Mom Goes Green

I am adamant, ADAMANT(!), that no matter where I shop, I bring my reusable bags.  I never, EVER accept plastic, no matter the circumstance.

In fact, when our daughter recently had over a hundred boxes of Girl Scout cookies to distribute, I had to find something to put them in for handing them out to our buyers!  Part of me wanted to go out and buy reusables to distribute with them, and hey… that probably would have been a great idea!

But what also “gets me” is that I actually WAS able to find plastic bags to use for the cookies, because I had a stash of them.  Gasp!… a confession.  However, I am pleading ignorance, or a lack of paying attention for having them.  I’ve found that if I’m not paying close attention at the grocery store, a cashier will inevitably find something in my purchase that they deem “plastic bag necessary”.  Greeting cards, ice cream, my organic chicken… every other week it seems, as I unload the loot, a blue plastic bag ends up staring me in the face and laughing, mocking me and non-verbally (of course!) saying “and you thought you could get rid of me!”  I want to yell back “I TRIED!”

I have come to realize that when I hand over my reusables I still need to say “no plastic, for anything, AT ALL… thank you.”  If they ask what I would like them to do with my greeting cards, I point out the space between two boxes.  If they ask about the ice cream, I assure them it won’t melt before I get home.  If they ask about my chicken, I direct them to my reusable with the red tag… if it leaks, I’ll wash it.  That’s what it’s for.

I guess our reusables DON’T speak for themselves.  And if we miss the opportunity to tell them “No. Plastic is NOT necessary, ever” they may never know.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” –  Martin Luther King Jr.

I am fully aware that no, he wasn’t talking about reusable bags(!) but I DO believe that his point was that “our voices really do make a difference.”  Speak up… there is no “matter” too small.

This weekend we are celebrating our kids’ birthdays ONCE AGAIN… but this time with all of their friends.

What kid’s party would be complete without party favors.  Kids bring a gift, but they expect to leave with something a little fun for themselves too.

In past years, I think I have purchased every plastic, throw-away, China-made (potentially lead-laden!) trinket on earth. This year, my conscience wouldn’t allow me to do that.  I wracked my brain for something that wouldn’t eventually wind up in the trash some night, long after the kids have gone to bed, and mom thinks “okay, time to get rid of THIS junk!”  (I’ve done it and you know you have too!… followed-up with a “I don’t know where that went, honey!”)

This year I hit the craft store and bought a canvas tote bag for each one of our little party-goers!  Inside we’re putting a little ‘thank you’ note from our kids, a tube of fabric paint (that they can use to decorate the bag when they get home) and a message about why we chose to give them the tote bag… a message about considering the environment, obviously!  Cost of the tote – a dollar!  Cost of the fabric paint – a dollar!  Two whole bucks and we will have given the kids something that they can use again, and again, and again!… and isn’t likely to wind up in the trash.  (The little “eco-friendly” seal makes me smile too!)

We’re so excited to give all of the friends a really great favor and spread a happy little “earth message”.  Now, if we can just keep the moms from snagging the tote bag, we’ll have done a great job!

I’ve never been shy about telling you when I love (or despise) something and I recently learned about one of the coolest things on the planet… and considering the season of giving, I absolutely have to share this one and give it some MomGoesGreen love!

It’s called the “Starter Kit for Change” and it contains some of the most thoughtful, eco-friendly items to get anyone and everyone started on the road to “green thinking”.

Two moms/musicians/friends/eco-girls developed a company called rocklovepeace and put together an amazing kit that contains:

• a reusable tote bag (“reuse”)
• an arbor day tree seedling (“plant”)
• fair trade hot chocolate (“be fair”)
• a treeless journal (“write”)
• a Sudoku booklet with a recycled pencil (“think”)
• a compact fluorescent light bulb (“switch”)
• gratitude cards (“be grateful”)
• an envelope to help end hunger (“give”)

They thought of everything and I’m not exaggerating when I say that.  The gift box and paper they come in are recycled, the ribbon and bag are biodegradable, the tags are embedded with flower seeds (they  can actually be planted!) and an enclosed booklet explains the importance and impact of every element included.

The reusable bags are even made from fabric remnants and no two are alike (and they’re SO much more stylish than the cheap-o bags!).  Plus, every bag is inscribed with Mahatma Gandhi’s inspirational quote:  “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.” Doesn’t that describe the mission we all wish to accomplish?  Del and Melanie are on this mission too… to educate, motivate and activate CHANGE!  Plus they are donating a portion of the proceeds to Action Against Hunger.

This is truly the coolest thing I have yet to see…The “Starter Kit for Change” is the gift of going green!  And if I got this from someone, I would be thrilled… actually, I got this gift for myself and now I think I’m one pretty cool gift-giver too!

Oh, plastic bags, plastics bags.  Will they ever go away?  It seems to be a slow movement, but there is more good news to report.

IKEA has stepped up to the plate and eliminated all plastic and paper bags in their US retail stores.  No more enormous, crinkling bags to lug home the loot we buy.  Bring your own bag or buy one of theirs, or your only other option will be to grow more arms!  This move eliminates 70 MILLION bags per year.

Target also started a great program that will hopefully encourage everyone who has counted on those bull’s eye bags to consider an alternative too.  I learned about this in People magazine because you turn the inside cover into a mailing envelope.  Put five Target plastic bags inside, mail it and they’ll send you a certificate for a reusable bag made from the plastic you just mailed in.  And you don’t need the magazine cover to participate… just click here to find out how.

It’s funny how I feel an instant kinship with other shoppers who are armed with their own reusable bags.  We often compliment each other and share a proud, little smile at being environmentally conscious together…

… Come’on!  Join our “click”!

We’re getting ready to head off to another kid birthday party… I imagine you can already feel me shuttering through the monitor with thoughts of the waste I’m about to encounter!

The birthday boy is in our daughter’s class, but I can’t say that I really know him and I had no idea what to buy… so we landed at Toys R Us, and the search began.

But while we were there, I made a great discovery. “Geoffrey” has taken a nice “giraffe” step in the right direction. There, in the front of the store, were the most adorable reusable bags. They were not shamelessly emblazoned with the Toys R Us logo. They were simply decorated with polka dots, stripes, flowers, solid colors, animal prints… plenty of cute, colorful patterns for any kid, of any age…even adults!

Best of all, they were only $1.49! I know I have said that gift bags are the best option, over wrapping paper, but I’m really rethinking that. I think about larger gifts and having spent $4.99 to buy one big enough for the gift and now, I can spend $1.49 and give the kid a bag that they can use to lug books from the library, tote toys to grandma’s, cart towels and snacks to the pool, haul overnight gear to a sleepover… very cool! And truly, they’re nice enough to use for anyone’s gift, not just kids. I really think I’m going to make a trip back there and pick up a bunch for all of my gift-giving.

Plus, I have a second discovery to share. A great line of fabric gift bags from Lagniappe Gift Wrap. They’re made by a fellow mom, they come in all kinds of themes and sizes, are made from natural fibers and tie at the top. They could be used for just about anything, but I think they give a beautiful, upscale feel to the gift, when a reusable bag just won’t do — and then they can be put to other uses afterward or simply passed on!  I even hear they’re going to start making treat bags soon… BONUS!  I don’t think I can stand buying another plastic treat bag.

(So, honey, when you buy me that beautiful new diamond for being such an awesome wife you can put it in a nice little jewel bag!…. hmm, was that too obvious? ) 

I just can’t take any more gift waste — so, whatever you do… bag it, tag it, tie it, give it… but just don’t “trash” it!

Today, like so many of you, I had an errand to run.  It was a 5 minute trip into the drugstore for a couple items and (perish the thought!) I DIDN’T take my reusable bags in with me.

Before you start booing me, it was simply because I was buying a few small items and I knew I could just carry them out by hand.  Simple as that, right?  Well, not so quickly.

As the cashier started scanning my items, I got distracted by my ringing cell phone and didn’t get to tell her “no bag, please.”  When I came back to earth, I realized that she had put everything in a plastic bag that she placed on the counter top.  When I said “oh, I’m sorry.  A bag isn’t necessary.  I can carry them out”  she took them out of the bag, handed them to me and (deep breath)…threw the bag in the trash.  I…was…amazed.

I quickly told her that she didn’t need to throw it away and her rebuttal was that it was already “used” and too hard to put back on the rack.  In an instant my whole purpose was defeated.  The bag I chose NOT to take was sitting in the trash can.

So, I asked her for the bag. She looked at me blankly, handed me the bag and, I’m fairly certain, she thought I was insane.

At least I knew I could take the bag to be recycled.  But what a waste.  It all goes back to my frustration with lack of store policy and training that teaches cashiers to be responsible. And for the love of Mother Earth, I nearly pass out when I see someone double- or tripled-bagging with plastic!

No matter how many glares and stares I get from cashiers, I won’t be responsible for helping to create plastic bag trash.  Just look at what it creates.  These are sad visuals I hope no one forgets the next time they have that choice.

I find myself increasingly bothered, annoyed, frustrated and even angered by some people’s responses to being environmentally conscious. You would think that WE were doing something wrong by being responsible. I mean, honestly!

There is a cashier at one of the grocery stores I frequent and after my first few encounters with her bad attitude about my reusable bags, I used to avoid her. Now, if she’s working, I head to her checkout. At this point, I DO want to piss her off. I want to remind her that this issue is not going to go away.

Apparently she finds it bothersome to have to attach the little tab on my reusables to the bag rack (so they stay upright). For her, it’s easier to pull apart the two sides of at least two dozen “evil” plastic bags than put my entire order in six reusables. And that is another issue I have…I know plastic bags are cheap, but cashiers need to be responsible about it. In my “previous life” I had a cashier give me four plastic bags for four items. What? She had to separate the chicken from the bread and the batteries from the tomatoes. I can understand the logic (I think) but it’s gotten out of hand.

Until plastic bags go away entirely, I think retailers need to have better policies and cashiers need to be trained to be responsible. And even if you aren’t willing to make a very small investment with canvas or non-woven poly reusables, simply reuse the plastic bags you were already given. Before buying my reusables, I traveled with a load of bags from every store I would frequent. If I headed into Target, I brought my Target bags back into the store for my new purchase. I thought that was more annoying than my pretty reusables, but it was an option.

Whatever the case, just stop accepting that it’s okay to take more and more bags, because it simply isn’t. You, too, can annoy your (least) favorite cashier!

photo by: www.supanet.com

Finally. A grocery store is taking responsibility.

I recently shopped at a local, high-end chain grocery store. When I got home and looked at my receipt, the first line item read: Bagging credit: 3 @ $0.08 and in the cost column was a 24 cent credit. I realized that I had used three of my own reusable bags and the store was actually rewarding me for using them. Well, BRAVO! This is finally a step in the right direction.

The credit isn’t going to amount to much, but that’s not my concern (especially considering my feelings about plastic bags). My concern is that they are taking responsibility and recognizing the importance of reducing the usage of plastic bags. I’m also not concerned if their motive is financial or simply an awareness of a growing issue. I simply applaud the progress.

Plastic bags have already been outlawed in South Africa, Taiwan and Bangladesh. Six years ago Ireland actually imposed a 15 cent tax on every bag “sold” and I’m hopefully that we will soon follow suit*. I think if you charge people for every plastic bag taken, they’ll be forced to think long and hard before they accept six bags for 12 items!

(*In November 2007, San Francisco banned grocery stores from giving customers non-biodegradable plastic bags. The stores must use recyclable paper bags, reusable bags, or bio-plastic bags made of corn or potato starch. As of May, it now also applies to multiple-location pharmacies such as Walgreen’s, Long’s and Rite Aid. Way to go, San Fran!)

photo by: www.jcdanczak.com

About a year ago, following a trip to the grocery store, I looked around my kitchen and saw the carnage of my trip – an armload of plastic bags. My city had stopped accepting them in the recycling (because it supposedly takes too many bags to create enough volume to recycle), so I had been saving them… and the area under my sink was ready to explode. So I made the decision to make a change. I bought reusable non-woven poly bags… one dozen of them, at a whopping cost of $12! That is sarcastic, of course, because it is the best dozen bucks I ever spent.

When you think about the number of bags that wind up in your house on a weekly basis, it’s no wonder EPA data has placed the annual worldwide usage of plastic bags somewhere between 500 billion and a trillion! They’re a horrible source of litter, they don’t biodegrade, they end up polluting landfills and waterways, and they affect animals, the earth, water supplies and… (surprise, surprise!) …us! I can hardly respond to that. It’s just mind boggling. So yeah, I’ll do my part.

Please join me. Buy reusable bags. It’s a wonderful first step.

photo by: www.cnet.com