NO MORE BAGS! This Woman’s Small Contribution to the Environment and Green Living in Alexandria
March 17th, 2008 Categories: Alexandria, Green Living
I used to be known as the Bag Lady. And it was true, I never met a bag I didn’t like. My particular love was bags for work and travel - I was always on the prowl for the PERFECT bag - but then it spilled over to gift bags, grocery bags, department store bags, specialty bags, etc. Bags were good!
But no more. I’m not sure when the turning point came but I suddenly realized that the bags in my house, especially the plastic bags from the grocery store, threatened to take over. Or maybe it was when I found out that margarine was made from petroleum products - the same products used to make plastic bags. Yuck - what a great reason to go back to butter (surely Paula Deen knew this all along) - AND cut down on the number of barrels of oil purchased every year. This analogy might not hold up in an economics course but it works for me. Besides, the WorldWatch Institute’s report, Oceans in Peril, noted that “Disposable plastic bags can linger in the environment for more than 1,000 years” and are the major debris found on ocean seabeds, particularly in coastal areas. Head’s up for all you beach lovers out there.
It doesn’t help either that I am not a good grocery shopper. I don’t go once a week with a complete list like all the magazines say I should. Nope, it’s more like once a day, buying what we need to get us through dinner and into the next morning. Sometimes it’s just for cat food for Mac.
This is an 18lb cat whose stomach knows no boundaries.
The drugstore is the same way. One tube of mascara, one bag. One pack of toothpaste, one bag. WHY????? I politely started saying NO, no thank you.
Then I went to my local Giant (locally owned and operated until just a few years ago).
The bags, a bit short and stubby, but a nice bright blue with white lettering, were sitting at the end of the check out lane. Ninety-nine cents and I wouldn’t have to throw anything away! I came home with three fabric bags, immensely proud of myself.
Next stop Trader Joe’s. Fabulous! Their bags are tall (all the better for baguettes), substantial and come in a variety of colorful patterns and scenes. Bag buyers could even register for a drawing for a free bag chocked with Trader Joe’s goodies - not bad for a 99 cent purchase. 
Whole Foods (or as a friend of mine calls it, whole paycheck) offers a bag similar in style and size to Trader Joe’s along with a three/five/or even ten cent rebate each time you use the bag. They have also set a goal of being completely plastic bag free by April 22, 2008, Earth Day.
That committment alone will save 100, 000 million plastic bags from entering the environment. Whole Foods will continue to offer an environmentally sensitive option when needed, a 100 percent recycled paper grocery bag.
I haven’t checked out Safeway, Harris Teeter or Balducci’s yet (they just aren’t in close proximity) but will put it on my to-do list. I’d love to hear from any of you out there who have found other stores - grocery or otherwise - offering these specialty bags.
Buying the bags is easy and using them the first time is a proud moment. The hard part - REMEMBERING TO TAKE THEM INTO THE STORE EACH TIME! It’s just all part of the re-education process and I’m still in grade school.
Virginia Amos
Our guest author today is my spouse, manger and all round good friend.
Virginia and Michael:
What a great post. Thanks for encouraging all of us to do our part to minimize plastic bag waste; we need encouragement! I don’t think people are so much pro-plastic bag as they are so busy that we just don’t give it much thought. It’s just one more thing to think about: remembering to put the tote in the car, then take it into the store. But it’s never too late to develop a new habit and this is one I’ll work on.
I loved your friend’s nickname for Whole Foods: whole paycheck. I frequent the store over here in Annapolis - their fish counter is one of the best - but I feel the same way about the cost. Yikes!
Ken,
You are absolutely right about developing a new habit. First we kept the bags in the trunk of the car but ‘out of sight, out of mind.’ Now we stash them in the organizer thing-a-ma-bob I have in the front seat. Still, I practically have to write myself a note each time. The only plastic bag I’m still fond of is the one that contains my daily issue of the Washington Post. I do like dry newspapers.
Your environmental novice,
Virginia
This is a great idea and I applaud it, but you are missing one of the greatest area stores–MOM’s! (My Organic Market.) You can check them out on Mt. Vernon Ave. They were the first local grocery store to sell fabric bags (I think…I regularly shop at Harris Teeter, Giant, WF and TJ, but primarily Mom’s.) All of their stores are 100% windpowered, and I can’t say enough good things about their (affordable!) organic offerings and great staff.
Rebecca,
You are absolutely right and this was a big oversight on my part. When our favorite Vietnamese restaurant was in that same shopping area we used to stop in frequently but haven’t been there in quite some time. What I remember most was their selection of cheeses and homemade bread. Thanks for this great reminder. Affordable organic is a thing of beauty!
Virginia
I’m impressed! It’s a real profession, interesting site. Thank you for sending me the “Birth Notice Card”. I’ll be a frequent visiting admirer. Jay
Thanks CPT Jay. I appreciate the kind words. You are at the computer early this morning.
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