I finally remember to use reusable shopping bags at all stores, not just the grocery store. When I forget, I feel a strong pain of eco-guilt and usually walk out with my arms full of goods and no bag at all. I hate plastic bags, but many of the reusable bags sold in retail chains are made of synthetic fabrics that do not biodegrade. Sure, you are using them over and over again, but there is a better choice for the environment.
Plastic bags harm our environment. They harm our animals. They harm our lands and seas. They can suffocate our children and pets.
Plastic bags are comsumed by the trillions and only 1% are recycled.
Plastic bags are very costly to recycle and sell for very little on the market.
Today's latest answer to single-use plastic bags? The plastic fabric look-a-likes! They look like canvas, some are even the same color as real canvas. But guess what? They aren't cotton canvas! They are made from nonwoven polypropylene! Will they biodegrade? No. Will they photodegrade? Perhaps, with enough sunlight they will break down into tiny bits of toxins that could leach into our land and water supply. Reusable? Yes, for a year or so until the seams give way.
Barebags are sturdy and come in many sizes. The unbleached cotton fabric also gives you an opportunity to decorate the bags on your own, should you choose. These bags are great and will hold up to many years of use.
My background is in graphic design but I have recently begun designing jewelry as well. All of my pieces have an asian flair to them and are made from recycled papers and other jewelry findings. As a graphic artist, I'm drawn to beautiful bits of printed material and enjoy mixing them with other media. All pieces are hand crafted by me in my studio, in San Francisco, California.
Squishy Sushi's unique pieces have an Asian influence are made from items such as magazines, dominos, and Scrabble pieces. I recently purchased a Recycled Scrabble pendant:
This scrabble pendant is made from a bit of recycled magazine. The pendant has been coated with a heat and water resistant 2-part resin for a high gloss shine and durability. The bail is silver plated. This pendant measures 3/4" by 1" including the bail.
At only $7.50, this pendant is certainly affordable, and I feel good about supporting an artisan on Etsy.
Black Friday is the day retailers traditionally kick off the holiday shopping season with big sales. The overconsumerism of western culture is not sustainable nor good for the environment, therefore, Black Friday is Buy Nothing Day!
Suddenly, we ran out of money and, to avoid collapse, we quickly pumped liquidity back into the system. But behind our financial crisis a much more ominous crisis looms: we are running out of nature... fish, forests, fresh water, minerals, soil. What are we going to do when supplies of these vital resources run low?
There's only one way to avoid the collapse of this human experiment of ours on Planet Earth: we have to consume less.
It will take a massive mindshift. You can start the ball rolling by buying nothing on November 28th. Then celebrate Christmas differently this year, and make a New Year's resolution to change your lifestyle in 2009.
Did you know that just one reusable bag eliminates the use of 1,000 plastic bags per year?ECOBAGS makes several natural and certified organic, recycled cotton and cotton/hemp blend reuseable bags. All ECOBAGS are made with fair wage/fair labor practices. My favorite bags are the Classic String Market Bags and the Lunch Bags, which I like to use as a produce bag. I am an avid farmers' market shopper, and it defeats the purpose of local shopping to accept a plastic bag made thousands of miles away from the farmer, besides the environmental impact. ECOBAGS has been in business for 19 years and is a member of Co-Op America, the Organic Trade Association, and the Women's Business Enterprise National Council.
This slideshow was created by Vishal Mody, a public school teacher from Chicago, warning us about the dangers of plastic bags. From the ocean to the savannah, plastic bags are wrecking havoc on our planet. Just last week, LA banned plastic bags(starting in 2010), following San Francisco's lead. We've featured a lot of great reusable bags on Really Natural; this is an important, simple step you can take to reducing your impact on the environment. Remember, reusable bags aren't just for the grocery store or farmers' market, but they should be used at every store.
Natural Canvas Cotton Shopping Bags by Barebags
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