Watching Live Earth yesterday, and picturing (hopefully) hundreds of thousands of other viewers all getting fired up to do something about global warming, was very inspiring.
The backdrop of the stage had informational messages scrolling by, and one of the most striking was this: "Globally, we use as many as 1 million new plastic bags every MINUTE at a cost of 2.2 billion gallons of oil a year." You could drive your car a mile with the petroleum used to make 14 grocery bags! And plastic isn't just filling up our landfills, it's also wreaking havoc on our oceans.
Before we recycle, or reuse, we've got to REDUCE consumption! Last holiday season, I gave members of my family copies of "An Inconvenient Truth" and packs of CFL bulbs. This year, I want to give them all reusable shopping totes.
I found several websites that sell canvas, hemp, net, and vinyl bags. I can't vouch for them yet, but will be choosing one soon for my own use and for gift giving. I hope some of you will join me!
Earthwise bags
Ecobags
Greenfeet
Reusable bags.com
1 bag at a time
If you've used any of these companies (or any others), please share your views! I'll update the list if you post a link.