To the editor:

Do you remember the first America Recycles Day? It wasn’t that long ago — 1997 in fact — that Nov. 15 was officially designated so that people across the country could come together to promote recycling in our communities.

Hundreds of events will be held nationwide to raise awareness about the importance of recycling and to encourage us to sign personal pledges to recycle and buy recycled products.

From gathering newspapers to collecting worn computers and donating gently used clothing, we will honor the wonders of our world by taking the decisive step to recycle more and think about how our actions affect our planet.

We’ve all heard the adage: Think globally, act locally. America Recycles Day speaks to small contributions we can make — with big results.

But we do need reminders. To help in the plastic-bag-recycling effort, Keep Virginia Beautiful is happy to tell you about “A Bag’s Life,” the plastic bag recycling education campaign that we are supporting. Learn more at www.abagslife.com.

It’s an informative, entertaining website and application that will drive you to the closest plastic bag drop-off location. You can also drop off dry-cleaning bags and newspaper bags and product wraps like the plastic wraps around cases of soda, paper towels or bottled water.

Many retailers throughout Virginia have signed on, with nearly 800 stores already listed.

And remember every day is an opportunity to learn and change behavior to protect our world.

Mike Baum is executive director of Keep Virginia Beautiful in Richmond.