Photo/Lautaro Aránguiz)

“The cartoneros are the only recyclers,” Frankel said of her city. “There is no consciousness of recycling, no separation of trash. There are many economic interests [that block environmentalist policies in Argentina]. There is a lot of impunity.”

But now the young participants are developing an interest in the environment, talking amongst themselves about local issues like river pollution.

“All of the kids have more consciousness,” Frankel said. “It’s going from the bottom up.”

Ecobolsas is always looking for more volunteers, and those who are interested can contact Frankel through the group’s Facebook page.

“The best way to collaborate is to buy the bolsas, if not for Ecobolsas itself but then for the planet,” Frankel said.

Contact Ecobolsas at ecobolsas@msn.com, or check out their Facebook page.

Photo by Rosalie Smith

Diane Desjeux came to Buenos Aires in 2006 with no real intention of staying. Having upped and left her entire world in Paris she bought the first ticket to somewhere that seemed exotic. “I knew nothing about Argentina. I did not even know how much a peso was worth. But I liked the sound of Buenos Aires, how it rolled off the tongue”. Four years on and Diane has successfully launched a line of bags and other accessories that she designs herself. Her creations are vibrant and striking, inspired by patterns and textures from different cultures around the world. Yet what is most compelling about Diane, apart from her delightful personality, is how she has managed to capture the “free-spirited” essence of Buenos Aires and integrate it into her daily life. She takes advantage of any and every opportunity that comes her way because being a French ex-pat she knows how hard these can be to come by in other cities of the world.

What was your life like in Paris and what urged you to move away from it?

“Well, I was the perfect image of the young Parisian woman. I lived in Montmartre, rode a scooter, dated an older man in the music industry and had a reputable job working in marketing for Universal Music. But it didn’t make me happy and one day I just had to leave it all behind and follow my intuition. I had always wanted to learn Spanish so I told myself I would come to Buenos Aires and stay here for as long as it took to become really good at the language. After three months I had not progressed as much as I had hoped and before I knew it, months had turned into years. Now this is home.”

Was your goal always to become a designer?

Photo by Rosalie Smith

“No, not at all. That is the charm of new places and new experiences, I think. When I finished school in Paris I was set on doing architecture and interior design at university. I did the one year prep course at Camondo School of Plastic Arts but then for some reason I could not bring myself to commit to the five years of university that followed, even though it truly was what I wanted to do at the time. Instead I did a two-year degree in business and communications at EFFICOM and then moved to Australia and worked for Bondi FM Radio. These experiences served me well but never felt right for me. Now that I am being creative again, I feel I have been taken back to my roots. My natural artistic skills come from my upbringing in Paris but they needed a nourishing and creatively stimulating environment, like that of Buenos Aires, to flourish.”

How would you describe the differences in lifestyle between Paris and Buenos Aires?

“In the Western world, especially in Paris I feel, we are all conditioned to think that the way of life there is what is ‘right’ or ‘good’ but at some point you have to question that and make the adult choice to find something that you believe suits you better. My first impression of Buenos Aires was not ideal. I left one big city only to stumble upon another. But after a while I began to notice a kind of human warmth and spontaneity among the Porteños that really helped me to develop my creativity. In Paris everything is organised, the economy is good but the laws are rigid and you have little freedom. Here there is no security and you could lose everything in an instant. But somehow I feel challenged and inspired by the chaos!”

How did you go about getting involved in the arts scene then?

Photo by Rosalie Smith

“This is the brilliance of Buenos Aires, you see. There is a wealth of opportunities available in the city and anyone can get involved. For example, I am not a singer, I have never sung professionally, but recently I met the well known French producer Richard Minier and he offered for me to sing on a new record he was making. Even though I do not have the best voice and he had to be very patient with me, we ended up producing a great record called D&D present the Folk&Be Sessions. I know that this kind of opportunity would not have been offered to someone with so little experience back in Paris. I also worked in cinema and architecture here in Buenos Aires before I found my niche in the design world.”

Tell me more about Voulez Vous. How would you describe your work?

“Well, so far, the label includes bags, bikinis, cushions and Bling jewellery. When I travel I look out for unusual patterns and prints that grab my attention and I bring them back to Argentina. Otherwise I order them or get friends to bring materials from their countries when they visit. In this way, my designs are lead by my emotions and I find that this attracts the emotions of others. I am not guided by fashion trends or common taste, nor am I motivated by money. I do what I do because it makes me happy and the challenge is trying to find a way to make a living out of that without compromising. Luckily, porteños really like the idea of independent design and as a market they are very supportive of new, creative ideas. Although there are many other budding designers out there the market is still emerging and there is room for us all”.

What have your experiences of being an ex-pat taught you?

Photo by Rosalie Smith

“In life we have to accept that we will find ways of expressing ourselves that are not exactly what we expected. If you are not satisfied in any way you have to be ready to destroy structures and rebuild on a basis of what really feels good. If the recent disasters around the world have taught us anything, it is that Nature is more powerful than social systems and we should guide ourselves according to this. As cliché as it sounds, I feel that my settling in Buenos Aires was meant to be because I fell in love with an Argentine and now we hope to build a family together. This is proof that if you follow your heart you will eventually feed your soul”.

The Voulez Vous line is currently available in various Palermo boutiques and the E-store will be online beginning of May at www.voulezvousplanet.com.

To listen to D&D present the Folk&Be Sessions, check them out on bebo: http://apps.bebo.com/my-band/artist/DandDmusic or facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/-DD-/85894124065

Photo by Sanra Ritten

Plastic bags litter the landscape of Patagonia.

Shiny and light, scrunchable yet durable, cheap to produce and even waterproof, it is no wonder that plastic bags are the most popular way to transport groceries in every corner of the world.

However, when the first plastic bags were born, we never imagined that 40 years on we would be facing a crisis of plastic bag over-population. With a life expectancy of beyond 300 years, the first generation of plastic bags has outlived many of the first proud users of this revolutionary shopping accessory.

Despite the example set by both national and city governments around the world to ban or heavily tax plastic bags, it seems that neither the Buenos Aires government nor the national government have taken action to control the plastic plague in Argentina.

Whether plastic bags are destroyed in incinerators, hidden in landfill, or left to journey into the unknown – usually ending up in the ocean – they have devastating effects on the environment.

According to research published by the UN Environment Programme in 2006, every square kilometre of sea holds nearly 18,000 pieces of floating plastic. This plastic, apart from releasing toxins poisonous to marine life as it slowly decomposes, is often mistaken for food by turtles, whales and albatrosses, to name a few species.

If little Tommy turtle’s stomach gets filled up with indigestible plastic, he suddenly finds that he floats and can no longer dive for food, so dies of starvation.

Not only does marine life suffer from ingesting plastic, but it is estimated that 100,000 marine mammals are literally tangled to death every year by plastic bags.

The world is riddled with immortal plastic bags – in the first month of 2009 over 41 billion plastic bags came into existence – and Buenos Aires keeps on lapping them up.

It is hard to pass a day in this city without amassing a few more plastic bags. Just buying one apple you can easily end up with two bags, one from the fruit counter and one from the cashier. Only 3.5% of these bags are recycled and most are used for an average 15 minutes before being disposed.

Pioneering Warriors

Although small scale and not endorsed by any government authorities, Buenos Aires is home to some active movements striving to reduce the plastic bag presence in the city.

‘No uso bolsas plasticas’ (I don’t use plastic bags) is a local initiative set up by environment conscious Luciana De Luca.

Joaquin Wall, who works on the project alongside De Luca, explains why they are fighting to eliminate plastic bags altogether.

Photo courtesy of Natural Deli

Canvas bags.

“It is incredible the amount of plastic that is consumed in Buenos Aires and until recently there seemed to be no public awareness about the sheer quantity of plastic bags we use or the environmental impacts.”

Wall believes the lack of concern stems from retailers. “No one asks you in the shops if you need a bag they just give you one automatically. If you say that you don’t need it they give you a strange look and usually try and give it to you anyway.

“We really just want to create awareness and try to change habits,” he says. No uso bolsas plasticas has created a website and facebook page to spread the word.

They also fabricate 100% cotton plastic-bag-replacement bags branding the message ‘no uso bolsas plasticas’ which they sell at production price, $10.

Natural Deli, an organic food market and restaurant, has taken its campaign against plastic bags a step further.

Not only have they brought out a range of canvas shopping bags with fun designs stating ‘soy verde’ (I’m green) or ‘no soy descartable’ (I’m not disposable), but they have also begun using oxo-biodegradable plastic bags.

“It looks and feels like plastic but in six months it will turn into thin air,” says the owner of Natural Deli, Michael Legge.

As this is a relatively new technology, especially in Argentina, it has taken Legge some dedication to find a supplier for the oxo-biodegradable bags.

“Although the oxo-biodegradable bags only cost 10% more than normal bags, it is hard for small businesses in Argentina to find suppliers as the bags can only be ordered in large quantities.

“If a supermarket chain or large retailer were to opt for the oxo-biodegradable plastic bags, getting supplies to smaller businesses would be easier too,” he adds.

Love not War

“Plastic is fantastic” it boldly states on the Symphony website, the British company that developed bio-degradable plastic.

Representative of the Argentine branch of Symphony, Alejandro Dewald, explains how oxo-biodegradable plastic works. “During the fabrication process of plastic bags, we use an additive called d₂w which gives the plastic biodegradable properties. The only residues after biodegradation are carbon dioxide, water and biomass.”

Symphony began operation in Argentina three years ago and Dewalt assures me that it is growing rapidly.

“We are working with the local government to change legislation regarding plastic,” says Dewalt. “The law introduced last year allowing shops one year to ban plastic bags in Buenos Aires province will be effective from 14th October 2009.”

Five billion plastic products, mostly bags, have been produced globally using the d₂w technique. In Latin America, Brazil is the biggest user of d₂w plastic.

Maybe this plastic cloud does have a silver lining: a plastic bag with a limited life. “The beauty of the product,” says Michael Stephens, deputy chairman of Symphony UK,  “is that even if it is not recycled or reused, even it misses getting picked up by refuse collection, it may fly off into the wild, get caught up in a tree, and through exposure to air and sunlight it will simply disappear.”

Photo courtesy of Natural Deli

Bio-degradable plastic bags.

War or Peace

So, where does the solution lie? Do we doggedly try to eliminate the plastic bag from our lives, opting for canvas bags and wicker baskets, or do we resign ourselves to the omnipresence of this plastic commodity in our world, but at least exercise some control over its life span?

Unfortunately, in Argentina today both options still represent ideals rather than realities.

Various governments at provincial level have taken a stand against plastic bags. In the province of Buenos Aires a law was passed last October allowing supermarkets and large shops one year and smaller shops two years to remove plastic bags from their businesses.

After several attempts to communicate with the Ministry of Environment and Public Space for the government of Buenos Aires, no one was able to advise me of any action the city government is taking to reduce plastic bags.

Inquiries made to the Secretariat of Environment and Sustainable Development for the national government were equally fruitless; leading me to believe that there is no initiative or plan-in-progress to combat the excessive use of plastic bags in Argentina.

It seems that valiant efforts by provincial governments to align plastic bag legislation with more environmentally friendly practices are undermined by a lack of support from the national government.

More than 50 countries worldwide, including Bangladesh, Tanzania and the Philippines, have introduced legislation to cut down on plastic bags, over half enforcing a complete ban on plastic bags.

While the Bangladeshis no longer clog up their drainage system or cram landfills with plastic bags, in the Argentine capital plastic bags remain in plentiful supply, usually under-used and rarely recycled, and all of which will be around a lot longer than us mortals.

For more information visit, www.nousobolsasplasticas.com and www.natural-deli.com