After sitting patiently for nearly 3 hours, Newport Chapter of Surfrider Foundation volunteers and local citizens couldn't have been better received by the Newport City Council - considering a resolution in support of legislation banning plastic bags statewide. Clad together with plenty of ban the bag t-shirts, buttons and plastic free (of course) stickers, volunteers and activists provided compelling testimony to a well educated council on the issue who quickly voted unanimously in support of the resolution. As I sat through that long meeting and looked around at the 50 or so activists sitting around the room, I was overwhelmed by the presence and high quality of engagement. These people, with families, full time jobs, plenty of personal life, sat patiently to speak their voice and deliver a unified message for their campaign. These folks are the core of what Surfrider is to me. Some of them rarely come to meetings, beach cleanups or other organized events. Some of them rarely miss an event or meeting. But on Monday night, they all showed up together. That one banner issue provided a unique opportunity for everyone to engage. And when everyone fires on all cylinders, there's little we can't do. A huge amount of respect goes out to all of you with fingerprints on Newport's favorable support for our statewide Ban the Bag campaign. Big props and special thanks to Beth Hawkyard, who pulled much of the organizing together at the 11th hour! Wanna come to Salem with us and get involved with your representatives as we move this forward? Contact ggates@surfrider.org for more information!