Reusable Bags Depot

Earth Day is April 22 and is the one day a year where many people take the time to re-evaluate their commitment to living a greener life.  Today, more than ever, it is important for each and every one of us to think about the things that we do on a daily basis and how they impact the environment.

It can also be overwhelming to think about how much modern society does impact our environment.  These thoughts often lead to thoughts of hopelessness – can one person really make that much of a difference?

YES!

For examples of the impact that one person has had look no further than Al Gore or John Muir.  Of course, all of us are not going to go on to have that big of an impact on environmental awareness.  The good news is that we don’t have to.  We simply need to do our part and rest assured that the combined efforts of everyone will ultimately generate the results we need.

Where to Start?

There are literally thousands of things that we can all do to reduce the impact we have on the planet.  Here are just a few ideas for things you can do that will take less than 30 minutes.

1)  Cut Down on Your Use of Paper & Plastic Bags - obviously we endorse this strategy!  Reusable bags have caught on with the grocery store crowd, but how often do you see them at malls or shopping centers?  How many of you work at an office where some people still bring their lunch to work in a plastic take-out bag or a brown bag?  What percentage of kids in a typical grade school bring sandwiches and snacks packaged in plastic baggies?  The list goes on…If you’ve made the switch to reusable grocery bags, maybe it’s time to start bringing them with you for more than grocery shopping.

2)  Be a Smarter Driver – Yes, driving less in favor of public transportation, biking, walking, or carpooling is always going to be the ideal solution and one that everyone needs to make an effort to use.  But we all know that there will still be times when it is necessary to get in the car and drive somewhere.  What most people don’t realize is that keeping their car properly maintained and doing things like making sure your tires have the right amount of air in them will actually make those trips a little less harmful for the planet.

3)  Switch Your Light Bulbs – Switching to Compact Flourescent Light Bulbs (CFLs) and LED lights around the house will significantly reduce the amount of energy your house consumes.  CFLs consume as much as 2/3rds less energy than regular light bulbs and can last up to 10 times longer.  They also generate less heat which can help to reduce the cooling costs in your home.

Did You Know?

If every American home replaced just one light with an ENERGY STAR light, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, about $700 million in annual energy costs, and prevent 9 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions per year, equivalent to the emissions of about 800,000 cars. Source: EnergyStar.gov

The one thing to be aware of with CFLs is their disposal – they should be dropped off at recycling centers when they burn out instead of throwing them away.

Now it’s your turn to chime in:

What are you planning to do to celebrate this Earth Day?

What plans do you have for being more Green in your daily life moving forward?

What other simple green living tips to you have?

As we close the books on 2009, we want to take this opportunity to thank all of you that helped with our mission to reduce the consumption of plastic bags in 2009 – together we eliminated the need for tens of thousands of disposable plastic bags!

We hope that 2010 is even more successful and that we all continue to see more and more people begin to use reusable shopping bags for all of their shopping needs (not just groceries).

For those of you that use reusable bags who are looking to take your grocery shopping to the next level of “green” in 2010, we a simple, yet effective suggestion:  Pay attention to the packaging of the products that you buy.

When you’re looking at packaging for groceries, look for those that do the best job of minimizing waste – after all, the packaging for most of the foods we buy is either thrown away or recycled.  Ideally, we should all be buying items that are packaged in recyclable materials.  For example:

• Milk and Juice – Plastic milk jugs are recyclable.  However, food-contaminated paper products cannot be recycled.  This includes wax coated cardboard milk and juice cartons.  Opt for plastic milk and juice jugs when you can or canned juices.
• Pasta – Most pasta aisles in grocery stores have pastas that are packaged in either plastic bags (bad) or cardboard boxes.  The plastic bags are not recyclable.  An added advantage of the cardboard packaging is that it does a better job of protecting your noodles from breaking on the trip home.
• Vegetables – The plastic bags that frozen vegetables come in are not recyclable.  When possible, purchase your vegetables fresh (and use a reusable produce bag to transport them instead of a plastic one) or buy canned veggies since the cans are recyclable.

There are countless other examples that you will notice if you keep these things in mind next time your cruising the aisles at your local grocer.  Simply ask yourself, “Is what I’m putting in my shopping cart also able to go in my recycling bin?“  If not, see if you can find a better alternative.

Like most eco-conscious choices, these are relatively minor changes that you may have to make from your usual behavior, but the combined impact that we can all have by making these easy changes is huge.

All of us at Reusable Bags Depot would like you wish you all a happy and healthy 2010!  Happy New Year!

Photo Credit:  Bob Jagendorf

Telluride, CO was one of the 31 towns that helped eliminate the need for over 5 million plastic bags

On September 1, 2009, the first Ski Towns Reusable Bags Challenge came to an end. The results were announced early this week, and the town of Basalt, Colorado was declared the winner. Basalt will receive $10,000 worth of solar panels from Alpine Bank and PCL Construction to use on a local school.

The contest, organized by the Colorado Association of Ski Towns (CAST), began on March 1 with the overall goal of increasing the use of reusable shopping bags and raising more awareness about the negative impacts that plastic bags have. A total of 31 ski towns took part in the challenge, the majority of which are located in Colorado.

Results were calculated on a per capita basis over the six month period and every town that finished in the top 3 reported saving over 40 plastic bags per person by shopping with reusable bags.

In total, CAST estimates that the 31 towns that participated in the challenge eliminated the consumption of over 5 million single-use plastic bags in a 6 month period.

Sources: Vail Daily, Summit Daily News, The Durango Telegraph, Photo Credit: J. Stephen Conn

The use of reusable grocery bags has exploded over the past few years, and for good reason. Growing concerns about the negative environmental impact of plastic bags has led many consumers to opt for the use of reusable bags. Reusable bags help prevent the pollution and litter that plastic bags produce which has been shown to contribute to the death of thousands of wild animals every year, as well as numerous other problems. The concerns about plastic bags have recently led to several cities, towns, and even countries to begin taxing or banning their use.

However, if you’ve followed the news of late, you may be aware of a study that was recently released that pointed to some potential health concerns that reusable bags may present. While the study’s findings may be seen as interesting to some, the truth is that the study does nothing to demonstrate that plastic bags are better to use than reusable bags. If you’re unsure what I’m talking about, the study I’m referring to was published by a Canadian association and concluded that reusable grocery bags could potentially contribute to contamination of foods that are carried in them, as they provide an environment where bacteria could potentially grow. It is also worth noting that the study was funded by a committee of the Canadian Plastics Industry Association.

So the question is left – does this study actually tell us something we didn’t already know? The truth is that it doesn’t. And, the study does nothing to say that reusable bags, in and of themselves, are bad. It simply says that the bags, like any other material, can get dirty or contaminated. It doesn’t say that using reusable bags will necessarily contaminate your food, nor does it say that they shouldn’t be used. It merely points to something that some consumers don’t think about very often – these bags could potentially be a place in which bacteria grows…if they aren’t kept clean.

In fact, I would argue that, despite the fact that this study was funded by the plastics industry, it actually helps the reusable bag movement by educating consumers even more. Reusable grocery bags are no different than other things that come in contact with our food – our counter tops, cutting boards, utensils, and so on. We all know the importance of keeping those things clean to help prevent contaminating our food, and our shopping bags are no different, which is why we carry a wide selection of washable reusable shopping bags.

When you’re being environmentally conscious and using your reusable bags, keep the following in mind:

Keep your bags clean. Wash or disinfect them on a regular basis, just like you do with all the things in your kitchen that you use to prep and cook your food. If you ever notice that your steaks have leaked some juice that is on your bag, wash it before its next use.

If possible, bag meats, fish, poultry, fruits, and veggies separately. Our reusable produce bags are great for keeping fruits and veggies away from products like meats that can leak juices on to them.

Reusable produce bags keep fruits and veggies separate from foods that could leak

Bag all items that could potentially leak in a separate reusable bag. Things like meats that can leak juices, eggs, condiments, etc. should be carried in their own bag.

Finally, regardless of what you use to carry food home from the grocery store, clean your foods before eating them. It never ceases to amaze me how many people will eat an apple without rinsing it off first.

Another way to think about this issue is in terms of the things that we use every day to eat our food – plates, cups, forks, knives, spoons, etc. If not cleaned, they can also lead to food contamination. Does that mean that all of us are going to stop using them in favor of disposable plastic utensils? I didn’t think so.

The benefits of reusable bags are clear and despite the knee-jerk reaction that this study may cause initially, hopefully I have helped clear the air. Reusable bags are still better than plastic bags because they offer a sustainable, environmentally friendly way to transport our food and other goods. Using one reusable bag for only one year could potentially eliminate the consumption of over 1,000 plastic bags. When you consider that, the fact that you may need to wash them every once should not be seen as a big deal.