Opt for Reusable Shopping Bags

If you don’t bring your own bags on shopping trips, here are a few reasons why you should:

1. It took 1.6 billions gallons to make the 380 billion plastic bags used in the US in 2007 alone, and that is just the oil that goes into the raw material of the plastic bags–not the transportation. And paper bags aren’t much better.

2. A mere 5.2% of plastic bags were recycled in 2007. Those that actually made it to the trash and aren’t floating around streets, parks and sewers could take up to 1000 years to decompose in a landfill. (San Francisco spends $8 million a year cleaning up plastic bags)

3. Most grocery baggers send you home with 50% more bags than you need to haul your groceries. I once had a bagger double bag a carton of eggs for me!! Whole Foods has gone so far as to post signs explaining why they refuse to double bag groceries. So, at the very least, bag your own groceries to cut down on waste.

4. It is more convenient. You might think it is a hassle to bring your own bags to the grocery store, but I actually find it is much more convenient to tote two canvas bags full of groceries than 20 plastic bags that cut the circulation off at your elbows……

5. Everyone else is doing it

6. And there are so many great bags to choose from!! Envirosak makes a great bag that is discreet enough to fit right in your purse or man-purse. I always keep mine in my purse as you never know when a purchase might just jump out at you…….for groceries I opt for the Reisnethel Tote ($32 at Garnet Hill)-it is super sturdy and can hold a ton of weight and is, oh, so chic–my most highly complimented accessory-have even had teenage boys ask me where I got it! And I saw that they came out with a mini-tote–adorable!!