The average American uses around 500 plastic bags per year. These bags litter the environment, aren't biodegradable, are petroleum based products, are hazardous to wildlife and are wasteful in that they are not generally reused or recycled and are only used for a short amount of time and then discarded.

To close out Nebraska Public Health Month, Eta Sigma Gamma raised awareness about the plastic bag problem and celebrated the communities and stores that have banned plastic bags, the UNO Chapter of Eta Sigma Gamma, a national health education honorary organization staged Choose to Reuse on April 30, 2008 at the Pep Bowl at UNO. Five hundred plastic bags were on display to represent the average number of plastic bags used per year per American.

Hundreds of cloth bags were distributed (donated by Baker's Supermarket and WalMart) to encourage people to reduce the number of plastic and paper bags, and to promote the reuse of cloth bags.