Wednesday, June 18, 2008

REUSABLE BAGS

I have been reading a lot lately about how bad plastic grocery bags are for the environment and I have decided to take the plunge into using reusable bags. I have never considered myself as much of a "green" person (I do recycle as much as possible but that is about all I do), but with gas prices so high and the world becoming more and more polluted, I feel like it is time for me to do my part.

I have decided I need to purchase some reusable bags. The grocery stores are now selling them and they are quite cheap. I have seen them from $2-$5. My problem with the grocery store bags is that they are big and bulky and don't seem very easy to clean. I figure what is the point in buying reusable bags if I never remember to take them to the store.
From all of the bags I have seen, I love the Envirosax the most. I love that they are waterproof, washable, lightweight and fold up so small. I plan to keep one bag in my diaper bag to use at the mall and other stores and keep the rest in their pouch in my car to use at the grocery store. They are $37.95 for a pouch of 5.
Here are a few reasons why plastic bags are so bad:
  • Each year billions of bags end up as ugly litter.
  • Eventually they break down into tiny toxic bits polluting our soil, river, lakes and oceans

  • Production requires vast amounts of oil.

  • Countless animals needlessly die each year.

Click here to read more about plastic bags and how bad they are for the environment and animal life. It is actually quite interesting.

*Thanks Brit and Jacy for inspiring me.

3 comments:

Greg and Carly said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Greg and Carly said...

Hi Karen,
I have an awesome bag for you to check out! I have been using these for about a year, and I LOVE them. They a nylon that cleans really easy, if needed. But, the best part is that they have a tiny little stuff sack that they stuff into and they end up being just about three inches long and two inches wide (while stuffed) I seriously keep four of them in my purse, and that usually is enough for all of my groceries. Anyway, you should check them out. They are the very best :)

http://store.chicobag.com/

M.S. said...

I love my Albertson's and Walmart Bags. They actually fit a lot of stuff and are quite comfortable to carry. Albertson's and Smith's actually take off 5 cents for each bag you use. And it doesn't matter if you use their bag or another stores.

I also noticed that Smith's has a bag that is for freezer stuff. I thought about getting that. I have a huge freezer bag that I purchased at Sam's Club. I usually just keep it in the car and then load it up when I get to the car.

I also purchased a IKEA bag and it is big and hard to manage. But at IKEA if you use a plastic bag, they charge you for the plastic bag.

Thanks for encouraging people to use bags. Check out my blog on April 22 2008 Earth Day. I have other ideas to help you be "more green".