Americans alone use an average of 100 billion single-use plastic bags per year (Earth Policy Institute), which, with plastic from other countries, end up in landfills and oceans and eventually in our food and water. 
With 11,119 people (All Home), King County is estimated to be the 12th most populous county in the country (U.S. Census), but has the third largest homeless population (KOMO News December 17, 2018)
RISE Learning Institute’s Bags to Bedrolls Project, a collaboration with the Bellevue College Office of Sustainability, repurposes single-use plastic bags into bed mats for locals experiencing homelessness. They create a lightweight water-barrier to help keep sleeping bags and blankets drier. Once completed, the mats are distributed to unhoused locals through the project’s community partner, Facing Homelessness.
Since Winter 2018, the Bags to Bedrolls Project has engaged over 850 Bellevue College students. Through events during Homecoming and Earth Week, the open “plarn” period, and class visits, students have learned about both sustainability and homelessness while contributing to the project.
Participating classes have been in: Sociology, Biology, English, Career Education Options, Adult Basic Education, English as a Second Language, Environmental Science, Occupational & Life Skills, and the English Learning Institute.
Students:
When we return to campus, visit the RISE MakerSpace (B237) for Open “Plarning.”
Faculty:
Invite us to your (virtual) class! We can discuss homelessness and/or sustainability along with “plarning.”
Last Updated February 2, 2022
