A senior in Beijing launched her own one-woman campaign against plastic shopping bags, long before the Chinese government announced its ban on the landfill hazard, from Chinadaily:

On any given day, 79-year-old Liu (pictured) can be found standing at the gates of her Fengtai district community, handing out roomy cloth bags to those strolling out of the courtyards, bound for their daily shopping. Over the past 15 years, Liu has handmade and embroidered nearly 4,000 of these reusable bags.

Her mission recently received added validation, with China ordering a ban in late 2007 on the production, sale and use of ultra-thin plastic shopping bags, to take effect on June 1.