As the country moves towards implementing plans for sustainability, Oasis Furniture stands with the Ministry of Environment and Housing’s newly established single use plastics ban which came into effect on January 1, 2020, offering stylish complementary reusable bags to anyone who stops by so long as supplies last.
The bag campaign is part of a broader effort at sustainability which the company practices in various aspects of its operations.
“For the past two years since our opening, we’ve packaged our items in both paper and plastic bags. In a sense our use of paper bags gave us a head start on the implementation of the Act,” said Jennifer Treco Interior Designer for Oasis Furniture. “We believe that practicing sustainability across the board will allow us to enjoy our country’s future. Upon purchase, our customers will now receive a simple, yet chic black multipurpose reusable bag. ”
Based on 2010 statistics from plasticfree242.com, each year 51k tons of plastic are in The Bahamas. Ten years later the implementation of the Environmental Protection Act is intended to eradicate the use of single-use plastic and Styrofoam products. It prohibits single-use plastic bags, Styrofoam containers and cups, plastic utensils and plastic straws; coined as the ‘4-bidden-4’. The Ministry’s hope is that the 2020 plastic ban becomes an impetus for future environmental policies.
“We applaud the Ministry of Environment for its stance on and implementation of the single use plastics ban,” said Brooke Phillips Pyfrom, founder of Oasis Furniture, Sandyport. “We know that change is often difficult but we hope that the wider community is able to see the long-term benefit of eliminating single use plastics from the Bahamas environment. To influence a wave of recycling, we will take $1 off a customer’s purchase for each Oasis bag the customer reuses at our store. At the very least, our hope is to make the transition easier with the use of our bags. ”
Oasis, with outdoor furniture on East Shirley Street and indoor home décor, accessories, gifts and furniture in Sandyport, built sustainability into its corporate ethic. One of the components of the outdoor furniture is upcycled, permanently safely treated plastics and when designing the new store, Phillips Pyfrom chose to re-purpose pallets that would otherwise have added to the landfill.
“We are proud to offer reusable bags to anyone who stops by our store so long as supplies last. It’s a small gesture that we hope catches on with others as we all do our part to protect the environment,” she noted.
About Oasis
Oasis Furniture combines eclectic, chic, modern and rustic indoor and outdoor furniture pieces that are sourced worldwide. It presents stylish furniture and accessories in Nassau, The Bahamas and features indoor designs and outdoor furniture that can be custom covered with Sunbrella® fabric.
Oasis Furniture in Sandyport is offering reusable bags to anyone who stops by the store that built its stock on a marriage between natural elements and sustainable style.
